NORTHERN WISCONSIN — The inaugural Northwoods Marketing Summit, held on April 16 at the Zhashagiins Event Center in Siren, brought together over 100 local business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders for an afternoon focused on practical marketing strategies, collaboration, and community growth.
Hosted by North of Eight Design & Marketing, the half-day event featured a series of sessions on different social media strategies, optimizing Google Business Profiles, marketing frameworks for small businesses, and public relations in rural communities.
The event also included a live Q&A panel with local marketing experts, networking opportunities, and a website giveaway, which was won by the Shell Lake Arts Center – all aimed at making marketing more accessible to local business owners.
“Our goal was to create something that felt accessible, practical, and genuinely helpful for the businesses in our region,” said Emily Gall, Owner and Founder of North of Eight. “There are so many incredible businesses in the Northwoods, and we wanted to give them tools and confidence to grow on their own.”
Attendees responded with overwhelmingly positive feedback, highlighting both the value of the content and the community-focused atmosphere. One attendee shared, “Very glad I invested in this conference. It was so worth it.” Another noted, “You didn’t have to be a marketing professional to get great info to do it on a smaller scale.” Several participants echoed similar sentiments, with one simply stating, “10/10 would attend again.”
The event also featured presentations from local business leaders, including Chaz Heinz, Vice President of Madsen Pest Management, who shared insights into how marketing has shaped his small-business growth, and Maggie Olson, Communications Director for the St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin, who spoke on the importance of public relations in small communities.
In addition to educational sessions, the summit incorporated a variety of interactive and community-driven elements, including a dice game for a $5,000 website giveaway and a three-night vacation giveaway provided by Hargrove Travel. Attendees also enjoyed a Northwoods-inspired happy hour featuring a Bloody Mary bar and a custom mocktail bar sponsored by Shrubadee.
The event was made possible through the support of numerous local sponsors, including tourism organizations, chambers of commerce, small businesses, and regional development groups, all of whom share a commitment to strengthening the Northwoods business community. Due to the strong turnout and positive response, organizers have already begun planning for next year’s event.
“We’ve had multiple people ask, ‘When is the next one?’ This has been a dream to see The Summit come to fruition and bring such value to the folks who attended,” said Kassie Dalsveen, Executive Director at North of Eight Design & Marketing. “We’re excited to build on this and make it even better next year.
More information about future events and updates can be found here.
Last Update: Apr 23, 2026 10:34 am CDT
