What Happens When Local Marketers Sit Down Together (Over Steak Frites and Strategy)
Lisa Barfield, Marc Angelos, and Annie Figenshu around the table at the Marketing Algonquin.
In the mid-1920s, a group of quick-witted writers gathered regularly at the Algonquin Hotel in New York. They tossed around ideas, quips, and critiques over long lunches. Those conversations didn’t stay at the table.
They spilled into columns, essays, plays, and screenplays.
They helped shape literary culture, media culture, popular culture. They didn’t just share opinions. They launched institutions. The New Yorker, with its sly covers and smart columns, was born from that very table.
The Algonquin Round Table wasn’t just a social circle. It was a spark.
We borrowed the concept a couple of weeks ago.
But instead of drama critics and playwrights, we had local marketers and media minds.
Instead of long (liquid?) lunches, a cozy dinner at a former opera house.
Similar vibe, different time.
We called it the Marketing Algonquin. It is an experiment in showing up, sharing generously, and staying sharp together.
And it got me thinking:
If we’re all craving more connection and perspective… maybe it’s time we stop waiting for the right room and start building it.
Why I Created the Marketing Algonquin
What We Chatted About
What it Felt Like
What’s Next
Why I Created the Marketing Algonquin
A lot of marketers are feeling the tension right now. Budgets are shifting. Client expectations are high. Teams are stretched thin.
And when the energy changes in the industry, the best way to stay sharp isn’t to go it alone. It’s to sit down with people who get it.
That was the whole idea:
Show up.
Have a meal.
Talk shop.
Trade ideas, challenges, perspective, and support.
Build something that feels more like a circle than a hustle.
We held it at Winberie’s, a neighborhood spot in Summit that used to be an opera house. Which felt perfect.
A little nod to creative roots, collaborative spirit, and conversations that echo beyond the room.
What We Chatted About
Trends. Tools. People who are doing it right. What we can learn from them. How to monetize.
How to keep momentum when clients are cautious.
What AI can’t replicate (yet).
Whether it makes sense to build a personal brand or your business’s brand.
There was no agenda. No panel. No mic.
Just smart people showing up with their full brains and open questions.
What It Felt Like
Lisa Barfield of Clear Point Marketing said of the Marketing Algonquin:
“Connecting with like-minded pros through our shared excitement for marketing was like creative fuel. And it was just plain fun. Can’t wait til we do it again.”
“When I think of the original Algonquin, I picture sharp writers tossing around ideas and one-liners over long lunches in New York.
Ours was the 2.0 version—modern, innovative and dynamic.
Connecting with like-minded pros through our shared excitement for marketing was like creative fuel.
And it was just plain fun. Can’t wait til we do it again.”
Marc Angelos, the founder of content strategy firm Anvictus added:
“The Algonquin group provided an amazing opportunity to connect with like-minded business owners, IRL.
The idea-stacking, insights and feedback were priceless.
Because after all the AI, digital and media...business is really about building relationships.”
That part.
Because yes, we all work in content, ads, media, strategy.
But underneath all of it?
Marketing is still a people business.
And a conversation - face to face, phone down - still does something magic.
What's Next
We’re making this a quarterly thing.
The next Marketing Algonquin will be in August. Like last time, it’ll be intimate: no more than eight people around the table.
If you’re a local marketer who wants to stay sharp, connected, and ready for whatever’s next—drop me a line. I’ll save you a seat.
And if you’re not local? Or if you’re reading this wondering when the last time was you had a table like this—consider this your nudge.
Start the group. Make the invite. Gather your people.
Because the best way to fortify your business isn’t just another tool.
It’s the right table.
