“Networking – ugh.”
If that was your reaction in 2025, you weren’t alone. But here’s the plot twist nobody saw coming: while everyone was busy perfecting their LinkedIn algorithms and TikTok strategies, the smartest business leaders were quietly building something far more powerful.Real relationships. In real rooms. With real people.
The great AI awakening (and why it changes everything)
Picture this: you’re scrolling through your feed, and you can’t tell if that brilliant piece of content was written by a human genius or ChatGPT having a particularly good day.
Mark Cuban saw this coming. He calls it the “Milli Vanilli effect” – a world where AI-generated content becomes so sophisticated that authenticity becomes the ultimate luxury. His prediction? Within three years, we’ll be so overwhelmed by artificial perfection that we’ll crave the beautiful messiness of human connection.
The irony is delicious: the more digital we become, the more we hunger for analogue experiences.
The numbers don’t lie (even when everything else might)
While everyone’s obsessing over engagement rates and click-through percentages, the real money is being made in conference rooms and coffee shops:
A total 77% of brands call live events their most effective marketing channel. Not social media. Not email campaigns. Live events.
Eighty percent of attendees would choose an in-person experience over a virtual one, even after three years of Zoom fatigue supposedly conditioning us to love our screens.
And here’s the kicker: many digital campaigns record conversion rates in the low single digits according to industry benchmarks. That means about 97 out of 100 people who see your brilliant online content will scroll past without buying anything.
But put those same people in a room together? Magic happens.
The CEO revolution nobody talks about
Something fascinating happened in 2025. CEOs stopped hiding behind corporate logos and started showing their faces. Not just LinkedIn headshots – real, authentic personal brands.
Suddenly, personal brand managers for top-tier CEOs are commanding $200K+ salaries. Why? Because smart companies realised that people don’t buy from faceless corporations. They buy from humans they know, like, and trust.
The CEOs who understood this early? They’re not just running companies anymore. They’re building movements.
The Steven Bartlett masterstroke
Want to see genius in action? Steven Bartlett took his podcast – The Diary of a CEO – and screened it in cinemas.
Think about that for a second. He took digital content and made it a shared experience. People didn’t just listen to his podcast; they experienced it together. They laughed at the same moments, gasped at the same revelations, and walked out feeling like they’d been part of something bigger than themselves.
That’s not just content creation. That’s community building.
The 2026 marketing revolution
Here’s what the smartest marketers already know: the future isn’t digital-first or in-person-first. It’s connection-first.
The brands that will dominate 2026 understand that their marketing budget isn’t just about reach and frequency. It’s about depth and authenticity. It’s about creating moments where genuine relationships can form.
Because here’s the truth nobody wants to admit: your competitor with the bigger ad budget can outspend you. But they can’t out-relationship you.
Where real connections happen
The most successful leaders we know didn’t build their networks through LinkedIn DMs or Twitter threads. They built them in rooms where ideas collide, where conversations spark, and where handshakes still matter.
They understand that the best business opportunities don’t come from algorithms. They come from that moment when someone across the room says: “You know what? I think we should talk.”
If you’re a founder, CEO or business leader in Cape Town who’s tired of digital noise and ready for real conversations, there are places where this kind of magic still happens. Places where the focus isn’t on pitches or presentations, but on the kind of authentic connections that change businesses.
Because in a world full of AI, authentic relationships aren’t just valuable.
They’re revolutionary.
Your next conversation awaits
On November 15, Cape Town’s boldest founders, MDs and CEOs will gather for Founders Café – a morning designed around one simple truth: the right room changes everything.
This isn’t your typical networking shuffle. You’ll get actionable insights from handpicked experts through focused micro-talks, book quick-fire consults for real-time answers to your burning questions, and connect through guided speed networking that cuts through the small talk.
Because life’s too short for another awkward business card exchange.
If you’re ready to leave with more than just contacts – if you’re ready to leave transformed – secure your spot here. Only 50 tickets are available, and your new founders’ inner circle is waiting.
The most successful leaders know that their next breakthrough won’t come from their next post. It’ll come from their next conversation.
Lisa Aspeling is a fractional marketing and content strategist and the founder behind multiple experience-led brands, including Anago Marketing, Murder Mystery Guide, Flower Caf, and Founders’ Café. She specialises in storytelling that moves people – and marketing that moves revenue
Top image: rawpixel.com via Freepik.com.
Sign up to Currency’s weekly newsletters to receive your own bulletin of weekday news and weekend treats. Register here.
