#INBOUND24 Preview: Main Stage Speakers + Making 'Big Picture' Inspiration Cool Again [HubHeroes,...

You're on your own, Devin. You're on your own every week. Every week. It's kind of like the beginning of the Mission Impossible movies where it's like, we will disavow any knowledge of your existence.

Right.

You are on your own.

Facts. Good luck, brother.

So every time. Every time you drop a bad take about Fast and Furious, HubSpot is like, nah, bro, we're done.

Yeah. Because you know HubSpot is a big fan of Vin Diesel and the fast and furious 100.

Well, I can neither confirm nor deny. All I know is how I feel. And. And I will stick to it religiously. Now, keep in mind, it's not a problem with Vin Diesel. Love Vin Diesel. Triple X movies are hilarious. However, the fact that we went from stealing DVDs to space, it's all good.

Interfere.

That's called growth.

Yeah, that's growth.

That's called growth.

Growth. By the way, and here's the thing. You know how I know HubSpot loves the Fast and Furious? Because cars have sprockets and so does HubSpot. I'm just throwing that out there.

Yeah. I would like to think that every time they make a change to the product, they're sitting there going, what would Vin Diesel?

Yes.

That's what I would like to think happens in that.

Without a doubt. I think that's.

All right, here's the deal. I'm not allowed to talk about this, but we actually have a channel called what would Bendiesel? It's entirely devoted around marketing questions as well as rev ops and automation and.

Yeah, Devin. Devin, talk. Okay. Okay, so what we need to do for Inbound 25 is we need to have a Q and A session with Vin Diesel where he's not allowed to study in advance about Inbound, but he has to answer complex marketing and sales questions as Dominic Toretto. And this is me once again, making the case for us doing a live show at Inbound for Hub Heroes. Because I'm totally always on point. Always on point.

I'm thinking about it that the thing is that most people don't realize is that, yeah, he is a very, you know, big, muscular action dude, but he's extremely intelligent and nerdy.

He's a Dungeons and Dragons fiend.

Total D and D nerd. Xander was his. It was his character name. I mean, come on. So if there. If there is one guy that I could see surprising the heck out of me with marketing knowledge and just being able to. To. To put it out, it. It is definitely.

So, first of all, hear that Vin Diesel.

So.

So come.

So hang on. So first of all, you're getting your. Your wish this year. We'll talk about that here in a minute. Devin. If. If at inbound 25, if the inbound gods are listening, if, if we could have Dominic Toretto at Inbound on the main stage, I, for free, would be the interviewer with, without a doubt, you. I. You could call me. I wouldn't care what day, what time. I would sit there with Dominic Toretto, AKA Vin Diesel, and put on a dope marketing, sales and service interview.

Absolutely.

And I would sit there next to George, very uncomfortably staring at Vin Diesel the whole time and periodically whispering, I love you so much. Like to really just kind of round out the three dimensional experience that could be that. Fireside chat on the main stage at.

Inbound 25 and you can interview him as Vin Diesel. I'll interview him as Groot.

Oh.

So is every question just I am Groot?

Yeah.

And he nails it.

Yeah. But it might be a little bit of a non value add interview that way.

Depends on if you speak group.

Well. Okay, guys, as much as I want to live in this psychotic fever dream.

Cats, this week you got.

You know what? I was about to execute a flawless segue, Devin, and I threw the wrench in it.

Go ahead.

This is like the episode when you were messing with my outline. This is like that episode.

I thought about it and I'm not doing it. This.

I will set you on fire with my brain if you do that. Oh, my God.

Especially with this outline.

Oh, yeah. There's a lot going on because we have a lot to talk about. We are back with another Inbound preview episode because, y', all, they dropped the main stage speaker lineup and we have a lot to talk about today. So I'm just going to quickly run through who we've got on the main stage this year. First, we're starting with Devin's best friend, brother from another mother. Ryan Reynolds is going to be there.

Yeah, I know. Max, come on. Why are you missing it?

Look, it's the same guys. Okay? Let's move on. That's fine. It's fine. We're doing great. So he's going to be on stage to talk about his.

Was that bad timing? I'm sorry.

That sound. That sound you hear is my soul and my will to live escaping my body as quickly as possible. Don't poop. Don't poop while we're recording.

Okay, okay, okay, okay. Oh, okay. All right, let's go. Come on.

Yeah. Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Reynolds is going to be on stage. We're also going to have Serena Williams talking about her new chapter as an entrepreneur with her venture capital fund. Kara Swisher, who is an iconic journalist, podcaster and interviewer. We have Josh Tomorrow, who is the head of Disney Experiences, who's going to talk about the fundamentals of Disney storytelling. We have the one, the only, Yamini Rangan, who is the HubSpot CEO who will be sharing the stage with Dharmesh Shah and Andy. I'm going to say Petri.

Petri.

Petri. I thought I was fancy Petra, but no.

Okay.

Petrie.

Not that cool.

I know that's my eight years of French that has done absolutely nothing for me. Shining through. Then we have Dane Vahey of OpenAI, their head of strategic marketing.

Let's go.

I'm so excited for that one. Kat Cole of Athletic Greens, who's talking about this is the one I'm very interested in because they scaled their growth, completely revitalized their brand, and they did it with a fully remote team during a time when a lot of companies are like, please come back to the office. Pizza parties are our company culture. So I'm very excited to hear about that. Then we have Matt Wolf of the who's the host of the Next Wave podcast. We have Michelle Peluso, who's the EVP and chief customer and experience officer of CVS Health, who is talking about their consumer centric strategy and a lot of CX goodies. And just overall, that's a lot of stuff. That's a very diverse lineup for this year's main stage. So today we're not only going to unpack our thoughts about these sessions, we're also going to have an open and honest conversation about a topic that I am equal parts passionate and kind of cheesed off about. George, I said this to you earlier this week when we were planning this episode. For some reason, somewhere along the line over the past several years, we have criminalized big picture inspirational talks.

Yeah.

Is not being actionable or valuable enough for attendees of Inbound. Yeah, I got. I got a lot of problems with that. I know you've got a lot of thoughts about that. And, Devin, I cannot wait to kick your hornet's nest, because my guess is we're gonna have a couple of times where you get real up close and personal with that camera while you shout at us because you love us. And I'm very excited about that. So, gentlemen, we're gonna grab a snack in a backpack.

Like George likes to say, let's do it.

But George, George, I want to start with you. What are your initial reactions to this lineup? Are you excited? Are there any themes you're seeing come out? Where's your head at when you look at these?

Yeah, I'm actually really excited about this year and this release of who's going to be on the main stage because, one, there is a broad spectrum of things that could easily go into how we need to take care of ourself and. And the life lessons of businesses that focus on that part of our lives. There's definitely a level of creativity because if you look at what's going to happen with the Disney story and obviously Ryan Reynolds and Deadpool and him being able to talk about different businesses, which I can't wait to actually dive into that one a little bit because I have some deeper thoughts. And just, you've got, you know, a podcaster. You've got the. The one that really actually kind of threw me for a loop when I started to read the thing was Cara Swisher. I. I think I want to change my description. Like, I don't know what I would be the most feared at, but. But, like, I started to read her description. I'm like the most feared but revered journalist. Okay.

I love Kara Switcher. She's like one of my idols. She's incredible. Incredible. The work she did at New York Magazine.

Whoa.

Immediately, I'm like, I'm. I'm intrigued. So. And I think that's the thing, is this is. This is a lineup that intrigues me. This is a lineup that I look at, and I think there's a lot of potential. And this is one of the first lineups where I have a really hard time leaning into. What you started to talk about is that demonizing. Don't waste time on the main stage because it's just going to be a lot of fluff. This doesn't feel like a lot of fluff to me if I sit down and watch these sessions, which is nice because, let's be honest, it became demonized because there were a couple years where it's like, what the actual frick. But I think we're at a point where it shouldn't be that way because there's a lot of education, a lot of inspiration that people can gleam. And I know I'm excited to gleam for my own business out of these main stage sessions.

I understand that there was some beef with previous years, but the year that I spoke at Inbound, I was the last session on the last day, but we did have standing room only. And they had to expand my room. But it did give me the ability that year to say, I can now officially say on my resume that I opened for John Cena. Yeah, it was technically right before the closing keynote.

Isn't that amazing?

I stand by that. I stand by that.

Yeah. Use that. Use that for the rest of your life.

Totally, totally open. Like, I just. I mean, you can't see me or him, but, you know, it's fine. Devin, I'd love to hear from you. You're a resident in house. Hubspotter. What are you excited about? What are the sessions for you that you can't miss?

Number one. And I know you're going to think I'm going to say Ryan Reynolds, but I'm going to say the Product Spotlight. Product Spotlight. Every year is the most exciting time for me. Even more so now that I'm a hubspotter, because I work here. And there are still things that are going on that I know nothing about. We are very good at keeping secrets here at HubSpot, even internally. So with that being said, I'm really excited to see what's happening for the Product Spotlight. I am very excited about Partner Day this year. We are focusing a lot more on networking and breakouts. And so it won't be as much sitting in a big room staring at the stage, but there are going to be some dynamic speakers, dynamic sessions, dynamic networking opportunities. Oh, yeah. The most prolific brand marketer on the face of the planet is going to be in Boston in September.

And.

And the fact that we're talking about who's going to be on the main stage and the value that the main stage has. Have you watched a main stage talk? And keep in mind that the depth the. That we're going in and you know, I'm not even going to lean closer to the camera. I'm just going to use my zoom.

Are you holding the camera? Are you. Oh, my God.

When we're talking to these people, you want to know how the most prolific brand market, like Mountain Mountain and Deadpool and Aviation and Rexam all in the same commercial, and it's about none of them. It's a min. I mean, come on. Like, seriously, come on. The thing. You. All right? You know what?

I'm.

Calm down.

So.

Devin, you got to conserve energy, brother.

It's instructive.

There's so much. There's so much amazing. And. And it's like. Yeah, the brick. Okay. That's, ah, part of it. You know what? Go ahead. Next question.

Devin, Sweetheart, I don't know what you feel about anything. I'm gonna need you to emote more. Yeah, I need you to bring me.

I'll work on that.

Be more heart forward.

So. So, Liz, before you jump forward, what's fun?

I'm not jumping forward.

I absolutely agree with Devin. Like Ryan Reynolds to me, first of all, there's the micro lessons that you're going to learn through this. But, man, I can't help but look at his session description and him and go, man, there is a map that shows how money makes money.

Can I actually read his description for everybody?

But any business owner needs to realize that money is meant to make money. And Ryan Reynolds and the businesses that he started in the OR are part of it. Maps out money makes money.

Him and Shaq, they're the best at it.

Yes.

All right, so for the listeners at home, I want to read the session description because I think it gives clarity to what George is talking about. Join the Hollywood star as he gives the audience an in depth look into his ventures outside of acting. He'll touch on his production company, Maximum Effort. His advertising platform, M. Mountain, mnt.

Mountain. I'm just Mountain.

I knew that. Okay, that was a test you pass.

I know.

I mean, I used to cry for help.

They used to run ads for marketing profs, marketing sports podcasts when I hosted that. So that's how I learned that it was Mountain.

Anyway, I totally knew that too. As well as his many other ventures, including his recent reinvention as the co owner of Wrexham Football Club. Join this special closing session to gain better insight into how Ryan decides where to invest his time and energy and how he brings a growth mindset to everything he does. What's not listed here is he's also now a partial investor in a Formula one racing team.

And it doesn't mean here, does it either? In this one, is he just.

Well, is he. Is he an investor in that or just a spokesman?

Well, no, if you go down to his Ryan Reynolds, actor, producer, entrepreneur, like after that, it literally says jin, Mint Mobile, Rexam Aviation.

You know what? Ryan Reynolds get a job. You don't do anything.

Here's what makes him. Here's what sets him and Shaq aside from everyone else. And I can't wait to hear them hear him talk about it is most people will show up and be a face. What they do is they be the face, but they're also part owners. They're not going to put their face on anything that they don't have. And so like when you look at the Shaq in the general, he's not, he's not like, you know, selling out to sell car insurance. He owns the car insurance company. And like, and, and, and then with Ryan Reynolds, he takes it to the next level because with Shaq, he's having fun. He's everywhere. Ryan Reynolds is having fun. He's everywhere. And he's using, he's almost commingling funds with the way that the brands co promote each other. It's, it's, it's beautiful. It's, it's genius. And, and it's hilarious.

You know what else is genius by the way? Because I like looking at the micros and the things that we're talking about. Join this special closing session. So listen, there's always been an attrition issue at Inbound where Friday people are grabbing their flights. I wonder if American Airlines, United, JetBlue are like what happened this year that everybody's leaving on Saturday instead of Friday from Boston? And, and the, the thing is Ryan Reynolds as your closing session, that's what happened. Like that's, that's a genius move by the people who are putting on inbound and putting the speakers where they're actually putting them.

So here's what I'm excited about for this year. What I really love about this lineup is the diversity of it. You know, we, we have, because you know, George, you mentioned this, in years past there have, there's sometimes been a little bit more of a celebrity emphasis, things like that. What I really like about this is the diversity of stories that are being told here and the diversity of lessons and inspirational pools that they are creating. They're going out of their way with each of these main stage sessions essentially to create an inspiration container around a big thematic idea which I think is a far cry from like I remember there was one year and we're about to get into this, that we're about to get into my little touchy subject about main stage speakers. But the one time I will say I did have a gripe because I've never had a gripe about a main stage speaker I've watched. The only one I had, and I like her, was Anna Kendrick. I didn't understand what that Fireside Chat was and it felt more geared around her personality and it reminded me of some of the things that you and I, George, talk about with our clients when they're creating content, whether they're doing webinars or something that's more event based marketing is that whether you have a sponsor or you are A guest. You should never build a topic around a product. In this case, the celebrity is the product. And instead you should have a topic or a problem that you're digging into, solving. And that's something I think they're getting much better at in terms of calibrating these mainstage speakers. Because I also go, I mean, I go to other conferences and having big names like, guys, it's a keynote speaker circuit out there. These celebrities are out there doing talks and it is. They will often show up with their own talk. And you kind of get what you get. And what I like about what they're really pushing here is this diversity again, that range of topics. You know, the growth, mindset aspect of Ryan Reynolds storytelling with Disney, the customer experience. Like, I never thought I would be interested really in CVS Health, but like, I actually now want to understand the lessons that she has. And Kara Swisher, I want to be you when you grow up. I'll never be that scary, but you're amazing. So that's where my head's at with that. But let's talk about this elephant in the room.

Wow. A deep breath. Holy crap. Buckle up, Buckle up.

I mean, think about it, guys. One of the most common questions we get every year when we start preparing for these preview shows is how do I convince my boss to let me go? How do I convince my boss that what's going to be inbound is valuable? And the moment these big names start popping off that you could their eye rolls heard around the world. You just want to go see Ryan Reynolds and meet Deadpool. This isn't about actionable. Whatever. First of all, yeah. But second of all, there is this weird kind of jaded cynicism where it's like, this just showcases what's wrong with inbound. I miss the good old days of inbound, da da da da da. All of those different things. So I'm curious, what do you guys think of that? Devin, we'll start with you.

All right, so again, the thoughts and opinions expressed on this podcast are Devin and Devin only.

Yeah.

So with that being said, personally, personally, I don't care one way or the other about the Main Stage speakers. That's not why I'm there. That's. I treat the Main Stage as entertainment. It's. I treat it as edutainment. I don't come to hear the Main Stage content only because all of my life changing inbound experiences aren't associated with the Main Stage. All of my life changing experiences happened from breakout sessions and networking Black Inbound had nothing to do with the main stage. I, I taught a two hour market sales and marketing session yesterday and it started out very high level, talking about life cycle stages, flywheel and it ended with algebra and how to calculate. How to calculate your, your analytics in your flywheel. The point is, every single thing that I taught yesterday I learned at or because of Inbound. Not just HubSpot Academy, but I learned about these courses that I could rock out after talking to professors live at Inbound. And I, I like talking the talk, walking the walk, just perfecting my craft. These are all things that I learned how to do at Inbound. I might like. My. The entire trajectory of my career can be traced to two moments. Discovering HubSpot Academy and going to Inbound. And people. So many people have stories just like mine and more people need to hear these stories to understand that yeah, Ryan Reynolds is great and this is me talking. I am not going to Inbound to see Ryan Reynolds. That's not why I'm going. It is, I am over the moon about it, like, cannot express it enough. However, every Inbound has had a measurable impact on my life just from the people I've met and the knowledge I've gained. I wouldn't be on this podcast if it wasn't for Inbound. So the thing is, is that people see the main stage. That's not, I wouldn't even call that a quarter of the inbound experience. That is a great way to get people to come to the website. What you should be doing is looking at the breakout sessions, looking at the agendas, looking at the topics, look past the names and look at who you're going to be when you leave Inbound. That's what you should be focusing on.

I like that. George, what about you? What are your thoughts on this? That is a third trimester pregnant pause if I've ever seen a damn.

Damn that Paul has had cravings.

So pickles and ice cream.

Pickles and ice cream. Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. That was the craving. So, so listen, you know, there's, there's so many times that people make assumptions and have knee jerk responses and they shut things down before they give it an opportunity. I was literally talking to Jorge about this earlier today, about how so many times people will think they want to do something, but they'll shut themselves down before they actually get to allowing themselves to try to do the thing. And I think this happens with people's bosses. I think this happens with us as individuals and I think sometimes we make these Knee jerk, blanket statements, decisions that there's not going to be value in a thing because we've positioned it as it being the lure or the worm to catch all the fish to get them to the thing. The fish finds value in the lure, the fish finds value in the worm. Like, I'm willing to sit on a main stage session and just wonder, what can I learn? What is possible if I truly pay attention to the words that is coming out of this other human's mouth? And, and to me, it. It correlates back to something that I'm. I'm a big fan of. And when, when I talk to clients about this, I'm like, listen, I don't care if the janitor comes to you with a good idea. We should be listening for good ideas. Humans are humans. We all have brains, we all have thoughts, and we can all learn from each other. And so listen, I'm going to beg people listening to this. If you've historically had issue with main stage sessions, give it a try this year. Make sure that it's a focal point. And you come in there, by the way, as you would a breakout session. You know the difference? You come into a breakout session, you got your iPad and your notepad ready. You know what you do when you come into main session? You take selfies, you sit there, you chitchat with your friends, you take a little nap, and then you walk out. Completely different mindset of what you're walking into and what you think you're going to get out of it. And so my challenge for everybody this year is give these a try, because I feel like, especially this year, there is going to be a massive list of lessons that we'll be able to take away for our businesses, our marketing, our sales, and our service.

You know, George, I haven't heard you say this in a while. Specifically, man, now I'm going to get a lot of hate mail. So now I'm going to ask you a question that's going to immediately make you say, man, now I'm going to get a lot of hate mail. You and I both know that there are business owners, business leaders, agency owners listening to this right now who are 100% guilty of the eye rolls I was talking about who 100% pushback. When their people say, I want to go to this, and then they see Ryan Reynolds, they're like, it's not worth it if you go. Skip those. What's your message to them, Pookie?

Really? Yeah, really. We got.

Yeah, really. Do you want to just say the phrase I'm going to get a hate mail now, just say it. Say it once. Say it.

No. No. Okay, I'm probably going to get hate mail. I, I mean, I don't know who you think you are. I, I don't under, really understand who you think you are. The fact that your thoughts should be everybody's thoughts in your agency. Just because God blessed you or your parents blessed you or the universe blessed you with the ability to start an agency and be able to hire some humans, I don't understand where the leadership of that should dictate what they're going to be able to absorb and change in themselves and in your organization based off of 30, 45 or 60 minutes of what Ryan Reynolds might say, of what, you know, Michelle might say, of what Yamini might say, of, of what any of these Main speaker, Listen, I'm glad that the agency owner that I worked for when I was back in Massillon, Ohio, Wild Boy Design, didn't say, hey, you're not allowed to go to any keynote main breakout sessions.

You.

Because if so, I would have never heard Gary Vaynerchuk speak. I would've never decided that I wanted to be on a main stage. I would've never decided that I wanted to grow up to be a marketer. And I probably would have never fell in love with HubSpot the way that I did because it was the whole process of don't call me a customer, call me a human, and Gary Vaynerchuk killing it on the main stage. So I ask you the same way that I open this is who do you think you are? Them. Be them, let them do them.

Devin, go off. Yeah, go off. King.

Okay, so, so I, I mentioned earlier that the main stage didn't really have anything to do with my experience. I take that back. 150.

There we go. He's back.

Here's the thing, because I don't, I still don't like the main stage is not the reason why I go, but to say that there have not been life changing moments for me that happened on that main stage. And like Gary Vaynerchuk when he spoke and I was sitting in my hotel room and I was dealing with social anxiety and I knew that I needed to meet people and I didn't know how to do it. And then I just wrote something about that awkward moment when you want to meet people, but instead it's something, it was about Gary Vee. And he tagged. He tagged. He replied. He says, you can do it. And I'm like, you Know what I can. And. And the thought was about starting black and inbound. So black and inbound started because of a white guy on the main stage. Just so you know. So that's one thing. The next thing, so many of us had a Twilight Zone moment in November of 1996. And I won't go into details about what you believe and who you. Who you vote for, whatever. All I know is that that was a difficult time for people who look like me. And there are so many people who didn't understand why that was a difficult time. So the morning that Trump got elected.

Oh, you mean 2016. I thought you said 1996.

2016. I said 2014. I meant 2016. All right. Yeah. I thought I said 2016. 19.

You said 1996. That's why I said, wait a minute.

Time machine, baby. Time machine.

Yeah.

I'm old. That's when the Simpsons actually said that Trump would be president.

You were still in mourning. We were all still in mourning over Tupac. It was fine. Continue.

Yes. So what I meant to say was 2016. That was the number that was in my head.

That was brutal.

When Ta Nehisi Coates came in and scrapped his entire speech.

Oh, my God.

And took the wind out. Like, people walked out.

I remember people.

Yeah.

Set Twitter ablaze with how angry they were about a man simply expressing his. His, his, his. Not even his opinions. All he did was go. It was. It was an entire semester's African American studies class condensed into one keynote speech.

And they still have it online. They did not take it down. I'm so glad they. I'm so glad.

Not only did they not take it down, they doubled down and got extra black the next year. So. So if you're mad about the fact that we have a black person on stage talking about black opinions, well, guess who's coming this year? Michelle Obama. Get mad about that.

Yeah.

That was the year after that. I remember.

I remember being in that room. Cause I. I've read a lot of his essays. He's just an incredible educator. And what I did, I was sitting with a bunch of people who had no idea who this man was. Cause I remember when I woke up that morning, I was like, man, Ta Nehisi Coates. Bold move, cotton. Like, this is gonna be. It's gonna be. We'll see how this works out. And when he walked on stage and said, for those of you who know me, you know exactly what's about to happen. For those of you who do not know me, I'm sorry. Like Some. She said some version of that. And it was just like.

Which, by the way, at that moment, I was sitting next to Marcus Sheridan. Oh, my God. And we were sitting there and we don't swear a lot, but we basically looked at each other and was like, oh, shit. Like this.

I was front row center, and I was next to a lady who only didn't leave because she was in the front. Well, with me. But she was texting, like, calling him Ta Nehisi snores. And she was so mad. And I'm over here just like, yes, yes, angry woman be mad. This is not for you. He is speaking to me right now. It was. It was beautiful.

It was.

It was.

It was a beautiful. It was cultural moment, regardless as to.

Whether you Culturally substantial moment.

That's one of those memories where I'm like, I know exactly where I was when that happened.

Oh, yes. Yeah. Well, yeah, you're at inbound and. And in the main keynote area.

Thanks, George.

Here's. Here's the only thing that, for me, because I'm not disagreeing with this conversation, the only thing that was rough or frustrating for me was it was the presidential election. And we have to remember that a large portion of the humans that actually came to inbound aren't from America. So, like, they had like, no. Like, they're like, I don't even understand what's going on. And I have really no connection to this. And so that was like, for me, kind of what. Like the awkward part of what was happening in that situation.

Well, based on the conversation I had with our Australia client last night, George, they've been considering our politics a Spectator Sport since 2015.

Oh, God.

So maybe it was more relevant than we thought it was that.

Yeah. So that's the thing. So two things. One, yes, we are the laughingstock of the world in that regard. It is their favorite reality show is our political system. But with that being said, what I loved about his speech is that he gave so much context and so much emotion that regardless of your level of knowledge of American history, you came away with a strong understanding of African American history, if nothing else, and how where we are has where we're headed and what that election meant for the trajectory of the growth of people of color and not just black people. And it was just like, whether you agree with them or not, whether you are, regardless of you vote, red or blue, it's like that kind of moment in that kind of discourse is what makes inbound so special, is because. So here's the way I would Explain it. If someone had to tell me why, I would go see the main stage speakers. The breakouts have affected me fundamentally, professionally, in ways that I cannot quantify. The main stage has created, like Nick from Fargo said, some core memories that have shaped me as a human being.

I love our live studio audience. Thanks, Nick from Fargo.

Exactly. So, like, because now I'm sitting here thinking more about impactful moments that resonated with me. Water has nothing to do with my job.

Oh, that was so good.

Has nothing to do with my job. But when I tell you I was sobbing during that presentation and all the tears of grief, of joy, all of them, that. That changed how I thought of things. It changed how I looked at nonprofit organizations, it changed how I looked at fundraising, and it changed how I look at access to water as a basic human right. And the fact that so many people don't have it. Like, yeah, the main stage, you're gonna get something out of it, even if that's all you do.

But, yeah, and that's not going to.

Be the most impactful thing.

And if people are curious, like what you mean by water, It's. It's charity water. And it was Scott Harrison, which, by the way, if you type in. What's fun about this? If you type in, like, Scott Water foundation, one of the first links, it's. It's charity water.org about Scott Harrison story, ladies and gentlemen. I can't make this junk up. The video on the top hero section of that page is the inbound talk. I'll put a link on that page of charity water. So, yeah, link it in the show notes.

All right, I've taken my mic off the stand, guys. Are you ready for my thoughts here?

Oh, here we go. Buckle up, let's go.

This whole conversation reminds me of every time I would want to sink into the floor and become one with the tile. When everybody's like, we gotta focus on quick wins, guys. We gotta focus on quick wins. We gotta focus on those short term tactics. We gotta focus on how we're getting from point A to point B, as if that is the only pathway to growth, as if there is no input, that there should be no inputs in terms of our long term growth and sustainability. Right? You know, George, I listen to you talk about this all the time with our clients, right? You know, yes, we want to get those quick wins now, but this is about setting yourself up for long term success in the future. That's what this conversation reminds me of. This conversation also reminds me of the fact that I have to sometimes remind people that. Did you know part of my content creation time is sitting there and thinking. Part of my content creation time is every time I read a website or pick up a book that has absolutely flipping nothing to do with my job. Because if I'm only consuming tactical one dimensional how to content within the echo chamber of my own industry or the industries I'm creating content for, I will die not of boredom, but I will become atrophied in my creative capabilities and abilities. One of my biggest inspirations as a B2B content creator, the content that makes money for other businesses, is comedy. Reading comedy essays, watching SNL sketches. Because comedians are a master of one thing, timing and precise word choice. They know how to move people and drive emotions. There's a reason why comedian actors, even if the market rejects it, are better at converting over to drama than dramatic actors are able to convert over to comedy. There is a reason why. So why do I bring that up? When we think about the idea of growing better that HubSpot has put out there, Growth isn't just about your ability to bring in more MQLs and SQLs that can be converted into customers. And yes, that is important. But if we're talking about how we grow as organizations, how we grow as individuals, whether we're content creators or strategists, we become better and grow better when we introduce new ideas into our little brains inside our flesh suits that help us look at the world in different ways, that help us embrace different perspectives. We learn from each other. We, we don't grow if we just continue to eat the same stuff that we're consuming every single day. So it infuriates me to my core that you're saying that there's no value in your people sitting down and learning from some of the best minds in the world, even if they only hear one line that sticks with them. Think about what George was talking about. You are quoting a keynote from 2012. That is 12 years ago. I remember Malcolm Gladwell's came out keynote that changed my life. Oh yeah, I was there when Simon Sinek did his. I'd never seen the Start with Y talk. That was my first time seeing it on a main stage at Inbound.

Listen, listen, Liz. I had a religious moment when it was Spike Lee. I'm just, I'm just saying it like.

Anyway, but like, that's, that's me on my soapbox. How dare you, any of you, say that to put your people in front of some of the smartest minds in the world and to get bigger ideas about what's possible in this world. I mean, guys, also, come on. These are what, like 10 under 10 main stage speakers that we're talking about here. And there are hundreds of. Of all of those tactical quick win sessions. Hundreds. George is doing one of them. Guys, come on. When did inspiration. For inspiration sake, just to expand our minds and revise what we believe is possible in this world. How is that a negative? I don't get it. Anyway, done with my soapbox and putting my mic back on the stand.

Nice. Nice. Well played. Well played.

Thank you. Oh, yay. Thank you, Devin.

Oh, yeah, we should. We should just do like the. There we go.

Okay, so in case you're wondering, thank you.

That was a poem to my rants.

Oh, but I love your rants. They're so angry and very close.

Oh, no, I stand by my rant hostility. I'm just commenting on the beauty of your soliloquy.

Yeah. So, Devin, I want to stick with you here for a moment. As business owners, agency leaders, and quite frankly, inbounders of all stripes look ahead to inbound 24. What do you want them to remember about the big point about this event and what it's all about?

There is a hilarious amount of knowledge in a venue with like minded individuals. That was true the first year I've gone and it's been true ever since. It's. It's fun, it's great. It's Disneyland for marketers one week a year. But at the same time, every time I've participated in Inbound, I have come away better than I had before, especially as a customer, especially as an executive. Inbound had more of an impact on me before I started working at HubSpot than after. Because now I have to work inbound. I can't do all the fun things that I used to do because I have a sign up sucker. Right? But the point is, is that our ethos at HubSpot is helping people grow better. Inbound will make you grow better as long as you're not just going there and showing up and drinking and hanging out. Inbound works if you work it. There is so much opportunity to grow professionally and personally there and to deny someone the opportunity simply because you have a bias against the your personal perception of the impact a celebrity can have. You can kiss my grits and also reeval hell. Inbox me. I'll talk to you directly, one on one about why Inbound is the only conference that I have never missed and why anytime I started a new job, I baked into My hiring contract that they would be flying me out to inbound every year.

Bring us home. Help us land the plane. What do you want folks to walk away from this conversation today remembering? Because we've. We've covered a lot of ground?

Yeah. Well, first of all, I'm not ready to answer that yet, but I don't.

Have any other questions because.

Because there's a big. There's a big gaping hole. I'll. I'll answer that in a minute. I'll answer that in a minute. There's a big gaping hole that has to be mentioned here. Is this going to be the first year since 2012 or 2011 that Brian Halligan is not going to be on the main stage? I do not see him anywhere interviewing anybody. I do not see him as part of the spotlight. I do not see him listed anywhere as being part of inbound. And to me, I thought I saw.

His name on the flyers.

To me, I don't. I don't see it. I don't see it. And maybe it's coming. Maybe it's coming. That would be good. Because if we've reached a place in space, and I know homeboy's busy, don't get me wrong, I know he's doing things and shaking and baking, but if we've reached a point where Brian Halligan is no longer part of inbound, I gotta be honest with you, I'm a little sad. I'm a little sad, and I just need to share that. I see that right now. That's a void. So we'll see. We'll see. All right, so now I'll answer your question, Liz.

Now, what if he's being interviewed by Vin Diesel and they just haven't announced it yet?

That's my hope. That would be the best.

I'm looking at the flyer. His name's on it. He's gonna have something to do. Well, it goes Andy Petri, Ari Murray, Barbara Pang, Brian Halligan.

Okay, so. Okay, okay. Me too, because I'm, like, sitting here looking at the website, just being, like, pseudo sad of, like, interesting. Like. Yeah, okay. All right.

That just means it's more time for him to hang out with me. That's all.

Yeah. Hey, I'll hang out with Brian any day of the week because it's awesome and fun. Um, I'll never forget the Weston lobby sitting on a couch. Remy to brag, beg. Brian Halligan, me, Doug Davidoff. And we're like, yep, this is happening.

Let's.

Let's have fun. All right, so here's what I want to kind of end this with because again, I'm sort of weird, but I pay attention to the micros of things and. And I love to connect dots. So here we go. If you think about the release and what's happening right now, you have Ryan Reynolds. Giving maximum effort is the title of this thing. Ladies and gentlemen. I'll ask you to think about what would happen in your life if you were focused on giving maximum effort in your business, in your relationships, in yourself. How would you be able to impact the world if you were giving maximum effort? The next one is from center court to venture capital, meaning a method to the madness, a road that you must travel, a way to make yourself greater than you already were when you were great. This is Serena Williams and I ask you, do you have a road that you're traveling down to take you from who you are now to who you will be in the future? Because that's really important for us to not be stagnant and just be in one place. If you think about the next one they've released, it's Kara and it's recoding the future. Ladies and gentlemen. Every now and then we got to upgrade our software. We have to reprogram and recode ourselves to understand the world around us and who we're supposed to be inside of it. If you think about the next one now we're talking about Josh and dream to reality. You know how many humans I've met that are afraid to dream? You know how many humans don't think that their dreams can come reality and so they get stuck in places that they shouldn't be. Like, look at these titles. Look at what people are talking about. Global market. Yes, we're in a global market and we do need to grow. Like there's just so many micro pieces to even how we're naming the things and the humans that we're bringing in to talk about them that I really hope that everybody starts to understand that yes, you will have the individual breakout sessions for your tactical stuff, but this is a roadmap to a mindset, core beliefs and. And things that you must believe about yourself, your business and the universe to become greater than you are. When you first enter Boston for inbound 2024 and I can't wait for people to hit my email, not with a hate mail, but with the emails of how inbound 2024 changed their lives because they actually took time to go to the keynote sessions.

Devin called me a poet, but after that I'm an illiterate cotton candy grape.

Because damn cotton candy grapes are awesome.

But illiterate. But illiterate. And you eat them.

They're not going to write a book.

They're not going to write a blog for you, son. Certainly not a sonnet walking away.