Make the Case
for MAICON 2027

Learn more, plus find a templated letter for you to use. 

EXPLORE 2027 REGISTRATION OPTIONS

MAICON 2026 - Make the Case

A practical guide to getting your registration approved


Asking for conference approval isn’t always easy. Tight budgets, packed calendars, and education + training often get deprioritized.

But MAICON isn’t just another conference. And 2027 is not the time to shy away from professional development.

MAICON is where marketing and business leaders go to understand what AI is changing right now, and how to respond with clarity, confidence, and an actual plan.

If your organization is serious about staying competitive, this is the room to be in.

Step 1: Start With the Real Reason MAICON Matters

Here’s the simplest way to frame MAICON to your boss:

This isn’t a conference about AI tools. It’s a conference about AI strategy, adoption and execution across marketing and business.

Most organizations are already experimenting with AI. Far fewer are turning those experiments into results. In our 2026 State of AI for Business Report, 41% of professionals described their organization’s AI progress as inconsistent or siloed, and only 29% said their organization has an AI roadmap.

That’s the gap MAICON is built to close. It’s designed for leaders who want to move their organization from scattered experiments to a real competitive advantage.

MAICON transparent logo

 

Step 2: Make It About Business Outcomes (Not Curiosity)

AI isn’t “interesting” anymore. It’s operational.

At MAICON, you’ll pick up practical strategies to support goals like:

  • Increasing productivity and speed to market
  • Driving innovation and new revenue opportunities
  • Embedding AI into the workflows your team uses every day
  • Cutting wasted spend on tools that don’t get used
  • Building team readiness and responsible AI guidelines
  • Strengthening your competitive position as AI accelerates

Try this line with your boss: “If we want to scale what’s working with AI across our teams, MAICON is a fast, practical way to get there.”

Step 3: Highlight What Makes MAICON Different

Plenty of conferences include an AI track. MAICON is different.

AI isn’t a track here. It’s the entire focus.

Every session is designed to help marketing and business leaders answer questions like:

  • What workflows should we standardize across our teams right now?
  • How should we be thinking about AI agents, and where do they fit?
  • How are leading organizations measuring AI impact and ROI?
  • How do we choose the right tools and avoid wasting budget on the wrong ones?
  • How do we train our teams so AI becomes a capability, not a novelty?
  • What does responsible AI governance look like in practice?

You’ll leave with answers you can put to work, not just ideas to think about.

Step 4: Use Proof (The “Room Matters” Factor)

Now in its eighth year, MAICON has become one of the leading gatherings for marketing and business leaders navigating AI adoption. Attendance has grown from the 300s in its early years to 2,000 in 2026, showing how quickly AI has moved from an emerging trend to an operational priority.

MAICON attracts the kind of attendees you actually want to learn from:

  • 58% Director-level and above
  • 33% senior leadership or executive-level
  • 72% with an intermediate or advanced understanding of AI
  • Attendees from 25+ countries

This is a room full of leaders working through real AI adoption challenges in real time. The conversations in the hallways, between sessions, and at networking events are often where the biggest breakthroughs happen.

That’s hard to replicate. It’s why the room matters.

Step 5: Be Ready for the Common Objections

“We can’t afford this.”
The bigger cost is falling behind. If MAICON helps us find even a few workflow improvements or efficiency gains, it can easily pay for itself. And there are a few ways to lower the cost: register early. Also, groups of 4+ save 10%, and nonprofit and education rates are available. Our AI Value Calculator can help estimate the return.

“Can’t you just learn this online?”
Some of it, yes. What you can’t get online is the context. At MAICON, I’ll hear directly from leaders putting AI to work right now: what they tried, what failed, and what they wish they’d known sooner. I’ll also build relationships with peers working through the same challenges, people I can keep learning from long after the event ends.

“It’s too much time away from work.”
Finding time is one of the biggest barriers to AI adoption. In SmarterX’s 2026 State of AI for Business Report, 30% of professionals named it as a top obstacle. MAICON gives me dedicated time to step back, think strategically, and come home with a plan. I’ll make sure my responsibilities are covered while I’m away, and I’ll come back with clear next steps, not just notes.

“Isn’t this just another marketing conference?”
MAICON started in marketing, but it’s not about marketing trends or surface-level tactics. It’s about AI strategy, implementation, governance, and scaling AI responsibly across marketing and the wider business. It’s built for organizations that want to lead, not follow.

MAICON attendees

Even More Ways to Justify Your Trip!

Copy-and-Paste Message to Your Manager



Subject: Request to Attend MAICON 2027 - October, Cleveland, OH

Hi [Manager’s name],

I’d like your approval to attend MAICON 2027 in Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 4–7, 2027.

MAICON is the leading conference for marketing and business leaders who are piloting and scaling AI across their organizations. Now in its eighth year, it’s entirely focused on practical AI adoption, from strategy and implementation to governance and scaling across marketing and the wider business.

Attending would directly support our priorities around productivity, growth, efficiency, and innovation.

If approved, I’ll share what I learn within 7–10 days of returning, including:

  • A written summary of key insights and trends
  • 3–5 concrete recommendations tied to our goals, including workflows we can start on right away
  • A shortlist of tools, frameworks, or vendors worth exploring
  • Responsible AI and governance practices we should consider
  • A first draft of priorities for our AI roadmap
  • A team debrief, live or recorded

The estimated total cost is $XXX, including registration, travel, hotel, and incidentals.  Registration is $XXX ($XXX off the final rate), and meals are included on both conference days.

AI is moving fast, and MAICON is one of the most efficient ways to learn how to use it intentionally, responsibly, and ahead of our competitors.

Thanks for considering it,
[Your name]

 

 

Register for MAICON 2027

It's time to start using and scaling artificial intelligence in your marketing.

EXPLORE 2027 REGISTRATION OPTIONS