The Art of Marketing – Toronto, May 28, 2014

I’m thrilled to be attending the upcoming “The Art of Marketing” event on May 28 in Toronto. I’ve attended quite a few of their events over the past few years and I swear the organizers “out-do” themselves every time.

At one of the last “Art of Marketing” events, I waited to be first in line to meet marketing guru extraordinaire Seth Godin. I am such a HUGE fan, and was literally shaking when I introduced myself to him. I blurted out how nervous I was to meet him. He smiled and calmly responded with: “don’t cause a ruckus”.

(Side note: I’ve met quite a few celebrities and was never as nervous as I was to meet Seth Godin. I guess that goes to show you how passionate I am about marketing!)

During the classes I teach at Durham College and UOIT’s Management Development Centre, I encourage people to think about how to be “The Purple Cow” and I’ve often shared my enthusiasm for having heard Jonah Berger explain how ideas can become “Contagious”, and Dr. Robert Cialdini’s 6 principles of “Influence”.  The lessons I’ve learned at past “Art of” events have stayed with me long after the event is over.

Which leads me to the upcoming Art of Marketing event on May 28, 2014; it’s sure to be another must-attend event.

I’ve seen Scott Stratten speak both at The Art of Marketing and at Blissdom. His curmudgeon-like insights are always “spot on” as he shares case studies of businesses who are just plain stupid when it comes to using Social Media. His new book “QR Codes Kill Kittens” is probably chock-full of hilarious ridiculousness.

I refer to Scott Stratten’s book “UnMarketing” quite frequently. My favourite analogy about auto-posting status updates: “It’s like sending a mannequin to a networking meeting”

Scott also includes riveting stories of those companies who “get” the importance of the “small gestures” or those who go above and beyond with superior customer service. (If only more businesses understood the importance of treating their clients/customers like human beings)

After having heard Matthew Dixon speak at the last “Art of Marketing”, I purchased his book “The Challenger Sale”. It’s possible he talks faster and crams more into his talks than I do (and that’s a feat in itself) but I was riveted to everything he had to say because he completely changed the way I view the “conversation” and conversion in the sales process. Pretty cool stuff.

Until this conference, I hadn’t heard of Denise Lee Yohn, which often means I’m probably going to be “wowed” by her the most. I’ve found in the past conferences I’ve attended, I am drawn to the event by the “big names” but it’s the one’s I’ve never heard of that make the biggest impact.

Please be sure to follow me on Twitter @punchmediadotca – as long as my battery holds out, I typically tweet ALL day from the event with 140 character nuggets of wisdom from the speakers.

If you are going to the event, let me know and perhaps we can sit together!

Here are the nitty-gritty details: http://www.theartof.com/marketing-toronto-2014

Special promo code: BLOG26 

This will give you a discount of $50 off each ticket. If you purchase 3 or more tickets, you will get an ADDITIONAL $50 off per ticket.

Hope to see you there!