Top Reasons to Attend ONWARD17

As intelligent services increasingly shape our daily lives, brand strategies face new challenges — and marketers need new skills in order to compete. At ONWARD, you will be able to explore these concepts and return to your job with actionable tips on how to excel in a future in which the development, distribution, and control of digital knowledge is a competitive advantage.

…Need more convincing?

Here are a few reasons why ONWARD 2017 is a can't-miss event for any marketer looking to gain expertise and prepare for the Intelligent Future.

Prepare for the future.

• Search today is no longer governed by ten blue links on a search engine results page. In fact, voice search usage is expected to rise to 50% by the year 2020, which could be a boon for the marketing community. ONWARD brings together CMOs, VPs, CEOs, and more from 50+ brands who will share insights and tips on the future of intelligent services.

Mix and mingle.

• ONWARD will provide numerous opportunities for networking with industry peers. Take time over lunch or cocktails to discuss digital assistants, strategies to reach customers, or innovations in social media with other marketers.

Return to work with actionable insights.

• Hear from leading technology, search, and marketing professionals on everything from online reputation management, to local SEO strategies, and the rise of machine learning. Return to work prepared to take your team to the forefront of marketing in the age of intelligent services by listening to speakers from companies including Bing, UM Worldwide, Convince & Convert, and PR 20/20.

Hear from Yext's best and brightest.

• Yext Co-Founder and CEO, Howard Lerman will kick off ONWARD with a keynote presentation alongside Yext's Chief Strategy Officer, Marc Ferrentino. The two will discuss the ever-expanding universe of intelligent services and how they create competitive advantages for brands.

Hear from true innovators.

• Guests will hear keynote addresses from Amazon's Dave Isbitski, Google's Naomi Makofsky, Microsoft's Ed Doran, and HubSpot's Brian Halligan.

Dive deep.

• Attendees will have the chance to attend more than 20 breakout sessions with business leaders across industries. Full of insights and tips, these 35-minute seminars will cover a wide range of topics — from optimizing for voice search, to the ins and outs of contextual marketing. You'll also hear directly from Yext customers on how they are succeeding today and preparing for the future.

Attend an exclusive partner event.

• Registered ONWARD attendees will have exclusive access to our first annual Partner Summit. Held on Friday, November 3, this half-day event is open to Agencies and Yext Partners offering Yext to their clients. It will feature speakers from Google, Facebook, Search Engine Journal, Convince & Convert, and more.

Learn from America's former CTO.

• Who better to speak about the future of technology than groundbreaking former CTO of the U.S. Megan Smith? The leading technologist, philanthropist and former Google VP will take the stage to keynote the first night of the event, sharing her perspective on how technological advances, combined with network ecosystems, will create opportunities and challenges for all sectors, including policymakers.

Be in the Presence of a Real-Life Jedi

• Award winning actor and voice-over artist, and the star of the upcoming Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Mark Hamill, will join us on stage to share lessons learned from his 40+ years in the entertainment industry.

Party on the New York Stock Exchange floor.

• After Hamill exits the stage, attendees are invited to join us on the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange for an unforgettable evening of cocktails, appetizers, and dancing.

Ready to join us? Register today to reserve your seat. If you still need help justifying your trip, we've prepared a letter template, in Word doc format, for you to fill out and submit to your manager.

We hope to see you in New York this November 1-3 at The Conrad!