9 Conference Essentials for Anyone Attending Inbound 2015

INBOUND 2015 is only days away!

HubSpot’s annual gathering of platform users, partner agencies, and Marketers from all walks of life, is entering its fourth year and it’s bigger than ever.

Hosting five high-profile keynotes and spotlight speakers (including Aziz Ansari and Chelsea Clinton, just to name a few), over 170 educational sessions, and over 10,000 expected attendees, the conference is sure to be action and inspiration-packed.

But, let’s be honest. With so much to take in, it can be easy to forget a thing or two when you’re packing and hustling to get everything organized. (Note to self: Don’t forget comfortable shoes and business cards.) 

With this in mind, I decided to touch base with my fellow IMPACT attendees and ask them:

“What’s the one thing you absolutely can’t forget to bring to INBOUND?”

Here’s what they had on their lists:

Camera

“My friends inside and outside of work always give me a hard time about this, but I have to make sure I have a camera with me; not an iPhone, but a real, point-and-shoot camera. While the conference is always an amazing learning and networking experience, it’s also a great opportunity to make memories and bond with your team (and hopefully, Aziz Ansari) -- and frankly, smartphone quality just doesn’t cut is sometimes.” - Ramona Sukhraj, Content Marketing Manager 

Phone Charger

“The one thing I find myself needing at every conference or event is my phone charger. Everyone remembers the laptop charger, but most of the activity for me is happening on mobile. It's all too often that I'm multitasking by taking a picture of the convention center, tweeting some great quotes, Instagramming a keynote, taking notes, checking emails, and finding out where my team members are. That typically leads to a drained battery pretty quickly, so it's important that I'm able to plug-in to my laptop during the sessions to regain some battery life.” - Tom DiSicpio, Chief Strategy Officer

Breath Mints

“Other than the typical "go-to" conference items such as my business cards, laptop, and notebook? I'm thinking I'll need a stash of breath mints just in case I run into Aziz Ansari during Happy Hour. He's probably one of my top favorite comedians and actors and I would want to make a great impression on him so I don't end up being the butt of a joke in an upcoming skit about interacting with after-hour inbound marketers. “ - Erica Dube, Account Strategist

Extra Space

Honestly, I would say the one thing I’m going to make sure I’m going to have in my bag is extra space. Every year I go to INBOUND I end up coming back with some great swag, tons of new business cards, new books, and other merch from their store. You don’t want to be lugging around a heavy bag all day (your back will thank me.) Plus with an emptier bag you’ll have extra space to bring home some goodies to your fellow co-workers! - Joe Rinaldi, Creative Supervisor 

Comfy Shoes

“I always find myself regretting wearing cute shoes on occasions like these, so I definitely need to pack a pair of good sneakers or comfy flats. When you’re up early, walking around to all of the different sessions, then spending most of the night out networking, uncomfortable shoes can only end up making your long days seem even longer, so comfort is key!” - Katie Pritchard, Account Strategist 

Pomade 

“Aside from my laptop and some note taking items, the one thing I absolutely must have packed (and if I don't I might have to bully T.Discipio into giving me his) is my pomade. There's no way you can go to INBOUND without having your hair game on point.” - Vin Gaeta, Account Strategist 

Notebook & Pen

“Aside from my laptop and phone (obviously), I will definitely be bringing my notebook and pen. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m one of those people who remembers things better when I write them down. I’d much rather write 5 pages of notes than type them out into a one-page Word document. I also find it to be a lot easier to access at a later time, rather than fishing around my computer files, trying to find the right document. This way, I will be all ready to take the best notes at the best speaking events.”

Business Cards

“I’m also making sure I bring plenty of business cards. I plan to meet a bunch of awesome and influential people, and I would love to keep those relationships going post-INBOUND! 

Oh, and lots of coffee. Duh.” - Kaitlyn Petro, Account Strategist

My INBOUND “Bucket List” 

“Usually the only things I have in my bag are my laptop and phone, but besides that, I’ll be equipped with my list of people I want to see, objectives I want to achieve, and questions I hope to get answered. INBOUND is always a great experience and this “Bucket List” is my way of making sure I don’t miss a thing.” - Bob Ruffolo, CEO & Founder