Suffering from election fatigue and pre-holiday angst? There’s one thing that will cure all your autumn woes and serve up amazing professional opportunities at the same time – 
INBOUND 2016! HubSpot’s annual industry-leading marketing-a-palooza attracts more than 14,000 attendees looking to hear the best and brightest pros talk about everything from the power of perseverance to tips for becoming an impactful leader.
The dates are set, the Writer Access squad is (almost) packed and ready to get this show on the road. All that’s left is penciling in our schedule. Here’s what we’re looking forward to most:
1. Serious Star Power
Big names don’t always translate to big ideas, but the names up in lights at INBOUND represent some of the most interesting and well-respected minds in entertainment, business, and media today. There’s perennial SNL host and actor Alec Baldwin, acerbic internet personality and serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, award-winning author Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the whip-smart Reshma Saujani, who founded Girls Who Code and became the first Indian-Amerian woman to run for U.S. congressional seat.
2. The Insanely Exciting Variety
Those names listed above? Those are just the keynote speakers! This year’s INBOUND conference will feature than 265 educational sessions led by everyone from the directors behind the Netflix hit Making A Murderer to tennis champion Serena Williams to handpicked members of HubSpot’s own highly lauded team, making the cast of characters every bit as diverse as they are pedigreed. INBOUND has helpfully put together a page of recommended agendas by industry, topic and attendee type. Check out INBOUND Itineraries for marketers, sales, creatives, strategy, leadership and more.
3. The Ultimate Networking Shindig
The first day of any great conference is rife with stories about last year’s conference, and we’re doing our part to help next year’s reminiscing hit an all-time high. WriterAccess is partnering with GoToWebinar and SpyFu to throw a networking event like no other. Located at the Life is Good Tavern, just a few blocks from conference central, the “Life is Good. Stories are Great!” get-together on 11/9 is designed to give you a chance to become a part of the energy that surrounds INBOUND. Grab a local Boston microbrew, nosh on nibbles from Chef Todd Winer of Pastoral, and get ready to listen to four award-winning speakers from THE MOTH. Feeling brave? Grab your chance to enthrall the crowd with your stories of triumph and tribulation. Oh, did we mention that there’ll be gifts?
4. Frosty Adult Beverages
Because you need to unwind, because you earned it, because you can come up with some amazing hashtags when you post the pics on social media. Whatever reason you need to give yourself, get thee to one of Boston’s breweries, wine bars, and gastropubs, and order yourself something cool, herbaceous, and/or delicious.
Our picks:
- Top of the Hub – It’s a bit touristy and the entry fee isn’t cheap, but this 52-floor lounge has some of the best views in Boston and the food and cocktails to match.
- Bin 26 Enoteca – The go-to spot for oenophiles. Try more than 60 wines by the glass or pick one of the 200 bottles off the list and split it with fellow conference-goers.
- Harpoon Brewery – One of the best local craft beers, brewed right in Boston by three friends who wanted to bring European-style beers home to New England.
- GrandTen Distilling – What better way to ensure the quality of a cocktail than to make it using booze you’ve crafted yourself? That’s exactly what the team at GrandTen does.
5. Boston Foodie Scene
This city has one of the hottest food cultures in the country, with innovative chefs in every cuisine. Here are a few tips for those of you from out of town, wondering where the best places to eat are.
- Menton (French) — Local culinary notable Barbara Lynch’s plush fine-dining establishment serves French-Italian cuisine featuring exotic ingredients as a four-course prix fixe or customized chef’s tasting menu.
- Blue Dragon (Asian) — A comfortable place to simply hang out, have a drink and enjoy some incredible food. The tapas-style menu adds Ming Tsai’s East West twist to many pub favorites.
- Pastoral (Italian) — The Fort Point Neapolitan joint does it right on every level, from the casual urban-farmhouse aesthetic to the wood-fired pies topped with all manner of house-made ingredients.
- Row 34 (seafood) — Mussels, crab cakes, oysters and lobster rolls combined with a cool vibe and a seafood-friendly wine and beer list make this Fort Point venture from Jeremy Sewall a fun night out.
6. Club INBOUND
From what I’ve heard, the DJ starts early in the exhibitor hall and doesn’t let up until Friday afternoon. Club INBOUND is gathering place for “the awesome world of inbound.” Eat, drink, refuel, and network; visit HubSpot HQ; share ideas, dance and lounge. Just make sure you make some time to stop by WriterAccess booth #M3 to meet the team, grab a content marketing kit, and talk about how we can help you! See you there!
Ginna Hall is the Director of Marketing at WriterAccess. An experienced marketing writer and editor, Ginna has helped corporate, academic and non-profit organizations develop strategic messages and roll-out content that connects with audiences of all types.
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