When I was growing up, my mom frequently told me that I’d write a book. The next Great American Novel.

The problem? Although I loved to write and read, creative writing stressed me out. It’s not as if I lacked imagination (one day I’ll share the story of the very vivid but imaginary backstory I made up about my squirrel family). However, writing dialogue of any kind was impossible.

Instead, I loved writing essays. In the battle over afterschool activites, writing about the Marx Brothers for our local paper beat out sports every time. Pop quiz or ten-page term paper? Term paper, please.

And now, I get to do that every day at work.

Although I may not be weaving a tale as fantastical as Scott’s comics, storytelling is just as much a part of my day to day.

That’s because we all have stories to tell, whether that story is about Cleveland, raising your family, opening up a small business or — my favorite thing I’ve had the pleasure of recently editing — using cooking to teach others about promoting content.

Which is why I replied with a resounding Hell Yeah when I was asked to be one of this year’s Content Marketing World bloggers.

Not only is it amazing that the biggest content-focused conference calls Cleveland home, the best-in-class lessons I’ve learned from Content Marketing Institute over the years have been invaluable.

Because, yes, even brands have stories to tell. Stories that inspire emotion and action. Stories that connect people.

This conference is heaven for me. Getting to hear from Marriott about their global creative + content studio…or Moz’s Rand Fishkin about SEO…or Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi about his passion for the color orange? When September 8-11 rolls around, I will be living, sleeping, breathing all things content marketing. And loving it.

With this year’s theme being Bright Lights, Big Content, the conference is also bringing master storytellers from the entertainment world to Cleveland.

I got excited when I heard Barenaked Ladies will be performing the second night.
Monty Python and comic legend John Cleese? Now Scott’s jealous.
But the piece de resistance in my mind… NICK. OFFERMAN.

I may or may not have screamed while eating brunch at Cafe Melissa when I found out that Offerman would be keynoting.  (I definitely screamed.)

If you create content of any kind or work in marketing and want to check out the conference, you can learn more and register at contentmarketingworld.com. The conference blog also features some great posts on things to do around Cleveland. Then watch out Sept 8-11 when the streets will run orange with my fellow content marketing nerds.

Disclosure: I was invited to be a blogger for Content Marketing World and will receive one ticket in exchange for posting about the conference on my personal blog and social media channels. Opinions about the conference are my own.

From September 9 through 11, the world’s largest content marketing conference, Content Marketing World, takes over the Cleveland Convention Center.

Yesterday I had the opportunity on the Beyond PR blog to share my Kick-Ass Guide to Cleveland for CMWorld Attendees.

You can also see and share some of my downtown CLE picks in this infographic created by PR Newswire’s Jamie Heckler. Enjoy!

Do you agree with my suggestions? What else would you recommend to a conference attendee or visitor staying downtown?