More than 400 marketing and sales professionals from rural broadband providers gathered in New Orleans, Louisiana, this week for the NTCA 2025 Marketing and Sales Conference—an event packed with fresh ideas, practical strategies and collaborative energy.
From branding and community outreach to business development tactics, the conference highlighted innovative tools and best practices designed to help attendees meet their marketing and sales goals.
Artificial intelligence (AI) quickly emerged as a leading theme, surfacing in keynotes, breakout sessions and even informal hallway conversations. A pre-conference workshop gave participants hands-on experience with AI, focusing on how to craft more effective prompts and unlock smarter automation.
NTCA Marketing Committee Chair Elizabeth Brown, marketing manager at PTCI (Guymon, Okla.), helped kick off the week by spotlighting the committee’s efforts to support member success. She also introduced key themes that would shape the conference, including AI, cybersecurity, customer engagement and succession planning.
Regional roundtable discussions gave attendees a chance to connect with peers from neighboring areas, while 16 on-site vendors shared the latest marketing and sales solutions tailored to the rural broadband industry. The Foundation for Rural Service also hosted its annual event to benefit the Tim Owens Memorial Fund in support of its Youth Tour.
On Tuesday, breakout sessions offered actionable tips on how to stand out in competitive markets, maximize small teams, boost content creation and more. The event closed on an inspiring note, with a keynote focused on the power of community and collaboration to drive growth at home.
Thanks to everyone who attended to make this year’s conference a success.