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The Heartbeat of Local

March 23 - 24, 2025 | Columbus, OH

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Schedule of Events

Day 1
9:00AM

Registration Opens

10:00am

Conference Welcome (US Bank Conference Theatre)

10:30am

Straight from the Source: What is Local Commerce in 2025?

Yelp sits in a unique position to gauge local consumer behavior and business activity. We’ll break down its first-party insights and trend data to understand what's really happening out there today.

Jim Chapelle, Yelp

11:00am

Agentic AI: The Holy Grail for SMBs?

Does Agentic AI have the potential to scratch SMBs' everlasting itch? Can it automate customer service and save the scarcest resource: Time? vcita is in the process of executing this vision. What is it learning along the way?

Itzik Levy, vcita

11:30am

Defining AI in SaaS

How are SaaS companies integrating AI to provide better outcomes and experiences for SMBs? Is it moving the needle for adoption and retention? We cut through the hype and talk to the players in the game.

Ben Pashman, Creatify
Danny Webb, Cinch

12:00PM

Lunch  - Exhibit Hall

1:00 PM

SEO - The Truth is in the Data

SEO is a moving target as everyone tries to reverse-engineer the ever-changing algorithm. We'll examine real SERP data to determine today's top ranking factors. 

Andrew Shotland, Local SEO Guide

1:30pm

AI's Effect on Search: Hype or Hyper-disruption

Where is AI disrupting search and other forms of advertising? Can it advance search by automating creative and optimizing ad placement? Or will it replace search as the web’s next front door?

Christian Ward, YEXT

2:00PM

Bringing It All Together: Personalized SMB Ads

How is local marketing assembled from disparate parts and players? We examine Hibu’s approach to personalized SMB ads using Yext data and Tiger Pistol.

Lisa Mazzarese , HIBU
Sarah Cucchiara, Tiger Pistol
Brook Henderson, YEXT

2:30pm

Networking Break - (Exhibit Hall)

3:00PM

AI and SMBs: The Reality Check

Cutting through the hype and inside baseball, how do SMBs actually feel about AI? We surveyed them to find out and will break down the results on stage. 

Itai Sadan, Duda

3:30pm

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): The New Search Battleground

Search is rewriting the rules. Traditional Local SEO remains vital, yet local businesses must now adapt with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). What is it and why does it matter? Uberall will break it all down.

Krystal Taing , Uberall
Allison Townsend, Uberall

4:00pm

The Truth is in the Numbers: The Impact of Organic Social

How can organic social media management drive user retention, product adoption, and performance marketing? We'll uncover data-backed answers.

Ross Gray, Cloud Campaign

4:30pm

Cocktail Party - (Performance Hall)

Sponsored by: Alpha Pros_Company Logo

 

Day 2
9:00AM

Day 2 Welcome

9:30AM

The State of Local Search in 2025

Fresh off of Yext's acquisition of Places Scout, we talk to founder Mark Kabana about his insights and observations of the local search universe and its orbiting bodies.

Mark Kabana, Yext (x-Places Scout)

10:00

Going Multi-Vertical: Lessons in Scaling from $20M to $200M

How do you scale an Agency or SMB SaaS business? That's the $200 million question. Scorpion has answers, and they're fire tested. With Corey Quinn's help,  we'll unravel the mystery in this fireside chat. 

Jamie Adams, Scorpion
Corey Quinn, Corey Quinn, Inc.

10:30am

Networking Break - (Exhibit Hall)

11:00am

Social State of the Union

Just like search, social media is a moving targets. Add to that a fragmented world of social apps that each require a different playbook. SOCi sits at the center and will tell us how it's done.

Monica Ho, SOCi

11:30am

Product Release Cycles: Devising, Developing & Driving

What are today’s success factors in bringing a new product or feature to market? From inception to implementation, how is it done today and what are the new realities of product dev cycles?

Nick Hopkins, HIBU
James Morse, Ansira

12:00pm -1:00PM

Lunch (Exhibit Hall)

1:00pm

Case Study: The Value of Geospatial

Geospatial is one of the key ingredients in local marketing? Where does the data come from, what are best practices in using it, and what are key considerations in the age of privacy?

Donny Dye, Placer.AI

1:20 PM

Case Study: The State of Location Intelligence

Continuing the discusssion of location intelligence and geospatial marketing strategies, we now show rather than tell. Ground Truth tells the story through the lens of client case studies. 

Erik Carlson, Groundtruth

1:40pm

Local Radar: Funded and Ready to Disrupt

Our list of recently-funded SaaS companies should be on your radar. They just got money …How did they get it, and what are they going to do with it?

Luca Sechi, Circumference Group
Kate Reinmiller, Read.AI
Peter Domato, Persistent ID

2:10pm

Raising Money in 2025

We're in a famously challenged funding environment. So what are best practices in landing vendure funding, and what are VC's looking for? We talk to both investors and recently-funded startups for first-hand insight.

Emily Steele, Hummingbirds
Jamie Lane, Progress Partners

2:40pm

Networking Break -  (Exhibit Hall)

3:10pm

Amazon Ads

3:40pm

Bridging the SMB Skills Gap

How can SMBs find the talent they need? And how can platforms lessen adoption friction by bolting their software to local implementation talent? Upwork has Answers.

Nicholas Cosgrove, UpWork

4:10pm

Own the Narrative: PR Best Practices in 2025

What are PR best practices and top considerations for startups in today's environment? What's the best way to get positive press, pitch product releases to journalists and own the narrative?

Karla Jo Helms, JOTO PR Disruptors™

4:40pm

Analyst wrap up

Mike Boland, Localogy
Dan Hight, Localogy
Kate Reinmiller, Read.AI
Mark Kabana, YEXT (x-Places Scout)

5:00PM

Networking Reception  - (Exhibit Hall)