A no-fluff marketing conference with a positive ROI
10th September 2026 in Tallinn
Fresh.
Practical.
No-fluff.
A marketing conference that's all about growing with limited resources.
Inspired by startups and the tech world, it's all about strategic, analytical, and cost-effective marketing — with a healthy dose of creativity.
This is an event for bold, ambitious, strategic, and analytical marketers who don't want to do marketing the same way it's always been done.
If that's you, it's an event you can't miss.
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Full-day stage program
One day of insights, practical knowledge, and fresh takes—with an evening networking session.
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Hands-on workshop
Before the main event, you can attend an exclusive pre-event, powered by Convertal.
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Marketers' community
We're all about bringing marketers together—to share experiences and learn from each other.
Learn marketing
from the absolute best
Michael Corcoran
Co-owner at Slice, Ex Head of Social at Ryanair
"Stop Posting for the Sake of It: How Marketing Actually Supports Business"
Alvaro Quesada Vargas
Head of Growth at Lightyear, ex Bolt
"The Strategy Behind the Scale: Lessons from Lightyear"
Kelley Frank
Vice President at Capital Department, ex Universal Music Group, ex N26
“Here’s How Much You Should Invest in Your Social Media”
Marc Hoes
Director of Growth at Applixure
“Why Doing Everything Destroys Strategic Focus and How to Get It Back”
Steven MacDonald
Founder of OKRs Tool
"A Practical SEO
Case Study: 0 to #1 in 9 Months”
Annika Ljaš-Eilat
Visiting CMO and Managing Partner at Exponential
Piret Pert
Head of Communications, North Region at Wolt
“How to Turn Media Coverage Into Business Growth"
Ivar Krustok
Chief AI & Innovation Officer at Initiative
“7 AI Tools You Should Start Using in Marketing”
WHY ATTEND?
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Practical knowledge
Practical, up-to-date marketing knowledge – shared by people who are world-class professionals.
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Fresh perspective
Marketing is changing. If you want to stay ahead, this is your chance to learn from the trailblazers.
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Marketers' Community
We're bringing together the best marketers in Estonia – to share knowledge and learn from each other.
"A bit too practical."
– participant feedback from grit. conference 2025
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"I feel like this is the most professionally useful conference I’ve ever attended. So many great insights from such meaningful talks."
Dagmar Urb-Sõukand
Marketing Manager at BTA
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"The conference cut through the noise with a refreshingly modern take on marketing – something rare to see at other conferences in Estonia."
Victoria Tääker-Sisask
ex CMO of Ampler Bikes
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"It was one of the most practical conferences I’ve been to in ages. Great atmosphere. Sharing the room with like-minded folks is so inspiring!"
Sandra Raju, Marketing
Manager at Tripod
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"It was awesome. A lot of practical information and great performances.
The 'no bullshit' promise was definitely delivered."
Nika Smirnova, Digital Marketing Specialist at Foxway
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"Compact, informative, and packed with takeaway ideas – no fluff. The program was very well structured. We will definitely try out some of the AI tools mentioned."
Karin Noppel-Kokerov
Head of City24.ee
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"The atmosphere was collaborative and creative, with sessions delivering on the promise: grow with less. Feeling inspired and energized afterwards."
Thomas Maisey
CMO of Cachet
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"Speakers shared real-life cases and practical advice (no fluff). Everyone was so open-minded and friendly."
Olga Berlinberg, Marketing Manager at Windak Group
HERE'S THE 2025 AFTERMOVIE
THIS YEAR, WE'LL MEET
10th September 2026
in Tallinn, T1 Venue
🕐 9:00
Doors are open
Our recommendation: come early to skip the queues and get the day started with some morning marketing talks.
🕐 9:30
Opening remarks
A festive moment: opening of the second grit. conference in history.
🕙 9:45 – 10:15
"The Strategy Behind the Scale: Lessons from Lightyear"
What does it actually take to scale a company that’s on track to become a unicorn – and which strategies truly move the needle? Alvaro Quesada Vargas will break down how to think about growth across channels, markets, and the full customer journey.
You’ll learn:
• Growth lessons from scaling Lightyear
• How to combine paid and organic channels into one cohesive growth strategy
• How to manage marketing across the full customer journey
• How to think about strategic growth beyond short-term campaigns
🕙 10:15 – 10:45
"You are the Bottleneck: Why Doing Everything Destroys Strategic Focus and How to Get It Back”
Busy doesn’t mean effective – but for many marketers, it feels like it does. When execution takes over, strategy quietly disappears.
Marc Hoes breaks down why doing everything yourself is the fastest way to lose focus – and what to do instead if you want to scale without burning out.
You’ll learn:
• Why execution kills strategic focus (and how to spot it early)
• The real cost of “doing everything yourself”
• What you should focus on as a marketer – and what to let go of
• A practical model to move from execution to strategic leadership
🕙 10:45 – 11:15
“7 AI Tools You Should Start Using in Marketing”
If you're tired of generic AI advice like “write better prompts”... 🥱 This is for you.
Ivar Krustok will walk you through real tools and use cases based on what marketers actually struggle with – combining the most time-consuming tasks shared by the grit. community with the real challenges he sees when working with clients.
You’ll learn:
• Which AI tools are actually worth using in marketing right now
• How to automate the most time-consuming parts of your work
• How to apply AI across companies of different sizes
🕙 11:35 – 12:05
"A Practical SEO Case Study: 0 to #1 in 9 Months”
There’s a lot of noise around SEO right now – and most marketers aren’t sure what to believe. With AI reshaping how people search, it’s getting harder to separate real signals from hype.
Steven MacDonald (one of our most requested speakers) shares how he ranked #1 in Google in just 9 months – and what he would do differently today.
You’ll learn:
• What actually worked for getting #1 in 9 months
• How AI is reshaping search (and what it means for your strategy)
• How to create content that ranks – and gets discovered in AI-driven search
• Where to focus if you want results, not just traffic
Piret Pert
Head of Communications, North Region at Wolt
Annika Ljaš-Eilat
Visiting CMO and Managing Partner at Exponential
🕙 12:05 - 12:35
“How to Turn Media Coverage Into Business Growth"
In this fireside chat, Annika Ljaš-Eilat and Piret Pert will discuss how companies can use PR to build trust and drive real business impact – based on Wolt’s experience and Annika’s work helping dozens of companies get international media coverage and grow through it.
You’ll learn:
• How to use media coverage to drive real business impact
• How to shape stories that travel across markets
• How to approach the media as an unknown brand
• What it means to use PR as a long-term growth lever
🕙 12:35 - 13:50
Time for lunch
Time to relax, refuel, and enjoy some good food – with a side of off-stage marketing conversations with some of the best minds in the industry.
🕙 13:50 – 14:20
“Here’s How Much You Should Invest in Your Social Media”
Most companies can’t answer two simple questions: how much are we actually investing in social media and what are we getting back? In this practical session, Kelley will help you break it down into something clear, measurable, and actionable.
You’ll learn:
• How to calculate your real social media investment (budget, people, time)
• What most companies forget to include when measuring social media ROI
• How to evaluate if you’re underinvesting or overspending
• How to connect social media efforts to real business outcomes
🕙 14:20 – 15:10
"Stop Posting for the Sake of It: How Marketing Actually Supports Business"
Ryanair didn’t just win on TikTok – it rewrote the rules of social media.
Under Michael Corcoran, it became one of the most copied brand accounts online.
At grit. conference, Michael shares how to build marketing people actually care about – and that drives real business results.
You’ll learn:
• How to build a brand voice that actually stands out
• When and how to use humor and trends without losing direction
• Why some content gets shared – and most gets ignored
• How to connect social media activity to real business outcomes
🕙 15:10 - 15:40
Q&A session with speakers
Now it’s your chance to go deeper into what matters for your business.
We’ll bring some of our speakers back on stage for a final Q&A with the audience, hosted by our very own Andreas Unt.
Drinks and Marketing Talks 🥂
The biggest value of the event is the people we’re bringing together. We have so much to learn from each other – and the evening networking event is made for sparking those conversations.
...and after that, it's time for an unofficial afterparty.
TICKETS
Get your ticket
Conference ticket includes:
• A full day of insights and practical strategies
• Lunch, coffee breaks & snacks – all on us
• An evening networking session to connect with fellow marketers
• A practical pre-event by Convertal
• A chance to meet the best marketers in Estonia
• A closed Slack community for participants only 💕
Tickets available for 359€ + VAT
Full price: 459€ + VAT
PARTICIPANTS
Last year we met Marketing
Managers from..
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Startups
Wise, Outfunnel, Woola, Xolo, Bilance, PRNEWS.IO, Cachet, YuMuuv, Bondora, Avokaado.io, GoWorkaBit, Attensira, Fienta, Stebby, and others.
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Mature companies
Elisa Eesti, LHV, Nortal, Merko Ehitus, Tuleva, Thorgate, CVKeskus, City24, SEB, Zone Media, ePPC, Tripod Grupp, Coop Pank, IOT and others.
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Organizations
e-Residency, EstBAN, Estonian Marketing Association, Sparkup Tartu Science Park, RIA, Estonian Aviation Academy, and others.
BACKSTORY
About the event
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Evolved from the
grit. podcast
Since 2020, we've interviewed
nearly 50 startup marketers from
top Estonian startups.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive – and now it's time to bring to the stage.
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By the people who built sTARTUp Day
grit. conference was founded by Marelle Ellen, Mart Lättekivi,
and Ermo Tikk. Together, they built sTARTUp Day festival – and now we're building a world-class marketing conference.
In 2026, the conference is partnered with Delfi Meedia.
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Made together with
the community
The conference is created together with the community, for the community.
The program is curated in collaboration with our partners, community, and podcast guests.
POWERED BY
See you
there 👋🏼
FAQ
• Full-day stage program
• Lunch and coffee breaks (with some snacks)
• A chance to meet the best marketers in Estonia
• Evening networking session
• A closed Slack community of like-minded marketers 💕
grit. is influenced by the startup world, but it’s not just for startups. There’s a lot to learn from them – especially how to stay innovative and get big results with limited resources.
We also believe it’s helpful to get inspired by other industries. That way, you avoid doing marketing just like all your competitors ☺️
In short: you’ll walk away with practical advice, a fresh perspective, and valuable new connections you can keep learning from long after the event.
Questions? Just reach out — we’re happy to help!
What's in it for you?
1. A chance to reach the boldest, most innovative, and future-oriented marketers in Estonia. Mostly C-level, from the technology and finance sectors.
2. You'll support our mission to bring together top marketers, share experiences, and advance local marketing knowledge.
Get in touch with us via hi@grithub.ee ↗ – let's have a short call and take it from there!
BECOME A PARTNER
Put Your Brand Where the Action Is
Position your brand in front of ambitious, growth-driven marketers. Connect with decision-makers, spark real conversations, and be part of a conference focused on measurable impact.
Partnership Manager
Lea Seema
lea.seema@delfi.ee
+372 5543 433