Seth Godin is speaking to Drive 2026

Introducing the Drive 2026 Keynote Speakers

OK, I am breaking the pattern a bit for today's newsletter.

I don't have any hot marketing takes for you today, but I do have a hot marketing announcement and I couldn't wait for next week so wanted to squeeze it in today.

(Side note, if you are in the mood for something useful though I want to point to this video we did all about Claude Code for B2B marketers with Corey Haines. I owe you a future newsletter on that topic but for now check out the video here on my YouTube channel.)

We just dropped the details for Drive 2026, our big annual event for Exit Five.

We're announcing our first four speakers and today is the last day to save $200 on your ticket with early access pricing.

So if you'll pardon me for the interruption:

This is year three of Drive. We've now done it twice in Vermont, sold out both years, with an average NPS of 80. And we almost made a big mistake of moving the event to Boston for 2026. We wanted to go bigger and figured Boston was the place to do it, but then realized. Wait. Vermont is a huge part of the event and our identity. So we're leaning harder into Vermont and bringing Drive to The Lodge at Spruce Peak in Stowe, Vermont September 8-10, 2026.

It's a bigger venue, more room for activities, but the same idea: two days outside the office with B2B marketers who are dealing with the same stuff you are. Put the Claude down and talk to real humans going through the same challenges you're going through at work.

We have 15 more speakers to tell you about later and the full agenda/topics, but today I wanted to give you a sneak peek with the first four speakers and hopefully convince you to snag your tickets.

1. Seth Godin

Seth was my first call for speaking at Drive in 2026 because I found myself referencing his book Purple Cow a lot the last year as we get FLOODED with AI slop and sameness. You could pick any one of his books off the shelf dating back to the late 90's and find the advice more relevant than ever. That's the type of person I feel like we need at Drive.

This is B2B Marketing. An afternoon with Seth Godin.

Seth is going to talk strategy, significance, and the power of purpose, and he'll be taking questions from the room. He's the author of 21 books (his latest, This Is Strategy, is a national bestseller), has given five TED talks, and is in both the Direct Marketing and Marketing Halls of Fame (had no idea those existed btw). He's also built several B2B companies along the way, including Yoyodyne, one of the first internet companies and a pioneer of email marketing back when nobody knew what email marketing was.

Plus, I love his haircut. That guy knows style. That's why I shave my head btw. OK no it's not; it's genetics and my hairline has disappeared but that's a different topic..

2. Ann Handley

ARE WE OKAY? A reset for B2B marketers who want to move hearts and minds. Not just manage motion in the world of AI.

Ann was the world's first Chief Content Officer, a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, a partner at MarketingProfs, and a recent inductee into the Content Marketing Hall of Fame. The talk title alone tells you where she's going with this one, and I'm here for it.

Note: you'll notice a pattern and it's intentional. I wanted the OGs here at this event. There is so much nonsense being spewed right now about marketing and I think we need to be grounded in the timeless stuff.

3. Kara Hardin

Ambition in the Age of Overwhelm: What To Do When You Expect Yourself to Do Everything (All the Time).

I wanted to find someone to take the big stage and talk beyond marketing. An opportunity to look within. We're all very driven and wanting to master AI but also feeling completely overwhelmed. AI was supposed to give us more time back but we're all working more and the burnout level is higher than ever.

Kara is the founder of The Practice Lab, a Registered Psychotherapist, and a former corporate lawyer. She works with high-achieving professionals on the gap between ambition and overwhelm, which, if I'm being honest, is the conversation a lot of us in this industry need to be having and aren't. She's been on my podcast twice and I keep getting DMs to have her back, but this time we'll do it in-person with you.

4. Louis Grenier

How to stand the f*ck out for real in the age of AI.

One of our top speakers last year was Harry Dry and Harry told me for 2026 we should have Louis. So I gave him a test run on my podcast earlier in the year and he passed with flying colors and now gets the big stage in Stowe (should be no big deal for him considering he already beat cancer; a little talk about B2B marketing should be no problem).

He will share what it actually takes to stand out in B2B marketing when everything feels the same. It's all grounded in how people actually decide to buy and the timeless principles of marketing and consumer behavior.

***

We'll have more to share soon including the full Drive agenda that's jam packed with workshops and activities for September, but this is a pretty good start with these four and I had to tell you about it in my newsletter today.

If you've never been to Drive, here's the short version of the pitch: it's two days designed around the stuff that doesn't usually fit on a conference agenda. Meals together. Morning hikes. The unstructured time where you end up in a conversation that changes how you think about your entire strategy (or maybe just make a new friend who's also a mom that works in B2B marketing and gets you in a way your friends from home don't). But we also know you're here to learn and the education is what justifies the ticket, so the agenda is packed with workshops that are tactical and specific to what you're doing in marketing right now.

Here's a link to the Drive website so you can see more about the event and make a decision on joining us for 2026.

One note, and this is not fake urgency: ticket prices go up $200 across the board at midnight tonight (Thursday, 5/14). If you're close but need a few extra days for budget approval, just reply to this email and we'll hold an early access ticket for you.

Think you'll come this year?

Reply back and LMK if you snag a ticket. I'd love a little dopamine hit from this email.

– Dave

PS. We're hiring part-time community managers for Exit Five; if you love B2B marketing and want an easy way to make some cash on nights and weekends or if you work remote, check this out.

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