INBOUND conference recap
I attended the INBOUND conference for the second time this year (#INBOUND19), and had a blast! I love the colors, vibe, and energy at the Boston Convention Center. It ran from September 3-6, 2019, the week of Labor Day.
This conference is all about inbound marketing, and while I did not attend any sessions, I got a Community pass which entitled me to attend all the Spotlights on the main stage.
There were tons of sessions, but I’ll give you some highlights of what I saw and did here. You can see everything that happened on the INBOUND website.
The items I received after checking in at the registration desk.
This is what you see once you enter the convention center, coming down the escalator.
Day One
The author of Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert, was the opening session speaker on Tuesday night. But since my flight was delayed, I missed it. Thanks Delta. :( There was a welcome party afterward, and if it was anything like last year, it was lit. I like the DJ’s selections, I think you got two drink tickets included, and yummy catered hors d'oeuvres. Since I was staying at an Airbnb near my family in Roxbury, I used DoorDash when I got to my room at 8 pm, and called it a night.
The next day was my free-est, as there was only one speaker I planned to see: TED speaker Rachel Botsman. She has given several TED talks about trust.
It was deep!
After that, I walked around and took in the sights before heading to see my folks.
In the “hall of mirrors.”
An area in the middle of the floor for an art workshop.
I came here alone, but I find that people are pretty friendly at conferences, and it’s no big deal to ask someone to take your pic.
Day Two
This was my longest day without resting back at my room— almost 12 hours.
Jennifer Garner
The morning started off with a chat with Jennifer Garner and John Foraker, interviewed by Katie Couric. They talked about the organic baby food company they co-founded.
The short video snippet I posted above on Twitter actually went viral!
Daniel Pink
My second Spotlight was that of author Daniel Pink, who talked about The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing. A few takeaways about the best times to perform different types of work throughout the day:
Katie Couric
Katie Couric talked about being “too perky,” looking her age and other stuff when she sat in the interviewee seat for a change. In this clip she talks about Katie Couric talked about Ross Perot as an example of how she handles tough interviews, and things women get asked during interviews that men are not asked.
Sallie Krawcheck
The next Spotlight I attended was that of Sallie Krawcheck, the CEO of Ellevest.
Janelle Monae
I waited all day to hear Janelle Monae, but I was a little underwhelmed. It seemed like her mind was elsewhere. She was at INBOUND a few years ago and performed then, but not today.
Dinnertime! I was oh so ready to hit the park where there were several food trucks waiting for us. I got in the longest line— for the Bacon Truck. They had an option to make any sandwich as a salad instead, and since I was doing Keto, I took them up on it.
Off to the side, far behind the picnic tables where everyone was handing out, were cool-looking swings. And they lit up at night!
Chelsea Handler and Jaboukie Young-White
The evening’s entertainment was straight comedy. I think I’ve seen Jaboukie perform on Jimmy Fallon Show before, and he opened for Chelsea Handler. Chelsea talked about being angry and white privilege, which is the subject of her new Netflix special or series. No recording was allowed during their performances.
Day Three
The final day of INBOUND began with a moving and inspirational keynote by activist and attorney Bryan Stevenson. I watched his HBO documentary recently and it was excellent. He was by far the best speaker I heard this week, and I captured the first 8 minutes of his speech.
Chip and Joanna Gaines
The day ended with Chip and Joanna Gaines. It was the largest crowd for a closing keynote at INBOUND! The only reason I was there that afternoon is because my flight got cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian.
They talked about keeping their marriage tight while also working together, and overcoming the stigma of Waco, TX.
Joanna is half-Korean, and she talked about her struggle with self-esteem when she was younger. At the end, she mentioned the importance of being yourself and having confidence that you are enough.