SparkTogether Comes to Seattle October 8; Tickets are Already 60% Sold Out

Rand FishkinBy Rand Fishkin

It’s Official. On Tuesday, October 8, 2024, SparkTogether will be live, in person, in Seattle, WA for the first time. And we’ve already sold 120/200 tickets available. If you want one of the 80 left, I recommend grabbing one ASAP.

What’s SparkTogether?

We believe the most valuable professional experiences in our lives happened when remarkable people were at their most vulnerable. That quiet, emotional conversation huddled in a corner when you find out what *really* went down–the numbers, the money, the whole story.

That’s what SparkTogether is meant to replicate.

10 speakers will be on stage, telling stories they’ve never told before and won’t again. There are no recordings. No public slide decks. No social sharing allowed. The energy is electric. And it’s just for the folks in the room. Which is why the speakers feel comfortable showing you their analytics, their profit and loss statements, their whole selves.

These stories focus on product innovation, entrepreneurship, marketing, and business growth. Not all of them succeeded. But all of them have incredible takeaways you can get nowhere else.

Who is it for?

SparkTogether’s speakers are hand chosen by the hosts, Rand Fishkin and Amanda Natividad, because their unique narratives are invaluable specifically for creators, founders, and marketers.

These stories are geared toward helping SMBs, agencies, challenger brands, and startups–less so large enterprises. That latter group would never allow this level of transparency anyway 😉

What’s the experience like?

We (Amanda and Rand) go to a lot of conferences. Rarely would we rate the entire experience a 10/10. For us, the perfect event must have:

  • A crowd big enough for opportunities to meet new people and connect with old friends, but small enough to feel intimate and special. SparkTogether 2024 hits that sweet spot with banquet-style seating to support exactly 200 folks.
  • A single day of outstanding content. No duds. The programming has to be razor-sharp; every session delivering resonant, long-lasting, actionable insight. Speakers don’t need to give polished, TED talks–they need to give overwhelming value. One advantage of us going to a ton of events? We know precisely who those speakers are, and we’ve invited them here.
  • Single track. The right spacing of breaks. The right start and end time. A venue that feels fresh, unique, and not too corporate or sterile. We think we’ve nailed every one of these.
  • Exceptional catering. We’re foodies. We suspect many of you are, too. Food and beverage sets a tone–it tells you if the organizers are too cheap, too wasteful, or too exorbitant. We’re the kind of folks who love a perfect street taco, a crispy-on-the-outside chewy-on-the-inside falafel, a fresh-as-heck banh mi. This ain’t champagne and caviar, elitist, Davos stuff. But, we want you to be shocked at how good it is.
  • Great parties. We’re all here to listen and learn, but often, it’s the conversations about what happened on stage that turn a potential idea into an actionable one, or a chance meeting into lifelong camaraderie. Our vibe is not loud music or excess alcohol. It’s a place where mature professionals can enjoy comfortable environs and a thoughtfully curated experience. We’re including two events, one the night prior to and another the evening after SparkTogether where you can have a meal, a drink (nonalcoholic or otherwise), and a wonderful, safe, inclusive experience.

Think: Less like the standard industry conference. More like an executive retreat — except everyone is welcome.

Who are the speakers? What are their topics?

SparkTogether works a bit differently from other events. Speakers tell stories, and woven into those stories are the details of how they achieved skyrocketing success, dismal failure, and everything in between. The topics vary widely, even within a single narrative, and while subjects like AI, audience research, recipes for going viral, productivity mindsets, and more are parts of those stories, our speakers tell narratives, not bullet point lists of “10 tips for how to XYZ.”

In 2024, we’re honored to bring 10 incredible speakers to the SparkTogether stage:

  • Ann Handley – one of the most famous, well-recognized, and broadly-followed marketers in the world, Ann’s renowned for her book, Everybody Writes. But, at SparkTogether, she’s telling a story of struggle and failure, before she found success. It’s *hard* to book Ann for a West Coast event, which is why we’re doubly honored to have her join us and share, vulnerably and transparently, on the SparkTogether stage.
  • Anne-Laure Le Cunff – as the founder of Ness Labs, Anne-Laure built an incredible newsletter with more than 100,000 weekly recipients. Her upcoming book, Tiny Experiments, is a journey through the intersection of neuroscience and behavior change, and her stories are WILD. When you her speak, you’ll see why she’s built such a passionate fanbase, many of whom say they owe their professional success to her teachings.
  • Britney Muller – one of the smartest, kindest, most incredible teachers and human beings I’ve ever worked alongside, Britney has become Internet famous for her ability to make AI accessible, applicable, and surprisingly human. But we didn’t bring her to SparkTogether to share her usual keynotes on AI. Instead, Britney’s bringing stories of her applied experiments in the world of LLMs, fantastical and not-so-fantastical, so we can all learn what to do and not to do.

    Darren Shaw – the founder of Whitespark, one of the search world’s most successful and longest-running indie software businesses, Darren’s a ray of sunshine in a world that’s far too opaque. His stories of helping local businesses succeed (and watching those who went under) have lessons that every founder, creator, and marketer needs.
  • Eli Goodman – for years, Eli has been my secret weapon. His data on what real people do on the web, at scale (through multi-million user clickstream panels) is unparalleled. It helped me do the first zero-click studies, powered our recent look at how people really use ChatGPT, answered the decades long question of who sends traffic on the web, and now powers SparkToro V2. Eli’s stories of what clickstream panels can reveal, how they operate, and the otherwise-impossible-to-answer questions they address are remarkable. I can’t wait to have you hear them.
  • Geraldine DeRuiter – there’s a bit of common advice in the world of digital marketing: “going viral is not a strategy; like lightning in a bottle, it can’t be repeated.” Yet, somehow, Geraldine keeps doing it. Half a dozen times in the last 6 years, her blog posts, social shares, and (most recently) a bestselling book have achieved Internet superstardom, drawing millions of views. Heck, I’ve been recognized on streets, in airports, and at concerts as “are you the guy married to the Everywhereist?!” Yes, yes I am. When she comes to SparkTogether, Geraldine’s going to tell you the stories of going viral; the good, the bad, and the very ugly, and break down her formula for how to repeatedly achieve a supposedly impossible feat.
  • Lavall Chichester – during last year’s online SparkTogether, Lavall (the founder of Growth Skills) gave a presentation so thoroughly mind-blowing that, despite an all-star lineup, his was the encore our hundreds of attendees clamored for most. I almost don’t want to say anything else, but I’ll let this slip: no one applies data more creatively, successfully, to as many marketing projects as Lavall. Notetaking is a must, because remember, there’s no recordings.
  • Michael King – the true superstar of turning Google from a black box into a system anyone can understand, Mike’s agency, iPullRank, was kicking ass and taking names long before the Google leak. Now, however, he’s the center of the SEO universe, in-demand from hundreds of events (but since we worked together on the initial pieces, he’s doing us a solid and putting SparkTogether on his busy travel schedule). Mike is planning to tell the story of how a weekend of work was actually a decade in the making, and what that decade, plus the next few months of work deciphering the secrets of Google’s 14,014 API features, can reveal.
  • Rand Fishkin – my story at SparkTogether is actually our story. It’s the story of what’s changed behind the scenes and behind closed doors among the powerful platforms that control the web, and what that means for founders, creators, and marketers. And while I pride myself on being the best speaker at any event I join, I suspect that task will be impossible at this one (but it doesn’t mean I won’t try!).
  • Sarah Stockdale – years ago, Sarah was struggling. Growclass, her certification course series for digital marketers, hadn’t taken off and things looked bleak. I’ll let her tell you what happened, but it features a story of incredible grit, insights made actionable, and something she calls “cockroach mode.” (side note: Growclass today has taken off like a rocket, and you’ll hear how that happened, too)

How are tickets priced?

Our waitlist received first access to tickets (you can sign up here for 2025), and we’re now launching public sales. 85 tickets remain as of this post’s publication, and prices rise as we get closer to the event.

If you’re bringing a group of 2-5 folks, bulk prices are 20% off, and if you’re 6 or more, the discount rises to 30%. Tickets can be purchased here via credit card.

There’s no reserve seating–it’s banquet-style tables inside 415 Westlake, and there are no bad seats. We don’t offer refunds on tickets, but you can transfer your ticket to anyone else up to October 1 (a week prior) by emailing us: [email protected].

What’s the venue?

SparkTogether will be held at 415 Westlake in Seattle’s South Lake Union Neighborhood. It’s a beautiful, uniquely Pacific-Northwest event venue tucked behind a great coffee shop, in easy walking distance to downtown, Lake Union, and the city’s landmark Space Needle. 

Where should I stay?

We don’t have an official hotel for the event, but do offer a list of recommended hotels to fit all budgets:

When should I fly in?

Ideally, the afternoon prior to the conference day, October 7, so you can join us for the welcome reception that evening (details will be sent to ticket holders). We’ll be in sessions all day October 8, then have an afterparty with drinks and heavy appetizers.

Bonus: We secured flight discounts for you. After you purchase your SparkTogether conference ticket, you’ll receive a confirmation email with discount codes for United, Delta, and Alaska. Discounts range from 5 to 10% based on fare class.

I promise this: Amanda and I, with the help of Charlene Ditch (who ran Mozcon with me for years) will not let this event disappoint you. The start of something is always hard, but it’s also special. We would love to see you at SparkTogether and celebrate the start of something new.

Amanda may not know how to do proper “Dino Hands” poses, but she can run a heck of a conference

If you have questions or want bulk tickets (6 or more) for your team, please drop a line to [email protected] and we’ll be happy to help. See you in Seattle!

P.S. A couple sponsorship slots are still available; email us if your company is interested (SparkTogether and SparkToro’s newsletter of 40,000+ marketers, creators, and founders are both part of this).

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