Presents
One day in Portland, Oregon — independent agency leaders and the CMOs and brand marketers who want to work with them, together in one room, in one of the most beautiful corners of the Pacific Northwest. Hold your seat for $99.
The room indie agencies & CMOs want to be in
One full day. 400 independent agency leaders — and the brand-side marketers who want to work with them — from across the U.S. and around the world, in one room in Portland.
The Indies Rising Global Summit is built around the people shaping the future of this industry. For indie agencies, it's the room they want to be in. For CMOs and marketers, it's a genuinely warm welcome — and the fastest way to meet the best independent shops in the country and the thinking that sets them apart. Whichever side of the table you're on, it's the kind of honest conversation that almost never happens at industry events.
Big enough to matter — and still small enough that you'll leave knowing everyone worth knowing. Reserve your spot for $99.
Chicago, 2026 · The first one
Our first Leadership Summit put 200 indie agency leaders, marketers and brand-side voices in one room in Chicago for a single day. The feedback — from indies and marketers alike — was overwhelmingly positive. Portland doubles the room to 400, with the same DNA.
Great scores, sure. But around here the goal is always a perfect 10 — so consider Portland our running start.
And then there's this …
“I've always wanted to visit Portland.”
The Summit is one day. Come for the week.
It's the line we hear most — and honestly, Portland and Oregon might be the best reason to come. The Gorge is 30 minutes east. Wine country, 45 minutes south. The Coast, 90 minutes west. Mt. Hood, 90 minutes east. Add world-class golf, the largest urban forest in America and some of the deepest food, design, queer and BIPOC creative scenes anywhere — all within a half-day's drive.
And for the underground faithful: that Goonies tour you've always wanted to take? Now's your chance. Astoria — the funky port town where it was all filmed — is right up the coast, waiting for you to walk in the footsteps of the greats. Hey, you guuuys!
April is Oregon at its best. Fly in early, stay late, bring the family and turn one unforgettable day into a whole week.
The minute you register, you get our Hospitality Survey — tell us how you like to travel, and we'll help you plan your Oregon adventure.
The 2027 Cannes Prefunk
Call it the prefunk — Pacific Northwest for the warm-up before the big one. Portland is where independent agencies set the tone for the year, before the industry decamps to the Riviera.
Agencies come to raise their game. CMOs and marketers come to find the independent partner they've been looking for.
One full day in one room — keynotes, working sessions and real conversation — wrapped in a whole week of Oregon. Arrive early, stay late, bring the family. You'll head home fully inspired and, after a week out here, somehow rested.
Some attendees even fly in straight from POSSIBLE in Miami the week before.
400 indie agency leaders, CMOs and marketers — a full program and the honest conversation that almost never happens at industry events.
Agency open houses, brewery and distillery runs and the kind of evenings only Portland does.
Coast, wine country, the Gorge, Mt. Hood — a personalized guide built around how you travel. Come home inspired and somehow rested.
The Passes
All prices in USD.
Hold your seat
$99 holds your seat at today's tier price.
The balance is automatically charged on the final day of the tier you reserved. IAN members get 25% off the final payment, automatically.
Reserving for your team? You can pay deposits for more than one seat in a single checkout. Deposits and tickets are non-refundable but transferable — if your plans change, pass your seat to someone else at your agency.
Outside the U.S.? Prefer to pay in your local currency — EUR, GBP and more? Email us here and we'll send you a booking link to save your spot(s).
Members save more
Membership pays for itself before you even land in Portland — and it comes with the indie community, events and resources all year long.
Members automatically get 25% off the final ticket payment — on every tier, at any price.
Join now and your membership includes a second Summit seat, on us. Buy one, bring one.
New members: join first, then reserve your seat as usual and your 25% is applied automatically. To claim your free second seat, email summit@indieagency.news with your colleague's details and we'll set it up.
Not ready to reserve? Stay in the loop
Tell us which one you are and we'll keep you posted as the program, speakers and Portland plans come together — no commitment, just first dibs.
Owner, leader, or team member at an independent agency. Get Summit updates, ticket-tier reminders and the Hospitality Survey when you're ready.
Keep me posted →CMOs and brand-side marketers are warmly welcome — this room is built for you, too. Come meet the best independent shops in the country, and we'll make sure you're talking to the right ones.
Keep me posted →Good to know
Everything you need to know about the day, the deposit and turning Portland into a trip. Still stuck? Email summit@indieagency.news.
Tuesday, April 13, 2027, at Portland Center Stage at The Armory in Portland's Pearl District. One full day — with a whole week of Oregon around it if you stay to explore.
Independent agency owners, leaders and teams — and the CMOs and brand-side marketers who want to work with the best of them. Both sides of the table are welcome. That's the whole point.
One room, one day, no fluff. A fast-moving mix of keynotes, candid panels and working sessions built for indie leaders and the marketers in the room with them. In Chicago that meant brand-side CMOs critiquing real agency positioning live, frank talk on what marketers actually want and deep dives on protecting your work, pricing and comp models, growth, M&A and AI.
You're there to participate, not just sit. And it all runs on our “Be Cool Rule” — relationship-first, never salesy.
A mix of independent agency operators and brand-side leaders and CMOs — people sharing real playbooks, not sales decks. The full 2027 lineup is announced in waves; reserve now and you'll be first to hear as speakers are confirmed.
$99 holds your seat at today's tier price. The balance is automatically charged on the final day of the tier you reserved — so the earlier you lock in, the less you pay. IAN members get 25% off the final payment, automatically.
Much. Members get 25% off the final ticket payment automatically, on every tier — and if you join now, your membership includes a second Summit seat free (buy one, bring one). Between the two, membership more than pays for itself before you land in Portland, and you get the indie community and events all year. Join IAN here.
Yes. You can pay deposits for more than one seat in a single checkout — reserve the whole crew at once.
Deposits and tickets are non-refundable but transferable. If your plans change, pass your seat to someone else at your agency.
The minute you register, you get our Hospitality Survey — about seven minutes on how you like to travel: where you're flying from, who's coming with you, what calls to you across Oregon, plus lodging, accessibility, dietary and family. We come back with a personalized Oregon guide built around your answers — not a generic top-10 list.
Official Summit programming — sessions, evening party, sponsor activations — is shared separately as we get closer to April.
Ha — no. That's the myth. PDX has nonstop service from most major U.S. cities and a growing list of international ones, so most of you will fly straight in. Worst case, it's a single stop and a short hop down. Coming from abroad? PDX has nonstop international service — British Airways from London, KLM from Amsterdam, Icelandair from Reykjavík. From APAC, it's usually one stop through Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle, then a quick hop into PDX.
Either way, you arrive and depart through one of the world's great airports. The Washington Post just named PDX the #1 airport in America (2025) — and if you're flying Oneworld, you can experience Alaska's brand-new Portland lounge: a 14,000-square-foot love letter to the Pacific Northwest, overlooking the airport's nine-acre timber-roof hall, with a carved Mount Hood mural, Stumptown coffee, local beer and wine on tap and yes — a pancake-printing machine.
Please do. IAN summits are built to be welcoming — partners, kids and dependents are warmly invited, and the Hospitality Survey asks about them too.
More than you'll fit in a week. The Coast (Cannon Beach to Astoria), Willamette Valley wine country, the Columbia River Gorge, Mt. Hood and the high desert and Portland itself — all within a half-day's drive. And yes, the Goonies tour in Astoria counts.
On a clear-weather day, the flight in is a show — so pick your seat on purpose. Book a window on the left side (seat A) flying into Portland, or coming down from Seattle, and you'll get Mt. Rainier, St. Helens, Adams, Hood, the Columbia River and the Cascades rolling south.
Flying home, flip it: heading east or north, take the right (seat F); heading south, take the left (seat A). Phone-background material, guaranteed.