8 Clever Ways HubSpot Boosted Attendance at Its Annual Conference

From reimagined ticketing and strategic timing to interactive programming and big-name speakers, here’s how HubSpot ensures INBOUND remains a must-attend event in the marketing and sales world.

Claire Hoffman

October 22, 2024

INBOUND 2024 took place Sept. 18-20 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

Photo: Courtesy of HubSpot

BOSTON—INBOUND, the annual conference for marketing and sales professionals hosted by HubSpot, continues to grow its attendance year after year with thoughtful strategies designed to engage and captivate its audience. Case in point: This year’s event, held Sept. 18-20 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), saw a little over 12,500 registrations and an on-site attendance of approximately 12,000—an increase from the previous year’s 11,000.

“Since COVID, we’ve seen a steady rise in attendee numbers—not just in registrations but also in show rate,” explained Katherine Tooley, HubSpot’s vice president of global events and experiential marketing, noting that INBOUND typically sits between an impressive 88% and 95% show rate in certain attendee categories.

So, what are the strategies that keep attendance climbing year after year? Here’s a closer look at how HubSpot successfully grows its flagship event.

1. Carefully Considered Timing

"September is an optimal month for B2B conferences and thought leadership events," Tooley pointed out, noting that INBOUND takes place just before the start of Q4—a critical planning period for the SaaS industry. "There’s a lot of excitement about future business planning and how HubSpot can influence that."

Additionally, the timing of the event aligns with what Tooley describes as “that 'school spirit' energy of being in Boston,” which only adds to the buzz and engagement.This year's event had 12,500 registrations—an increase from the previous year’s 11,000.Photo: Halo Creative

2. A Reimagined Ticketing Plan

HubSpot has made significant post-COVID changes to its ticketing model, which Tooley noted has boosted both engagement and show rates. "Before, we gave away a lot of free tickets for the expo experience and sponsor visits, but we noticed that the engagement and show rate for those free tickets were lowering year after year," she explained.

In response, the team has shifted away from free passes in favor of selling more tickets. In Tooley’s view, this change has led to a more invested audience. "When people purchase tickets, they’re more likely to show up, engage with the content, network, and fully experience the event—whereas with a free ticket, you might drop in for a session or two and then leave," she said. This shift has helped transform INBOUND from a drop-in event to a fully immersive four-day experience, she added. INBOUND is known for its vibrant branding and unique stage backdrops. "We saw that the tech conference environment was so ripe for a design revamp," said Tooley.Photo: Halo Creative

3. An Ideal Location

INBOUND's location at the BCEC in the Seaport, a vibrant neighborhood in Boston, plays a significant role in its success. “We’ve shifted from wanting to control every space in the Seaport to embracing a SXSW-like model,” Tooley said. Rather than monopolizing venues, HubSpot encourages partners, sponsors, and even attendees to host their own events throughout the neighborhood.

This strategy creates a more dynamic experience, allowing attendees to move seamlessly from breakfast meetings to the main conference and onto networking events in the evening, Tooley noted. "The entire Seaport lights up during INBOUND," she added, resulting in what feels almost like a 24-hour event. A topiary INBOUND sign was set up at Seaport's Lawn on D event space.Photo: Courtesy of HubSpot

4. Unique, Interactive Content Formats

Recognizing a shift in attendee expectations, HubSpot has increased its focus on interactive, hands-on content. “Post-COVID, there was a shift from passive engagement—just sitting and listening—to wanting two-way conversations and to get their hands on the product,” said Tooley.

To address this, the team launched HubSpot Academy Labs this year as a beta test. The 90-minute, think tank-style sessions were led by HubSpot Academy professors; a maximum of 45 attendees brought their laptops and actively used the HubSpot product during the session. “The sessions were really highly rated, and it was definitely what we would call our graduate-level sessions for more of the regular HubSpot users,” Tooley said. “They got a lot of really good traction.”

HubSpot also introduced a new live debate format called "Takedowns." "Attendees loved it because they got to ask questions and challenge the panelists at the end," she noted, adding that the format generated a lot of interaction and engagement. During INBOUND's $1M Pitch Competition, six SaaS start-up founders pitched their business to a panel of experienced judges and received live feedback.Photo: Halo Creative“Post-COVID, there was a shift from passive engagement—just sitting and listening—to wanting two-way conversations and to get their hands on the product,” said Tooley.Photo: Courtesy of HubSpot

5. Timely, Relevant Topics

This year’s content was designed to address key trends, with AI being a major focus. "This year, we announced our own AI tools with Breeze, and we also brought in companies like OpenAI and HeyGen to do live demos," said Tooley. “What we’ve heard from attendees in the past is that they know they need to be using AI, but they don’t know where to start. So we focused on content that gave them clear, practical steps they could take right away.”

Tooley also pointed to the keynote as a major highlight, describing it as "an amazing storytelling experience." "Seeing over 11,000 people in the audience, experiencing that keynote, and then immediately walking into HubSpot HQ to see the new products in real time—that was pretty special," she said. At the center of the action was HubSpot HQ, home to the HubSpot Heroes Stage, where attendees heard customer success stories and got a firsthand look at how companies are using HubSpot’s tools. New this year, the Spotlight Product Demos showcased the latest and greatest tools announced during the HubSpot Spotlight, offering hands-on opportunities to test-drive new features.Photo: Courtesy of HubSpot

6. A Mix of Star Power and Hands-On Programming

INBOUND continues to attract big-name speakers, with this year’s lineup featuring the likes of Ryan Reynolds and Serena Williams. However, HubSpot balances these high-profile speakers with more localized and practical content.

“It’s really important for us to strike that balance between the entertainment and thought leadership programming and the hands-on training,” said Tooley. The team curates a mix of “edutainment”—where attendees have fun but also learn—and practical sessions that help solve specific problems. Ryan Reynolds closed out INBOUND with a master class on giving maximum effort when it comes to storytelling, innovation, and leadership. In another session, Serena Williams shared how to bring a champion mindset to any venture.Photo: Courtesy of INBOUND

7. Enhancing Networking with Seamless Technology

Networking is a key component of any successful conference, and INBOUND makes it as simple as possible with badge technology provided by Klik. “It makes connecting with people so easy—you just tap badges, and this year, we integrated it with Connect.com, which is HubSpot’s community platform," explained Tooley. "Every time attendees connected on site, they automatically connected in the digital community as well, so they could continue their conversations after the event."

There were more than 200 breakout sessions to choose from, focused on topics ranging from email marketing and content development to leadership and advertising.

8. An Exciting Expo Floor

One of the most talked-about features of INBOUND is its expo floor, which consistently surprises new attendees. “There’s so much content there that you could spend the entire day without even going to a breakout session, and people love discovering that,” said Tooley. With open spaces designed for networking, community engagement, and activations, the expo floor offered attendees a nonlinear, exploratory experience.

The event’s colorful and vibrant branding also contributed to the overall experience. "Many of us on the event team came from festival backgrounds, and from live music or media," Tooley pointed out. "Even though it's a B2B event, there’s still a human running that business. And humans want a lot of the same experiences—they want to learn, but they also want to play, network, and eat great food. We try to blend those elements together." Standout sponsor activations included the Chase Ink Marketplace, where visitors could grab an item from a small-business customer.Photo: Courtesy of INBOUND

So, what’s next? For the first time, INBOUND is headed to the West Coast, taking place at the Moscone Center in San Francisco Sept. 3-5, 2025. “HubSpot has become such a global company,” explained Tooley. "When we started INBOUND over 15 years ago, most of our customer base was in New York and Boston—but now, we have customers in over 200 countries, so it made sense to expand to other locations."

But for those who love the Boston-based event, fear not. "Boston is still home, and we’ll be back for 2026," she confirmed.