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Planning your marketing roadmap for 2025 in Columbus, Ohio? A fast-growing city with major corporate HQs (Nationwide, AEP, L Brands) and a thriving startup ecosystem. Here are 10 events:
1. Digital Summit Columbus
Description: Part of the national Digital Summit series, covering SEO, social media, email marketing, content strategy, and analytics.
Date (2025): Usually Summer or Fall
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center or nearby event spaces
Website: Digital Summit Columbus
Who Should Go: Digital marketers, agency pros, brand managers, and local entrepreneurs.
Past Speakers: HubSpot, Moz, Salesforce, and local Columbus-based companies.
2. Content Marketing World (Satellite Events / Workshops in Columbus)
Description: While the main CMWorld is typically in Cleveland, they sometimes hold Columbus-based workshops or sessions.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Conference centers or local universities
Website: Content Marketing World (Check for spin-off events)
Who Should Go: Content strategists, writers, editors, digital marketers, and brand storytellers.
Past Speakers: Industry thought leaders affiliated with the Content Marketing Institute, local agency experts.
3. Converge Conference (By Fahlgren Mortine or Local Agencies)
Description: Occasional marketing/branding conference hosted or sponsored by local agencies, focusing on creative campaigns, brand building, and ROI.
Date (2025): Irregular schedule
Location: Downtown Columbus venues or agency offices
Website: Check Fahlgren Mortine or local marketing associations
Who Should Go: Brand managers, PR professionals, creative directors, and marketing strategists.
Past Speakers: Agency founders, local brand CMOs, and creative experts.
4. Columbus Startup Week (Marketing & Growth Track)
Description: A festival celebrating entrepreneurship in Columbus, featuring sessions on digital marketing, growth hacking, branding, and more.
Date (2025): Likely Spring or Fall
Location: Coworking spaces (e.g., Idea Foundry, Rev1 Ventures) and downtown event centers
Website: Startup Week or local ecosystem orgs
Who Should Go: Founders, marketers, VCs, developers, and business enthusiasts.
Past Speakers: Local startup CEOs, marketing automation experts, investor panels.
5. AMA Columbus Annual Conference
Description: Hosted by the American Marketing Association’s Columbus chapter, showcasing marketing success stories, digital trends, and networking opportunities.
Date (2025): Often Spring
Location: Downtown Columbus hotels or university campuses
Website: AMA Columbus
Who Should Go: Marketers, agency pros, students, and corporate brand managers.
Past Speakers: Executives from Nationwide, Victoria’s Secret (L Brands), local ad agencies, and creative shops.
6. RetailX or Retail Summit (Columbus Track)
Description: Given Columbus’s major retail presence, events covering e-commerce, omnichannel marketing, and consumer engagement often happen here.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Greater Columbus Convention Center or suburban conference venues
Website: Retail TouchPoints or local business directories
Who Should Go: Retail marketers, brand managers, e-commerce teams, and tech vendors.
Past Speakers: Regional store owners, marketing consultants, and local consumer brand leaders.
7. PRSA Central Ohio Conference
Description: PR-focused with integrated marketing and communications sessions, relevant for local organizations and nonprofits.
Date (2025): Varies
Location: Downtown Columbus hotel venues
Website: PRSA Central Ohio
Who Should Go: PR professionals, corporate communicators, marketing managers, and brand strategists.
Past Speakers: Local media figures, PR agency owners, corporate comms leads from big Columbus-based companies.
8. Rev1 Ventures Marketing & Innovation Summit
Description: Hosted by Rev1 Ventures, an accelerator/investment group, focusing on startup marketing, product-market fit, and go-to-market strategies.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Rev1 Ventures HQ or local event centers
Website: Rev1 Ventures
Who Should Go: Startup founders, product managers, marketing leads, and VCs.
Past Speakers: Local tech entrepreneurs, marketing consultants, and corporate innovation leaders.
9. Columbus Young Professionals (CYP) Marketing & Networking Summit
Description: A conference or forum aimed at young professionals, with marketing breakout sessions, brand building, and leadership development.
Date (2025): Often mid-year
Location: Downtown event venues or coworking spaces
Website: Columbus Young Professionals
Who Should Go: Junior to mid-level marketers, networking-seekers, creative professionals.
Past Speakers: Local entrepreneurs, marketing directors, HR/business mentors.
10. Ohio State University (Fisher College of Business) Marketing Speaker Series
Description: OSU’s Fisher College hosts guest lectures and mini-conferences on marketing trends, consumer insights, and branding.
Date (2025): Multiple times each semester
Location: Fisher College of Business campus halls
Website: Fisher College of Business events
Who Should Go: Students, local business community, marketing academics, and corporate sponsors.
Past Speakers: Professors, brand managers from top CPG companies, local startup founders, alumni thought leaders.
