I recently attended Digital Summit Tampa, and overall it delivered exactly what you’d expect from a well-run, national marketing conference. Strong speakers, solid production, and a packed agenda covering everything from AI to evolving digital strategies.
But what stood out most this year wasn’t what was on stage…it was what was happening off of it.
The Best Part: The People (and Those Roundtables 👏)
Hands down, my favorite part of the event was the roundtables. More of this, please.
There’s something incredibly valuable about sitting down with other marketers, swapping real experiences, and pressure-testing ideas in real time. I met people from all over the country (other agency leaders, in-house marketers, specialists) who all brought different perspectives to the table.
Those conversations? Way more actionable than most sessions. If Digital Summit wants to level up even further, expanding these interactive formats would be a big win.
A Missed Opportunity for Newer Marketers
One thing that came up again and again in conversations was the need for more introductory and learning-focused sessions.
With nearly 20 years of experience, I am not personally looking for beginner content. But a lot of attendees are. Many people are early in their careers and came to learn the fundamentals, build skills, and leave with clarity.
There is a real opportunity here to better support that audience and make sure everyone walks away with something they can actually use.
Big Ideas Are Great. We Still Need the How.
AI was everywhere (no surprise there). But here’s the honest take: There was a lot of talking about AI and not as much showing how to actually use it.
We heard scenarios. Possibilities. Big-picture thinking. What was missing?
- Tactical workflows
- Step-by-step applications
- Tools/prompts/scripts you can test tomorrow
- “Here’s exactly how we did this” breakdowns
Same goes for many sessions overall. They were insightful and well-presented but didn’t always translate into immediate action items. And let’s be real…marketers (and their bosses/companies who paid for them to attend) love leaving conferences with a “to do” list.
Strong Speakers and a Solid Experience
The speakers themselves were great. Engaging, polished, and clearly experienced.
From a production standpoint, the event was smooth, organized, and easy to navigate. It felt like a professional, well-executed conference, which is exactly what you want when you invest the time to attend.
Final Take
All in, this was a good event. Not meant to completely reinvent your strategy, but absolutely valuable for staying current, meeting great people, and getting fresh perspective.
I will be back but next year, I would love to see more focus on tactical execution, more hands-on learning, and more opportunities for real conversations like the roundtables. Because at the end of the day, the marketing world will be changed by AI but we still need real humans to prepare strategies that are custom to our businesses and to properly execute it. We want to leave a conference feeling confident in skills, and how to present their talents. Ideas can be easy… Execution is where the impact happens!
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going
If we met at Digital Summit, let’s stay connected. I would love to keep the conversation going and hear what you are testing and seeing in your own marketing.
And if you did not attend but have questions about anything from the event or want to talk through how these trends actually apply to your business, let’s chat. We are always happy to share what we are seeing and help you turn ideas into action.
