[This article was originally published in LinkedIn Pulse]

Less than a year ago, I announced that we were renaming our conference to Conex: The Content Experience. There was a bit of drama around the news (especially internally), since I made the call so close to the actual date and my team questioned whether we could pull it off. But the goal all along was to start to officially create a movement, not another user conference. And we had to think big. And I didn’t want to wait another year.

Today I have another big announcement. Jay Baer and Convince & Convert are partnering with us to co-produce this year’s Conex. With this news, I think it’s safe to say the movement is gaining momentum and that in hindsight, we made the right decision. This year digital marketers, demand generation marketers, and content marketers will once again unite in Toronto from August 20–22 to focus on how creating remarkable experiences can drive every stage of the buyer journey.

Last year’s conference was a huge success with many things to celebrate: awesome speakers, an intimate vibe, and double the growth in attendance (quadrupled when you consider the online audience). Most importantly, however, it stoked the conversation on how marketers can best lead prospects through the buyer journey, armed with content and an improved experience. Watch the video to see what you missed:

One of my personal highlights from the event was receiving a note from Jay, one of the keynote speakers, the week after the conference. Jay, a New York Times best-selling author and long-time supporter and personal investor in Uberflip, was sold on the Conex movement. In his email came a flattering proposal: “We’ve been considering a Jay Baer / Convince & Convert branded event for years, so maybe now’s the time to make it happen through a Conex partnership.”

Jay and I have a great friendship, though he is still someone I look up to professionally for his marketing acumen and leadership. So this type of validation was a massive boost for our mission. For those unfamiliar with Jay, his participation in your marketing event is the equivalent of adding butter to your popcorn, sour cream to your nachos, or fine cheese to a nice bottle of red (assuming you’re not lactose intolerant)! In my opinion, you really can’t have one without the other—and the same is true of Conex.

Having said that, we’ve had a great recipe for Conex to date. So we’re going to refine, and not drastically change, the experience. Here’s a list of what to expect in 2018:

The addition of Jay and his team to this event is truly unique. Jay has spoken at many conferences and emceed many others like Oracle’s Modern Marketing Experience, but this is the first time he will be directly involved and hands-on for the production. This level of commitment shows that marketers are taking notice of the importance that a remarkable content experience plays in the modern marketing org.

On this front, I’m also excited to announce that the team at Convince & Convert is so bought into the movement that beginning this week, the podcast that I’ve recorded over a hundred episodes for, Content Pros, will be rebranded as Conex: The Content Experience Show. Anna Hrach joins the podcast from Convince & Convert as my co-host. We’ll continue to feature great marketing leaders on a weekly basis, who share how they deliver memorable content experiences that help their companies grow.

This is just the beginning of a multi-year partnership between Conex, Convince & Convert, and Uberflip. As we continue to double our attendance year-over-year, I hope you’ll be one of the participants raising their hand as a repeat attendee in the years to come.

Please buy your tickets now and join Jay and I in Toronto for a content experience to remember. To make it even more memorable, comment below on who you would like to see at Conex and we’ll do our best to make it happen.