Be Found Online Sponsors BrandSmart 2026 Happy Hour!

April 27, 2026

5 Minute Read

be found online at BrandSmart 2026 in Chicago Illinois

Last week, Be Found Online hosted the happy hour of my favorite Chicago marketing event of the year, BrandSmart! On a beautiful April day, Chicago’s digital marketing community got together at City Hall in Fulton Market to celebrate achievements, learn from awesome local speakers, and just reconnect. BFO knew we had to be involved, so we jumped on sponsoring the happy hour for the second year in a row!

The phrase “I’ve found my people” is a sentiment so many of us look for in various pockets of our lives and interests. A recreational 16-inch softball league, a Discord group of fellow Pokémon GO enthusiasts, a group of like-minded professionals that get your workplace struggles and wins - it’s all important in feeling seen and deepening the love of those interests. Professionally, for me, that’s the American Marketing Association of Chicago community, and BrandSmart is a celebration of just that.

BFO at the Booth

brandsmart bfo booth be found online-1

The exhibition hall at BrandSmart was buzzing, and BFO was there talking AI Visibility and our new AIQ Score! It’s been refreshing to see how many people are aware of and concerned about how their brand shows up in AI Search, and it was not a surprise to know that the AMA Chicago community was already up to speed on its importance.

We had great conversations about how to be better considered by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, and how meaningfully participating on Reddit is a key strategy for building brand authority. I even got to chat houseplants (the easiest way to distract me from literally anything). We handed out more hot dog pins than I could count, depleted our reserve of BFO cookies, and met so many sharp marketing professionals… all before the Happy Hour even kicked off!

Steve Krull on Stage

steve krull at brandsmart chicago

One highlight for me was getting to see our CEO, Steve Krull, on stage. Steve hosted Jennifer Severns, founder of Severns Group, on stage for a conversation about reimagining the marketing org for speed and agility. Jennifer shared realistic insights into how shifts like Generative AI can be leveraged by a digital marketing agency or internal team to increase output while still championing the necessary human touch.

The conversation was honest and open, and I loved seeing Steve guide the conversation so the audience could really understand the power of what Jennifer was saying.

The BFO Happy Hour

randsmart happy hour be found online sponsor

The main event! Just kidding, but I was definitely eager to get the happy hour set up for everyone to enjoy some much needed refreshments and networking. While the final presentation filled the audience’s head with knowledge, I was dashing around the bar and patio to ensure that our signature “Interesting Conversation Starter” cards were set up and the BFO coasters were perfectly positioned across the beautiful Recess space.

The happy hour was a bit of a blur for me (not in the way you are thinking, there were just a LOT of friends to catch up with), but I remember smiling faces, lots of laughter, and nothing but great vibes. The staff at City Hall and Recess were so kind and accommodating, and I can’t thank them enough for all their help and answering my (strange) questions.

No Marketing Like Chicago Marketing

chicago brandsmart community be found online

Be Found Online has been a part of AMA Chicago for at least as long as I’ve been with the agency (4+ years, dang), and I’m proud that we’ve been able to continue to make so many great friends through those years. With Steve as a Member at Large of the chapter, Scott Diebel preparing to host a table at the next Connex event, and no shortage of fun events planned this year, I’m looking forward to another great year with AMA Chicago.

If we didn’t get a chance to connect at BrandSmart and you want to chat, don’t hesitate to drop us a line!

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Kyle Geib

As Director of Marketing and Digital Communications, Kyle brings an extra layer of enthusiasm to BFO’s incredible team of experts. Dedicated to continuing to cultivate BFO’s presence as a unique and knowledgeable voice in the industry, he leans into his experience marketing in both the B2C and B2B spaces.