The Inbound conference. It’s an annual marketing(ish) conference that HubSpot puts on every year that attracts thousands of people every year. Going to a conference like this is no small endeavor, and needs to be seriously considered and prepared for. This post will give you everything you need to decide if this conference is for you, and to prepare to get the most out of it.

The conference is taking place November 8th – 11th at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Last year Inbound attracted around 15,000 marketers, salespeople, business executives and techies.

The conference, like HubSpot, has changed over the years. When HubSpot first held Inbound, HubSpot was marketing software, and Inbound was pretty exclusively a marketing conference. Today HubSpot isn’t just pushing the concept of “inbound marketing” but inbound as a way of thinking.

This is reflected in the Inbound conference. It has transformed from a marketing conference into a conference for people looking to grow their business and disrupt their industry. There is content on marketing, sales, coding, design and business growth in general.

Speakers

This year there are 146 speakers listed so far (more to come) including Alec Baldwin, Oli Gardner, Ann Handley, Larry Kim, Marcus Sheridan and David Meerman Scott.

The speakers are divided into different “tracks” or types. Each different kind of session is designed to accomplish something different. There are:

Keynotes – There are only a few keynotes. They are usually the most well known speakers and deliver speeches aimed at inspiring and motivating. No other sessions happen during the keynote so that everyone can be a part of it.

Spotlights – These speakers are also usually very well known and deliver a talk about their expertise or how they got to where they are.

Ideas & Experiences – These speakers are top inbound marketers that will teach you how to grow your business with inbound.

Inbound Sales – This track is for sales people. It will give you cutting edge advice on how to lead and get results from your sales team.

Hacks Tips & Tricks – These sessions are more detail oriented and give you insights on how to implement specific strategies and tactics.

Bold Talks – These are 12 minute talks from a diverse list of speakers, focused on inspiring and informing. Speakers include performers, educators, business owners and more.

Executive – This track features business executives. You’ll learn how the C-level role is changing in an inbound world, and how to keep up.

Grow With HubSpot – These talks are given by HubSpot staff and customers, and they are usually more closely related to HubSpot’s software. Learn insider tips on how to do inbound better.

Agency – These sessions are led by agency leaders and HubSpot Partners. They offer insights on how HubSpot Agency Partners can improve and grow their businesses.

Registration

You can register now right here. If you register before September 15th, you’ll get a better deal. There are three different tickets: Community, All-Access and VIP. Community is the most limited and cheapest, All-Access offers more access and is a little more expensive and VIP is the highest level pass. For details on what each ticket type includes, go to the register page linked above.

If you register with the code: HUGAtlanta you can get a $50 discount and a chance to win a book by an inbound speaker, Inbound swag and special VIP seating at all keynotes.

Session Pre-Registration

Last year, there was a problem with people not being able to get into breakout sessions. To try and avoid this happening again, Inbound is now having pre-registration for breakouts. You can now see if a breakout is full and get your schedule completely planned before you get there. This only matters if you’ve bought an All-Access or VIP ticket to Inbound. To learn more about pre-registration, click here.

Training Day

The first day of the conference, Nov. 8th, has training sessions that you can sign up for, for an additional price. You can only go to trainings if you have already purchased a conference ticket. For more information on training day, go here.

Hotels

Inbound offers a number of deals for attendees. Once you’ve registered, you will have access to discounted hotels with shuttle routes to and from the BCEC. For more info on booking a hotel go here.

If you don’t want to spend $200 a night, you can find more budget friendly options on Airbnb, Couch Surfing, Flipkey, Tripping, HomeAway, VRBO, Roomarama, OneFineStay, Wimdu, 9Flats and more.

Connect

Want to connect with fellow attendees? Connect with you local HubSpot User Group. Most should have quarterly or even monthly meetings where you can be sure to meet other Inbound attendees.

Are you in the Atlanta, Ga area? If so, come to our HUG on August 17th! We’ll be discussing Inbound and hearing from past attendees.

Being a Good Citizen

You may have noticed that the conference starts on election day (Nov. 8th). You can still vote while you’re in Boston. Inbound is on it. Find out information on how to vote here.