SocialNext is Canada’s premier digital marketing series that brings together over 3,000 marketing professionals from across the country. Held in top cities like Toronto, Calgary, Halifax, and Vancouver, this event is your gateway to know the latest trends, groundbreaking marketing strategies, and powerful networking opportunities.
About SocialNext
SocialNext is one of the largest digital marketing events that has been happening in Canada for almost 10 years now. The event attracts the presence of top Canadian business leaders and marketing industry experts to share the latest trends, marketing strategies, tools, and technologies.
SocialNext 2025 Event Schedule
January 23, 2025 – Event TBA
January 29–30, 2025 – Ottawa
April 25, 2025 – Toronto
June 11–13, 2025 – Calgary
September 25–26, 2025 – Halifax
October 30, 2025 – Vancouver
Spotlight on SocialNext Ottawa 2025
SocialNext Ottawa 2025 was held on January 29–30 at Bayview Yards, Ottawa. It marked a significant digital marketing networking event in the nonprofit and public sectors. With over 300 attendees, the conference featured 20 expert speakers delivering 15+ sessions over 1.5 days, focusing on actionable strategies for a smarter, more inclusive marketing landscape.
Walking You Through The Sessions:
Here are some key takeaways from the event:
Taking Canadian Digital Marketing To the Next Level
The latest report by the Digital Marketing Sector Council was discussed by the panel: Richard Wong, Deanna Wampler, and Karine Courtemanche. It focused on the country’s evolving workforce needs, offering insights on upskilling, cross-functional hiring, and what the future marketer looks like.
Brand Strategy with a Community Lens
Taylor Barrie, VP, Calgary Foundation, shared their brand strategy. He explained how his brand takes a step back to let community voices shine. Their approach focuses on empathy, inclusion, and building trust that lasts, showing how a brand can lead by listening.
AI for Public Good: Smarter, Ethical Innovation
Majd Khaldi, Partner Lead, Government, Public Sector, and Tourism at Google Canada, talked about how AI is transforming the public sector. Speakers also talked about the politics of emojis and digital accessibility.
Managing Digital Crises and Protecting Public Brands
Mary Kapusta, Director of Communications & Engagement at Calgary Public Library’s highlighted how public institutions can prepare for and respond to online harassment. She emphasized the need for internal protocols and external support systems.
Backing Canadian Tech: Why Local Innovation Matters
Darian Kovacs (Podcast Host, Marketing News Canada) spotlighted the value of supporting Canadian-built platforms and argued that investing in local MarTech helps fuel sustainable innovation and ecosystem growth.
Hence, SocialNext series are not generic digital marketing events, but something that helps you think beyond the existing strategies.
Have such a breakthrough idea but need help executing? Discover TRU’s digital marketing services and make it happen.
Top Trends and Talks from SocialNext Toronto 2025
SocialNext Toronto 2025, recently held at The Carlu on April 25, brought together a vibrant cross-section of Canada’s marketing leaders, strategists, and innovators. With 566 attendees (40% more than last year) and 20+ expert speakers, the event has established itself as a must-attend gathering for modern marketing professionals. The event got sponsorships from leading organizations like LinkedIn, the Institute of Canadian Agencies, and Tim Hortons, underscoring its credibility and national significance.
Breaking Down Key Marketing Shifts at SocialNext
The content sessions at SocialNext Toronto were built around real-world marketing challenges and innovations. There was a heavy focus on digital brand strategy, social media engagement, content marketing, and marketing technology (MarTech) innovation. Some of the highlights are:
Mastering Social Media to Build True Communities
Session presented by Jake MacDonald (SMM Advisor for the Government of Nova Scotia) emphasized strategies brands can use to have real conversations instead of chasing vanity metrics. The key focus was to make plans that can lead to long-term brand loyalty, not just viral moments.
Elevating Email Marketing from Spam to Strategy
Geoffrey Blanc (Marketing & Management Lead) reframed the narrative around email marketing, providing data-backed techniques to move away from outdated "blast" tactics. He offered models for crafting email journeys that nurture trust and drive conversions with relevance and personalization at their core.
Building a High-Impact Influencer Marketing Strategy
Shawn Downet (Sales Professional) discussed why modern influencer strategies require moving beyond follower counts. He emphasized building partnerships based on authenticity, audience alignment, and measurable impact, making influencer marketing a serious revenue-driving channel rather than a PR exercise.
Understanding True Consumer Decision-Making
Alyza Keshavjee (Co-head, Women in Leadership Program, Google) unpacked the real drivers behind purchase behavior, beyond just price and convenience. Her session challenged brands to tap into emotional and psychological motivators and showed how deep consumer insights can be operationalized into high-performing marketing strategies.
Decoding Marketing Effectiveness for Canadian Brands
Paul Tedesco (Instructor, McMaster University) offered a sneak peek into the upcoming "Alchemy of Effectiveness" report, which focuses on Canadian marketing effectiveness benchmarks. His insights equipped marketers and agency leaders with frameworks to not just prove marketing’s ROI but to position it as a critical growth engine within the C-suite agenda.
Don't miss a beat. Stay tuned to our Events page for exclusive insights and key event updates.
How TRU Helps Businesses Execute on What They Learn at SocialNext
Events like SocialNext are where breakthrough ideas, emerging tools, and bold marketing insights are shared. But the difference between inspiration and impact comes down to execution. That’s where TRU steps in.
We help businesses take what they hear at events like SocialNext and turn it into data-driven, strategy-first action.
1. Reimagine Your Digital Foundation & Build Inclusive Experiences
At Tru, we create dynamic brand personas using live behavioral data, social listening, and psychographic clustering. This allows us to go beyond traditional segmentation and create personas that adapt in real time, ensuring your messaging always resonates with the right audience when it matters most.
2. Transform Insights into Market Momentum
Our experts go beyond simply running paid ads or SEO audits. We build intent-driven ecosystems that evolve based on real user journeys. Using multi-channel attribution, predictive modeling, and natural language SEO, we ensure that your marketing strategies evolve with shifting algorithms and changes in consumer behavior.
3. Real-Time Optimization & Precise Measurement
Advertising isn’t static now, and neither are we. At TRU, we use real-time creative optimization so your ads continuously evolve based on how people engage. Our analytics team implements end-to-end marketing attribution frameworks, integrating both online and offline data, and tracks micro-conversions across multiple platforms. This gives you a clear, complete view of how every part of your marketing drives real results.
4. Actionable Insights & Advanced MarTech
TRU’s real-time dashboards simplify complex data into visual insights. These dashboards aren’t only for tracking, they help teams make fast, smart decisions that stay aligned with business goals.
While many brands follow trends, we help you stay ahead. Whether it’s testing the latest MarTech tools or showing exactly how social media impacts your revenue, we make sure your marketing systems are built for what’s next, not just what’s now.
