Kelsey LaMastres is the Lead PMM for Appfire's Admin Tools and the Migrate and Manage solution. Kelsey is an Atlassian Accredited Sales Professional and prior to joining Appfire, she worked in various marketing and technical support roles. Throughout her career, she has focused on delivering value to customers through amazing products and experiences.

Kelsey found out about the Product Marketing Summit through some peer recommendations on LinkedIn. We spoke with Kelsey about her experience at the Summit in Denver. 

This is what she had to say about… 

What prompted you to attend the Summit?

I’ve been a product marketer for four years but have never taken any sort of formal training or courses. I had been feeling a little uninspired and stuck in my role, and this summit seemed like a great opportunity to find the spark again and network with other PMMs who might be facing the same challenges as me. The fact that it was in my city made it even more compelling. 

What was it that made this event stand out above market alternatives?

I’m not aware of any market alternatives to what Product Marketing Alliance (PMA) provides. The PMA community is actually how I found my current role and from what I’ve seen, the content they produce is always polished, so I trusted PMA to put on a quality event. 

Looking at the speaker lineup, I saw some big-name companies like AWS and Atlassian who I wanted to hear from. The landing page for the event and testimonials about the quality of the event were really exciting and enticing. 

Which aspects of the Summit did you find the most valuable? Can you provide some examples?

The sessions and working groups were by far the most valuable. The networking pieces were fun, but I was primarily in it for the content and to hear best practices and what’s worked at other organizations. 

The session that left me the most excited was the AI session by Liza Adams ("Applied AI: Real life use cases to make strategic decisions and align execs"). She had the whole room’s captive attention and I think we all would have listened to her speak for another half hour.

Have you gained any insights or knowledge from the Summit? 

Definitely! I took a lot of notes and plan to share my learnings with my PMM team so we can all improve. 

Some of my key takeaways that I plan to action on are: Articulating PMM-specific metrics that are tied to business goals, crafting compelling and relatable “stories” to explain what our products do, improving channel enablement materials by focusing on top-line message, and infusing AI tools into my daily PMM habits.

Has this experience impacted your professional growth or your career?

Yes. With the knowledge I gained at this conference, I feel like I can step up even more as a leader on my team to guide some of the tricky decisions around what work we should prioritize, how to break from the status quo, and how to use data to guide our efforts.

What would you say to fellow product marketing professionals considering attending one of PMA’s events?

Attending a PMA Summit will be one of the fastest and easiest ways you can sharpen your PMM chops. It is well worth the investment!

Any final thoughts or comments you’d like to share about your experience?

Thank you for putting on a wonderful event! I learned a lot, the food was delicious, and I can’t wait to apply what I learned to be more impactful in my role. 

Join us at a Product Marketing Summit near you

Elevate your skills and advance your career by attending one of our Product Marketing Summits happening in a city near you. These immersive events bring together industry experts who will share insightful case studies, proven best practices, and solutions to common challenges.

You'll gain valuable insights into the latest trends and innovations shaping your field. But more importantly, you'll learn practical strategies and techniques to immediately apply on the job. 

Whether you're looking to master new skills or stay ahead of the curve, our Summits provide the professional development you need to excel.

Don't miss this opportunity to connect with peers, expand your knowledge, and propel your career forward. Explore our upcoming Summit locations and reserve your spot today!

Find a Summit