Paul Mortimer
In what I can only describe as an aggressive commitment to professional development, Nordic Growth Summit 2025 looms before us like a beacon of enlightenment in the perpetual darkness of Norwegian winter.
In other words, we're only a month away from this year's Summit.
As someone who's been contractually obligated to maintain enthusiasm throughout the weeks of darkness, we've just somehow survived, here are the sessions that have caught my carefully curated attention.
Well played, HubSpot Content Remix, well played
Beyond the Ordinary: How Oslo Business Forum Became a 'Purple Cow' in Marketing
Christoffer Omberg
- Omberg will enlighten us on transforming a conventional business conference into what I assume is either a marketing triumph or a bovine-themed carnival. The distinction, I'm told, is crucial.
- His experience running one of the world's leading business conferences suggests we're in for a treat. Or at least, a meticulously planned approximation of one.
- I look forward to measuring our modest ambitions against his towering achievements, much like comparing a garden shed to the Burj Khalifa.
The ROI of Patience - Why Long-Term Marketing Investments Pay Off
Amina Kristensen
- Kristensen promises to reveal how long-term marketing investments can deliver returns that make quarterly reports look like pocket change. A concept my CFO finds deeply suspicious.
- With 15 years of global experience, she'll offer perspectives that might make our "spray and pray" approach seem somewhat lacking. [Ed. She is a happy client of ours, so I'm not sure this one works?]
- I expect to leave with the uncomfortable realization that my marketing strategy has the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel.
Who Runs the World? From Biased Data to Sustainable Insights
Aina Lemoen Lunde
- Lunde's Market Inclusion Theory threatens to expose all the unconscious biases in our data, which I've been consciously ignoring.
- Her fresh perspective on inclusive data analysis might reveal growth opportunities we've missed while staring at the same spreadsheets since 2019.
- I anticipate discovering that my understanding of data analytics ranks somewhere between "enthusiastic amateur" and "confident incompetent."
Are We Paying Enough Attention to Culture and Internal Branding?
Lena Riis
- Riis will share insights on strengthening internal culture, presumably beyond the traditional approach of motivational posters and casual Friday.
- Her two decades of experience suggest we're in for something more substantial than trust falls and team-building exercises.
- I suspect my company's culture will suddenly seem as sophisticated as a university dormitory during finals week.
From Messy to Meaningful - Preparing Your Marketing Data for the AI Era
Kyle Jepson
- The Jepson from HubSpot LinkedIn arrives to transform our data from its current state of "organized chaos" to something AI might actually comprehend.
- His tested strategies promise to bring order to our digital filing system, which currently resembles a teenager's bedroom.
- I look forward to pretending I've been maintaining pristine datasets all along.
Growth Tips*
JD Sherman
- Sherman brings his experience from Dashlane and HubSpot to share growth strategies that don't require a PhD in rocket science.
- Expect practical advice that works in the real world, rather than theoretical scenarios involving perfectly rational customers.
- I'll be taking notes while maintaining a facade of casual expertise as he's ultimately my boss here at Avidly.
*Note: It's just 4 weeks from the slide deck deadline and JD hasn't even given us an actual talk title. That's how you know he's important.
Growth Is NOT a Marketing Problem
Sara Storm
- Storm boldly suggests our sales team might be the weak link in our revenue chain. A revelation that will surely lead to some interesting lunch conversations.
- Her insights promise to bridge the eternal marketing-sales divide, possibly without requiring mediation.
- I expect vindication. And to gain diplomatic skills applicable to future peace negotiations.
Weaponized Information and Data
Cathrine Lagerberg
- Lagerberg's background in defense and intelligence adds a dash of espionage to our otherwise civilian proceedings.
- Her perspective on information warfare might make our daily data concerns seem charmingly pedestrian.
- I look forward to feeling simultaneously enlightened and mildly paranoid.
1.6 Million and Counting - Scaling CRM for Football Fanatics
Thomas Torjusen
- Torjusen will demonstrate how to manage relationships with people whose emotional investment in your product rivals religious devotion.
- His case study from Norwegian football promises practical insights that don't require wearing team colors.
- If his methods can handle passionate football supporters, they might even work for our more demanding clients.
How to Invest in Marketing from a CEO's Perspective
Torhill Gysland Falnes
- Falnes offers a glimpse into the executive mindset behind marketing investments, presumably more sophisticated than "Will this make us look good?"
- Her insights might finally explain why my perfectly reasonable budget requests keep getting "reviewed."
- I expect to learn how to speak CEO, a dialect I've been struggling to master.
What Matters Deserves Action
Josh Stinton
- Stinton concludes our day with thoughts on creating an "Own It" culture, which I assume involves more than just claiming credit for successful projects.
- His keynote promises unexpected stories, hopefully none involving corporate trust exercises.
- A fitting end to a day of professional enlightenment and mild self-reflection.
Join us on March 27th in Oslo, where we'll collectively pretend to understand neural networks while secretly taking notes on basic Excel functions. Your presence is requested, if not strictly required.
Note: Wearing black turtlenecks is neither mandatory nor discouraged, but it may increase your chances of being mistaken for a thought leader.
