SocialNext: Toronto

Toronto showed up. Every time we do one of these, we're reminded why we keep doing it. The energy in that room, the conversations that run over time, the connections that turn into collabs — this is what SocialNext is about. And these photos don't even do it justice. If you were there, thank you for being part of it. If you missed it... well. There's always a next time. In the meantime, if you're looking for your next marketing event fix, SocialWest is happening May 27–29 in Calgary. Western Canada's biggest marketing conference. Worth the trip, if we do say so ourselves!

This is what SocialNext Toronto 2026 looked like. Year one: 160 people. Year three: 672! 30+ sessions across three rooms at The Carlu, and every single speaker showed up ready to raise the bar. We're still processing it all, honestly. And 89% of attendees said they'd come back next year — which is really good news, since we've already booked the venue. To every attendee, speaker, sponsor, and volunteer who made it what it was... thank you! We already can't wait to do it all over again. Next up: SocialWest in Calgary!

300 senior marketing leaders. One afternoon. Mitch Joel of ThinkersOne, Erin Elofson of Mastercard, Jonelle Ricketts of IKEA, Crystal Carter of Wix, Tedde van Gelderen of Akendi, and Neil Patel of Npdigital all on stage. Honest conversations about where AI is actually taking this industry. Mitch Joel's PACE framework. Neil Patel on H+AI. Crystal Carter on what your website needs to be ready for right now. June Findlay captured it all for Marketing News Canada. Definitely go check out her piece. That was Full Circle 2026.

We get asked a lot what makes SocialNext events different. It's not the impressive stage or the speakers (although we're very proud of both). It's this. The energy in the room. The giveaways. The people who show up ready to connect. The hallway conversations that turned into something. The vendors you actually wanted to talk to. The moments between sessions that made the whole thing worth the trip. This is why we do it.

Still thinking about a few moments from last week… and one that really stuck with us came from Creatively Squared's presentation: “Reach without attention is just expensive waste.” In a world where it’s easy to chase numbers, attention is the real metric. One attendee summed it up perfectly: “Qasim Mian challenged us to get rid of the old way of thinking. Creative is no longer one piece for TV, it’s a portfolio that should be optimized based on performance.” A good reminder that scale doesn’t always mean impact. Thanks to Qasim Mian and Creatively Squared for pushing the conversation forward.

We've been thinking about April 8th since... well, April 8th. Full Circle was our first attempt at something we've been wanting to build for a while: A room where senior marketing leaders could actually slow down and work through what AI is doing to this industry. Real conversations with people who carry real accountability for how this stuff lands. There were 200 people in the room at Storys Building in Toronto, and the lineup Npdigital put together was something incredible. What stuck with us were the whiteboard moments, the side conversations that continued until the venue closed, and the number of people who said some version of "I needed this." A big thank you to everyone who joined us!

Toronto — yesterday was incredible! From TikTok and creator marketing to Meta ads, AI workflows, Reddit, Inc.’s role in search, and building real operating systems for social… the depth across sessions was something else. Huge thanks to our speakers for raising the bar again this year. Caley Dimmock, Differo Marketing, DCM, Merged Media, Socialpruf. And yes, we're still working through the photos. 😅 More to come!

What an afternoon! This round of speakers really delivered. We heard: – How to stay visible *and* trusted in the age of AI – Why reach without attention is just expensive noise – What it actually takes to build a brand that holds up under pressure – And how the best marketers are using AI without losing their edge The panel on human + AI was a standout. Smart, honest, and refreshingly grounded in what’s actually happening right now. Huge thanks to our speakers for bringing clarity, depth, and a whole lot of practical insight to the stage.

SocialNext Toronto is officially underway and we’re off to a great start! We kicked things off with an AI-focused keynote from HighLevel, then Neil Patel (Npdigital) took the stage to break down the next wave of search, followed by a panel on human + AI influence ( MiQ, Clark Influence and Havas Media Network). Now we’re into breakout sessions across the venue and the energy hasn’t dropped. Thanks for bringing it, Toronto!

We're so excited to share that Susan Charles is joining us at SocialNext Toronto. As Brand Strategy Lead at Google, she’ll be sharing what great brands are actually doing with AI right now. What’s useful, what’s not, and where to pay attention. We can't wait for tomorrow!