Deanna — Outdoor Media Summit

I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Outdoor Media Summit this year — right here in Boise! At the conference, I immersed myself in the latest marketing tactics within the outdoor industry, all geared towards benefiting our valued clients at Stoltz while networking and connecting with professionals from diverse organizations and brands. Engaging with industry experts provided me with invaluable insights — especially around inclusiveness initiatives within the outdoor space and powerful partnerships that elevate both brands and creators. Folks from unique industries collaborated and shared new ideas with one another all throughout the conference, forging new relationships and sparking creative, tactical inspiration. Armed with this newfound knowledge and a robust network, I’m excited to infuse our outdoor campaigns with innovative approaches and creativity.

Clara — AIGA Design Conference

I attended the 2023 AIGA Design Conference in New York City! The theme this year was “The View From Here”, and much of the content of the conference was focused on the future of design, and where the industry is heading. I got to surround myself with other designers from all over the country and listen to incredible speakers and panelists share their outlook on what’s to come. It was awe-inspiring to be right at the forefront of design conversation with some of the biggest movers and shakers in the design world. From these conversations and presentations, I gleaned that the future of design will be democratized, inclusive, accessible, and world changing. We are living in a constantly evolving world, and as designers we have a responsibility to embrace change and redesign the way we coexist and work together during this time. As one of the speakers, Neville Brody, said, “There is no ‘next big thing’. These things don’t happen to us, they happen because of us.” I’m looking forward to what the future has in store, and I’m excited to bring all that I’ve learned into my work.

Krista — The Brief: Marketing Brew Summit

I attended The Brief Marketing Brew Summit in New York City in May. The Brief was a day of networking, collaboration, and workshops —in a whopping 16 sessions in 7 hours. Industry experts highlighted upcoming trends, spoke to innovative strategies, and explored solutions to marketers’ latest challenges. Notable (and to me, the most memorable) speakers included Manu Orssaud, VP, Global Head of Marketing at Duolingo; Everette Taylor, CEO of Kickstarter; Angela Vargo, VP of Marketing, Comms, and Product Experience at Breeze Airways; Brad Hiranaga, Chief Brand Officer at Cotopaxi; and Bobbi Brown, Bobbi Brown, Founder. The themes of the day were AI (no surprise), bold leadership, listening to your customers, and A/B testing. Most of all, the importance of embracing failure, empathy, balancing quantitative and qualitative data, and remaining curious were the themes I took away from the experience and have already enjoyed applying to our clients’ marketing strategies. I’m so grateful to Stoltz for providing the support for continued learning opportunities for our team. 

Jaime, Tracy, and Kate — Worldwide Partners, Inc. Global Summit

Earlier this month, Stoltz’ executive leadership team, Jaime, Tracy, and Kate, attended Worldwide Partners, Inc. global summit #WPISymposia23 in Athens, Greece. Stoltz is a proud member of the network, which includes over 80 independent agencies across the world. This membership allows us to expand our footprint globally through collaboration, shared resources and experiences, and industry insights.

We heard from a variety of speakers on topics ranging from new business development to the future of AI to leadership development and LinkedIn best practices. Our own Tracy Hitchcock led a fantastic panel discussion on DEIB in agencies and our industry’s responsibility to impact cultural narratives and drive change.

WPI summits are full of great information and learnings, but the most impactful part of these events are the connections fostered with other agency leaders. We learn from each other and come home inspired, refreshed, and ready to drive change!

Kellie — How Design Live, Nashville, TN

4 days, 65+ sessions, and some of the industry’s best creative minds. HOW Design Live is a convergence of inspiration, creativity, and community intended to refuel passion and expand knowledge for creative professionals. 

This year’s conference in Music City kicked off with the first annual HOW Future Is Female, an empowering one-day summit for women creative business leaders focusing on managing, mentoring, and leading. It was only up from there. The following days were filled with inspiring, real conversations around mental health and burnout, creative excellence, and leadership with name-drop-worthy speakers (Stefan Sagmeister, Paula Scher, and Jessica Hische, just to name a few) and networking with other creative professionals. 

Leaving, I felt creatively refreshed and armed with tools and resources to share with the Stoltz team and our clients to continue to push creative bounds while being human-first. 

“Creativity is courageous & contagious.”

Bond — ALSD Conference & Tradeshow

Having just led the development of a splashy partnership between the Boise State Broncos and Stoltz’ very own Tamarack Resort, I chose to attend the Association of Luxury Suite Directors 33rd Annual Conference and Tradeshow. This conference, one of the largest in sports, brings leaders from team and brand-side sports together to guide the premium venue seating experience forward. For me, this was familiar territory. I’ve attended and spoken at this show on several occasions during my former life in sports. Together with Crissie Hoskins, creative director at Stoltz, we spent 2 days learning from architects, designers, marketers, and brilliant business people who make the great business of sports go round. We also attended incredible venue tours and F&B showcases at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Lucas Oil Stadium, and the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Yes, we even got our Indy on with a high-speed lap around the track.

I made new friends, reconnected with others, and came away with a mountain of aha moments thanks to new perspectives gained through nearly 2-years at Stoltz. In an industry where big ideas, big design, and big energy converge, the value of cross-industry strategic partnerships is more important than ever, and the road ahead to workplace gender equality is long. Importantly, I gained fresh understanding on how we can serve our clients with compelling environmental design experiences and sponsorship activations that create brand impact.