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Planning your marketing roadmap for 2025 in Portland, Oregon? The Rose City has a vibrant creative community, tech startups, and a growing e-commerce scene. Here are 10 events:
1. Digital Summit Portland
Description: Another key stop for the Digital Summit series, offering sessions on SEO, social media, content marketing, and analytics.
Date (2025): Typically mid-year (Exact date TBA)
Location: Oregon Convention Center
Website: Digital Summit Portland
Who Should Go: Digital marketers, brand managers, social media strategists, and agency pros.
Past Speakers: Google reps, Moz experts, Salesforce, and local Portland tech companies.
2. SEMpdx Engage Conference
Description: Hosted by SEMpdx, it focuses on search marketing (SEO, PPC), analytics, and digital tactics, drawing top speakers from the Pacific Northwest.
Date (2025): Often late Winter or early Spring
Location: Portland State University or downtown hotels
Website: SEMpdx Engage
Who Should Go: SEO specialists, digital advertisers, content marketers, and e-commerce managers.
Past Speakers: Industry veterans from Moz, Distilled (Brainlabs), Google, and local marketing agencies.
3. Portland Startup Week (Marketing & Growth Track)
Description: A city-wide event for entrepreneurs, often including sessions on branding, digital marketing, and growth hacking for startups.
Date (2025): Likely Spring
Location: Multiple venues in Portland’s Pearl District or downtown co-working spaces
Website: Portland Startup Week
Who Should Go: Startup founders, marketing pros, tech community, and local investors.
Past Speakers: Oregon-based entrepreneurs, marketing automation experts, and incubator leads.
4. SoMe Awards (Social Media Awards) Portland
Description: An award ceremony plus mini-conference celebrating the best social media campaigns and marketers in the Pacific Northwest.
Date (2025): Often Spring
Location: Portland event venues (e.g., McMenamins, local theaters)
Website: SoMe Awards
Who Should Go: Social media managers, creatives, agency teams, and brand marketing specialists.
Past Speakers: Local social media influencers, agency leaders, and brand managers from the region.
5. AMA PDX (Portland) Annual Marketing Conference
Description: The American Marketing Association’s Portland chapter typically hosts an annual event or summit on marketing trends, brand strategy, and digital innovation.
Date (2025): Often mid-year
Location: Downtown Portland conference spaces
Website: AMA PDX
Who Should Go: Marketers, creative directors, agency owners, students, and local business leaders.
Past Speakers: Portland-based marketing VPs, sports apparel brand managers (Nike, Adidas), and tech startups.
6. Design Week Portland (Marketing & Branding Panels)
Description: While primarily a design festival, it includes talks and workshops that merge design, branding, and marketing—great for creative marketers.
Date (2025): Usually Spring
Location: Studios, galleries, and event venues across Portland
Website: Design Week Portland
Who Should Go: Designers, brand strategists, creative marketers, and agency professionals.
Past Speakers: Local design firms, agency founders, product designers, and brand experts.
7. Portland PRSA Spotlight on Marketing & Comms
Description: PRSA’s Portland chapter hosts events on public relations and integrated marketing communications, occasionally culminating in a conference.
Date (2025): Varies
Location: Downtown Portland hotels or university spaces
Website: PRSA Portland
Who Should Go: PR professionals, corporate communicators, marketing managers, and brand directors.
Past Speakers: Local journalists, nonprofit comms leaders, and corporate PR heads.
8. Portland Business Journal Marketing Forum
Description: Occasionally, the PBJ hosts a marketing or advertising-focused forum, bringing together local business leaders and agency execs.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Portland-area hotels or business centers
Website: Portland Business Journal (events section)
Who Should Go: Corporate marketing teams, local entrepreneurs, agency owners, and brand managers.
Past Speakers: Editors, local CEOs, marketing experts, and philanthropic leaders.
9. Craft + Commerce Content Summit (Portland Edition)
Description: A traveling or regional event focusing on content marketing, blogging, and brand storytelling, sometimes stopping in Portland.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Indie event spaces or coworking locations
Website: Check Craft + Commerce or local listings
Who Should Go: Writers, content strategists, bloggers, small business owners, and freelancers.
Past Speakers: Creative entrepreneurs, local micro-influencers, marketing consultants.
10. E-commerce Northwest Summit (Portland Track)
Description: Focuses on e-commerce, omnichannel strategies, and digital retail—often relevant for the Pacific Northwest’s retail and DTC brands.
Date (2025): TBA
Location: Portland or nearby suburbs
Website: Local retail associations or Retail TouchPoints might list relevant details
Who Should Go: E-commerce managers, startup founders, digital marketers, and supply chain specialists.
Past Speakers: Local DTC brand founders, UX experts, marketing tech vendors, and distribution partners.