Experiential marketing is rapidly becoming one of the most powerful growth levers for early stage companies yet many founders still believe it is only accessible to large brands with massive budgets. Flashy pop ups, fashion week activations, and high production brand experiences have dominated the narrative, masking a more important truth: meaningful, high impact experiences can be designed at any scale.
This roundtable challenges the assumption that experiential marketing is expensive or out of reach. Instead, it reframes experience as a mindset not a spend. Participants will explore how small, intentional moments of connection can drive trust, community, customer loyalty, and organic growth far more effectively than traditional paid channels alone.
Drawing on unexpected examples including Grindr as a foundational model, this session will unpack how product-led community building, cultural relevance, and localized engagement strategies can generate outsized returns for startups and small businesses. Founders will walk away with practical frameworks for designing experiences that meet customers where they are, align with brand values, and create lasting momentum without burning capital.
The session will be highly interactive, inviting participants to workshop real world scenarios, pressure test ideas, and leave with at least one immediately actionable experiential tactic they can deploy within weeks. This is a conversation for builders who want smarter growth, deeper community connection, and marketing that feels human, not transactional.
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Note: This Summit session is ticketed.
Please purchase your
tickets on Humanitix. You will then receive an email from Sched with login information that allows you to make your personal schedule.
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A special thank you to our sponsors: The 14th Annual Tom Tom Festival is presented with the University of Virginia, Virginia Tourism, R.L. Beyer Custom Homes, Ludwig Kuttner, and The City of Charlottesville
