Insights, not instruction guides.
We hear the top trends and ideas marketing and business experts see in their industries. Fresh perspectives instead of standard conference content.
An award-winning UFO event series
COOL PEOPLE saying smart things™
Top trends. Fresh insights. Really good food. We bring cool marketing and business people together in a space worth getting out for.
2025 AMA Cincinnati Pinnacle AwardsSilver · Best Experiential CampaignRead the award storyJoin us January 13, 2027 ↓Photo by Ross Van Pelt, RVP Photography.
Next event
January 13, 2027
Tickets haven’t been announced yet.
A different kind of gathering
Good people.
Fresh perspectives.
No drawn-out talks.
We skip the usual networking routine. We bring cool people together over really good food, in a really cool space, for conversations that feel casual and welcoming.
We get to the point.
Each speaker shares three smart things in 10 to 15 minutes. We keep things moving, so we get a range of perspectives instead of one long talk on a single topic.
It’s worth being in the room.
Really good food is included. The people are cool, the conversations are casual, and the space is part of the experience.
We usually meet at Somerhaus in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati. We also host events in Columbus and at partner spaces.
The archive
Past events
Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, 1415 Republic St, Cincinnati, OH 45202
John Crenshaw · Rachel Gordon · Steve King · Mimi Rasor
July 13, 14, and 15, 2026
Cool People Saying Smart Things In Other Places
The Marketer Collaborative; COhatch Kenwood; Fueled Collective Rookwood
UFO Performance Marketing · Wordsworth Communications · Ample
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
Becky Fromkes · Sarah Grace Mohr · Scott Spjut
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
John Crenshaw · Lucrecer Braxton · Brian McHale · Andrew Winebrenner
Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
John Crenshaw · Andrew Cullison · Julie Hanser · Kemp Lyons
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
John Crenshaw · Emily Flannery · Seth Tanner · Helen Todd
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Cool People Saying Smart Things: Columbus Edition
Spacejunk, Columbus, OH
John Crenshaw · Mike Beaumont · Natasha Pongonis · Chamie Townsend
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
John Crenshaw · Becky Blank · Julie Courtney · Chris Evans
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
Cool People Saying Smart Things
Somerhaus, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
Summer Crenshaw · Amy Vaughan · Matthew Dooley
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Cool People Saying Smart Things: the first event
COhatch, Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati
Lauren Doyle · Stephanie Pierce · Brandon Blank
The people behind the points
Cool People alumni
Titles and companies reflect the time of each linked talk.
Lucrecer Braxton
Senior Director, Digital Strategy
MomsRising
LinkedIn: Lucrecer Braxton ↗January 15, 2026 event →
Helen Todd
CEO and Co-Founder
Creativity Squared, Sociality Squared, and Cincinnati AI for Humans
April 16, 2025 event →
Summer Crenshaw
Co-founder, Cincy AI Week, and CEO
Enterprise Technology Association
October 16, 2024 event →
What attendees say
Good company.
Ideas that stay with us.
“The presenters were able to go surprisingly deep in a short period of time”
“The format is great. Informal but crisp and fluid”
“The authentic speakers and three key points from each are memorable and easy to share”
“Felt welcoming and easy to be a part of”
“Well-run! Charismatic and smart speakers. Good networking too”
“I left with pages of notes and ideas”
Event photography by Ross Van Pelt, RVP Photography.
Keep the conversation going
Join us next time.
Our next event is January 13, 2027. Tickets haven’t been announced yet. Follow us for updates, or contact us.