At CMCX, the annual highlight of the content marketing industry, decision-makers from marketing and media meet to learn about the latest trends and discuss best cases. We interviewed Rene Kühn, the organizer of CMCX, to build excitement for this mega event.
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CMCX 2020 – Our anniversary interview with Rene Kühn
1.) "People matter" was one of your main messages in our interview last year. Do you have any tips for content marketing newbies when it comes to networking? How exactly should you invest in your own network?
René Kühn: Get out there and mingle with people – in real life! Personal contact and the context in which you meet give networking a whole new depth. It's a completely different relationship when you network in person, for example at CMCX, and build up a shared "history," compared to connecting with someone on LinkedIn.
Younger digital natives, who primarily communicate via social platforms, tend to forget this nowadays...
In order to systematically build up your personal network, it is necessary to map and tag the network in a structured manner using a classic CRM system.
2.) More and more companies are producing content. What is your ultimate tip for becoming/remaining visible in times of content shock? How would you generate leads in 2020?
René Kühn: Try to always keep your goal and your target audience in mind when it comes to strategy, production, and distribution of content. That means investing in unique content for a specific target audience with a specific core theme.
If you publish truly high-quality and unique content in this process, you can consider using a kind of member area for lead generation, which users must register for in order to consume the content. This is guaranteed to open up further opportunities, dialogues, and perhaps even new business models.
3.) Which presentation are you most looking forward to at this year's CMCX? And why?
René Kühn: Definitely this special talk by one of the speakers on March 10 and 11 on the CMCX stage. To clarify this specific statement: our goal in curating the content for our stages, which is extremely resource-intensive, is to make it worthwhile for everyone to travel to Munich for every single slot.
When you look at our lineup and agenda for this year, which includes REWE, Bosch, OTTO, AIDA, McDonald's, Nestlé, Mastercard, AOK, Siemens, Vaillant, Vorwerk, and many more, you can imagine how much heart and soul has gone into it. The best thing to do is for everyone to take a detailed look at the agenda and pick out their highlights on the five stages!
4.) Modified question from a job interview: Where do you see CMCX in 2030?
René Kühn: To be honest, I'm not really sure whether people will still be talking about content marketing in 2030, or whether what we call content marketing today will simply be known as marketing.
Over the past 10 years, we have seen a clear shift in communication: content has become the core of communication, from which other marketing measures are derived. In this respect, CMCX will become increasingly broad-based and focus on more and more areas.
In 2011, we started out as a small conference. Back then, we never imagined that it would one day become a major trade fair/platform featuring marketing tech providers, influencer marketing specialists, and much more.
5.) CMCX is celebrating a milestone birthday this year. Which content marketing method was popular in 2011 but would probably be met with weary smiles today?
René Kühn: Looking back, the topics were quite forward-looking: in 2011, the focus was on mobile content, augmented reality, social media, etc. Presumably, parts of the audience weren't quite ready for that at the time (especially when I think about the predictions for mobile content...). And, of course, from today's perspective, we tend to smile at the critics who talked about crying and tubes.
What no one could have predicted was how complex, broad, and deep the possibilities of content marketing would become: trends from our history, such as influencer marketing and native advertising, are becoming disciplines in their own right. The use of a wide variety of technologies in content-oriented marketing facilitates creative output and distribution.
6.) Keyword: Opinion leadership. Which German company do you think has the potential to become an opinion leader with its content?
René Kühn: An estimated 69,000 German companies have this potential.
But I see particular potential in B2B companies, which—as people like to say—are somewhat "lagging behind" when it comes to modern communication. Content marketing offers enormous opportunities to address relevant topics of the future, such as mobility and medicine, and to communicate with the target group in a whole new way.
7.) Are there any changes compared to last year? For example, new formats or topics?
René Kühn: As content marketing has evolved, so too has CMCX over the years: On March 10 and 11, the focus will no longer be purely on content, but on everything related to content—from technologies to attitude issues (keyword: purpose marketing).
Visitors (of whom we expect more again this year) will find the right exhibitors in the exhibition area, presentations at the conference, and workshops.
And in line with the previous question: We are placing even more focus on B2B marketing with more speakers and case studies from the B2B sector (e.g., from Bosch, REHAU, B. Braun, Turck, GKN). There will also be an industry meet-up and an extra guided tour of the trade fair for B2B companies.
8.) What are the highlights of CMCX 2020? Why should people attend?
René Kühn: At CMCX, visitors will find everything they need to know about communication over two days: inspiration and strategic help from top speakers sharing best practices, concrete instructions in workshops, and direct exchanges with tech providers at the trade fair.
You may not get to know all of the 7,000 expected visitors, but in addition to the Content Marketing Lounge and the legendary CMCX NIGHT, there are many opportunities to network with like-minded people from marketing and other companies. This saves you a lot of travel time and research over the course of the year.
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My conclusion
The CMCX should be a must-attend event for marketing and opinion leaders, providing them with the perfect opportunity to learn about the latest methods and case studies and communicate more successfully thanks to new ideas and inspiration!
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10 percent discount on your CMCX ticket
CMCX will take place on March 10 and 11 at Messe München and is Europe's largest content marketing event.
Contentbird will also be there as an exhibitor and will be happy to answer any questions you may have about your content marketing activities.
"Every year, I look forward to presenting new innovations at CMCX. The new contentbird platform is definitely one of them." – René Kühn, organizer of CMCX
With this code, you can get discounted tickets on the official CMCX 2019 website:
CMCX2020-Contentbird-10Percent
And here you can schedule an appointment with us directly.
The most important information about CMCX:
- March 10–11, 2020, Munich Exhibition Center
- Visitors: approx. 7,000+
- Conference: 100+ speakers, including from OTTO, McDonald’s, Bosch, Mastercard, Siemens
- Trade fair: 100+ exhibitors and partners
- Specials: Workshops, CMCX NIGHT, Solution Area, Content Marketing on Rails, Industry Meet-Ups, and much more.
The contentbird team and Rene Kühn hope you enjoy it!
