Ring the bell, Indy! It’s finally here. At long last, ExactTarget’s Connections Week is upon us. This week, the best and brightest in the marketing tech industry are going to converge on the Circle City  to put their moxy and know-how on center stage.

This event gets better every year and as the city turns orange, we’ll all be turning to the Convention Center for lessons learned.

“But Tim! I’m a startup! I don’t have the time or money to go to Connections!”

Good observation, rhetorical device! I totally get that. That’s why I’ve decided to give you a quick preview of what you can expect this year, plus a super cool offer that can help you grow your business without leaving your couch.

Here are the three reasons I’m so stoked today:

Mindy Kaling, Comedy Icon

As some of you may know, I have a comedy background and I think this can be overlooked in a marketing setting. That’s why it’s so encouraging to me to see a comedy icon giving the closing keynote at this year’s event.

You may know Mindy from her performances on The Office or The Mindy Project, but if you’re in the content marketing world, you should know her for her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? It’s no secret that Mindy is a hilarious actress and comedian, but her skill as a writer trumps even her funniest moments. Mindy’s ability to combine humor with thoughtful opinion, all wrapped under the sassy bow that is her own personal voice, is an inspiration to me as a content producer.

This interview on her struggles in Hollywood is a great illustration of her wit.

If you take yourself seriously as a content writer, I’d encourage you to study the voice behind Mindy’s writing. Don’t forget, a ticket to this week’s Verge event also buys your way into Connections to see Mindy! Get yours before they run out!

Let’s Workshop That

Conferences are all about self-improvement. Say hello to my theme song this week:

This year’s workshop lineup is great as always and I’m luck enough to have a full pass to this year’s conference. That’s why I’m thrilled to offer a great deal to anyone who’s interested.

If you can’t make the workshops or keynotes, I’m going to take some SUPER GOOD notes and send them out to anyone who’s interested! If you want my personal notes from this year’s workshops, or you just want to be my friend, let me know here!

Will.I.Am (L-L-Let the Beat Rock)

Hi, my name is Tim and I’m an early-2000’s junkie. I still remember bumping some Black Eyed Peas, driving to good ol’ Roncalli High School here in Indianapolis (I know, I know… I’m young.)

Anyway, as great as Will.I.Am is as an entertainer, you don’t get to where he is in life without some business savvy. I’m excited to hear the lessons that he learned from the music business that can be applied not just to marketing, but to the startup community as a whole.

Also, I’m so 3008, you’re so 2000 and late.

This year’s Connections conference is going to be bumping, and I hope to see you there! If you’re going, let me know! If not, drop a comment and let me know what workshop notes you’d like to see!

I’m stoked for this year’s Connections conference, and I hope you are, too. If you want to bum some notes off me, let me know here or follow me on Twitter and I’ll see you at this week’s event!