As I finalize my slide deck for my presentation “Build a Better Experience with Content Marketing” for Content Marketing World, I’m getting really excited to be there.

This is the first year that we’ve had several conferences focused on content marketing:

  • Content Marketing Strategies Conference in Berkeley in Feb was intimate and impactful,
  • Confab in Minneapolis in May was fantastic,
  • DemandCon was dedicated to the entire pipeline, including both marketing and sales,
  • and now Joe Pulizzi and the classy folks at the Content Marketing Institute are putting on CMW.

It’s been quite a year, so far…

In thinking about why I’m so excited for this show, I thought I’d share a few reasons with you. You know, just in case you’re still sitting on the fence about being there. You’ve got two weeks – plenty of time to make plans to come.

  1. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – how can you pass up an opening party in that venue?
  2. Live blog chat with Mack Collier – I had the pleasure of meeting Mack at Marketing Profs B2B Forum in Boston and he’s the real deal! And, even better, blog chat live will be held at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!
  3. The chance to hear Sally Hogshead talk about The Power of Story!
  4. David Meerman Scott – nuff said. If you haven’t seen him in person, you need to!
  5. The Content Marketing Technology Cage Match at lunch – It’ll be interesting to see what the speakers can pack into only 5 minutes worth of presentation time. Sounds like a show down to me!
  6. HP, Dupont, Vertical Measures, Dell and Kelly Services are sharing insider views of what it takes to manage content within their companies – should be an eyeopener!
  7. Pam Didner from Intel is dishing on how to manage a global editorial planning. Considering that this is one of the hardest things for marketers to master, can you afford to miss her insights?
  8. Who knows more about fans than sports organizations? The CAVs, Browns and Indians are sharing their secrets to social media strategies. I’ll just bet their insights can be adapted for businesses who want more raving fans – stay tuned.
  9. Brian Clark and Michael Stelzner are sharing how they built Copyblogger and Social Media Examiner into raging successes by using content.
  10. A great panel on how to use metrics to justify content marketing budgets.
  11. Fireside Content Marketing Chats with a number of experts.
  12. More Shotgun Sessions during lunch, just to keep things lively!
  13. Lee Odden!
  14. Strategies for getting your content found – who doesn’t need that?
  15. Ann Handley and C.C. Chapman!
  16. Jason Falls is sharing The Content Marketing Measurement Roadmap
  17. Kevin Smith entertains us with comedy one night and then discusses how he became a storyteller.
  18. Last, but never least, the Godfather of Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi is masterminding this event.

And those are just the B2B reasons. If I was a B2C marketer, I’d have to start another list.

I have to say that I’m really excited about the diversity of topics and the real-world experience that will be shared at CMW. I hope I’ll see you there.

I mean, seriously, how can you pass up the chance to gain so much insight that you can put to work right away? Content marketing is the now and the future of marketing. It’s time to stop thinking about it and start doing it. Or, if you’re doing it now, do it better. The rewards are huge.

Marketers need to develop new skill sets and those 18 reasons to attend above contain tips and insights that will help you understand and embrace a number of them.

This isn’t just any conference – it’s Content Marketing World!