Presenter Jason Duff was part of SIU’s 2025 “Marketing Unleashed” workshop. (Photo provided)
August 10, 2026
SIU’s ‘Marketing Unleashed’ highlights creating small business strategies
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Office of Innovation and Economic Development at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is offering a no-cost workshop that examines effective marketing strategies to enhance small business and community growth.
The theme for Marketing Unleashed 2026: Creative Strategies for Small Businesses is Creating Destination Experiences: Marketing That Drives Visitors, Small Business & Community Growth, exploring how businesses of every type can use strategic marketing to attract customers, build loyalty, and create experiences that keep customers coming back.
The workshop is set for 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday, August 24, at the Gower Translational Research Center, 1785 University Press Drive in Carbondale. The training topics will focus on social media and technology, customer relations, marketing, and sales. This is the fourth annual workshop event.
Register Now
Space is limited, so organizers recommend early registration. Sign up online. A complimentary lunch is provided, and organizers ask those registering to commit to attending the entire workshop.
Wide array of speakers
The workshop will feature a comprehensive and versatile lineup of marketing professionals and successful entrepreneurs who will provide strategies and insights into attracting visitors, increasing engagement, and growing your business or organization. They will offer practical advice to go beyond storefront marketing, and how to effectively use data and analytics to make smarter decisions.
Jeff Harmon, the chief marketing and communications officer for SIU Carbondale and executive director of University Communications and Marketing, is emcee. Harmon has more than a quarter-century of marketing and communications experience in the private sector and higher education. At SIU, he oversees all university marketing and communications as well as WSIU and campus printing and duplicating operations.
Presenters will include:
- Joi Cuartero Austin, senior program officer for Economic Vitality, Main Street America, “Case Studies: Communities and Businesses That Successfully Turned Experiences into Economic Impact.”
- Britni Bateman, assistant vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and chief marketing officer for the SIU Foundation, “How to Market Your Experiential Event: Increase Your Odds of Getting People to Show Up.”
- Katie Dudley, extension specialist, Community and Economic Development, Illinois Extension, “Partnerships That Build Destinations: Collaborating with Tourism, Chambers, Main Streets, Local Governments and Businesses.”
- Molly Hudgins, executive director, SIU Alumni Association, and Scott Moller, co-founder of Marketing Werks, Inc., co-owner of Hangar 9 in Carbondale, and past alumni association president, “Building a Story that Attracts Visitors and Builds Loyalty.”
- Marisa Lather, SIU Carbondale alumna and marketing and communications strategist, “Data-Driven Decisions — Understanding Analytics and Tools that can be Utilized.”
- Colleen and Bussy Roate, founders of Spirited Republic and the Limerick Brewing Company in Lincoln, Illinois, “Social Media and Content That Inspires: Leveraging Video and Content to Create Destination Appeal and Drive Visitors.”
- Desmon Walker, an SIU Carbondale alumnus, CEO and co-founder of Narratent, “Punching Above Your Weight: Turning Limited Resources into Compelling Content.”
- Chris Westmeyer, CEO and founder of Digital Strike — Targeted Marketing, “What's Next? AI, Personalization, and the Future of Marketing.” He will present the keynote address.
The workshop will also feature a panel discussion “Turning Places into Destinations,” with business leaders from Rendleman Orchards, Rolling Oaks Alpaca Ranch, Benton Save A Lot, and Milkweed Provisions.
Find out more
Check the Facebook event page for the latest updates on the workshop. For more information about the Illinois SBDC at SIU, or the numerous no-cost services it provides, visit the website, call 618-536-2424 or email sbdc@siu.edu.
Event sponsors include the SIU Office of Innovation and Economic Development and University Communications and Marketing.
SIU’s Illinois SBDC is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U. S. Small Business Administration, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIU Carbondale.