Try to imagine a single sentence that could sum up a Creative South weekend. It can’t be done. Never has been, never will be. There’s always too much going on. Too many connections being made. Too many ideas and information swimming around in your head.

This year was different. Year fourteen of Creative South was different. Not just because of the speakers, or the workshops, or the incredible energy in the room (though all of that was phenomenal). It was different because this year, more than any other, we had a collision of personal and professional milestones that I don’t ever think will leave me. Here’s what I’m talking about.

Creative South Runs on Eventrise

For the first time in its fourteen-year history, Creative South ran on Eventrise, our very own ticketing platform for events.

Heyo built Eventrise for one reason and one reason only: the sheer frustration of trying to manage an event on platforms that have a single priority: their own bottom line. After decades of technology companies screwing the business and creator economy over on event ticketing, Eventrise is the opposite. Fair pricing plus payment processing (no hidden fees, no nickel and dime-ing you), payouts that take days not weeks, dashboards and registration flows that work the way you need them to, not the other way around.

Creative South was the guinea pig. Eventrise was about to go live on its first, real, live, multi-day conference. Workshops, sessions, check-ins, the whole nine yards. Were there a few minor kinks? Of course there were. You don’t go battle-test a product without a few hiccups, even with a platform as polished as Eventrise. But here’s the thing: every one of them was identified and remedied on the fly, in real time, by people who not only cared, but had skin in the game. That’s the beauty of running your own platform at your own event. By the end of the weekend, Eventrise had aced its first real-world performance. It saved us time, it saved us money, and it made the registration and workshop check-in process a total breeze for our volunteer team. Seeing that team at the registration desk move people through quickly and confidently was one of the unsung victories of the weekend, and it meant the world to me.

Inspiration Island

This year’s theme was “Inspiration Island,” and this year we went all in. Creative South is never just about sitting in sessions and taking notes. It’s about the in-between. The conversations over coffee. The late-night laughs. The unplanned serendipity that makes these things so special.

This year, we had all of that. Inspiration Island had speakers who inspired in a way only CS speakers can. Chris Do from The Futur had people fired up about not fitting in but being radically themselves. Kevin Green, another new friend to CS, came and brought his signature energy and his hard-hitting frameworks for purpose, passion, and potential. Will Patterson, Ash Aarrestad, Kate Smith, Brooks Engel, Joel Santana, Alejo Porras and a whole slew of other talented creatives came in and pounded into this community the kind of creative inspiration and ideas that will stick with people long after they’re back home.

Brooks Engel speaking on stage at Creative South 2026

The workshops were awesome, the talks were raw and real, and the vibe was everything Creative South has ever been and will continue to be. Creative South is real people, in real conversations about the creative life. That’s not going to change.

But there’s also never been a conference where the magic only lives on the main stage. The magic of Creative South has always lived on the bridge and in those moments together. This year’s bridge party had the crowd on fire for an incredible Ink Wars battle, and the luau this year set a new standard for this event with some of the best food and music, and some of the most pure fellowship we’ve ever had at this event. Those are the moments where Creative South really shines, when we’re just together, breaking bread and sharing stories. That’s the heartbeat of this thing.

Ink Wars champion celebrating victory at the Creative South 2026 bridge party

The Heyo Team, Together

Here’s something people might not realize: Heyo is a fully remote company. We see each other on screens a couple times a week, and we do great work that way. But there is nothing (and I mean nothing!) that replaces being in the same room with your people. Creative South gave us a few days of that this year, and it was everything.

Having the whole Heyo team in Columbus, in my hometown, enjoying the food and the fellowship and the energy of this event together, that was special. We laughed harder than we have in a long time. We got to experience incredible speakers side by side. We ate well. We stayed up too late. We remembered why we do what we do. For a remote team, those in-person moments aren’t just nice to have. They’re fuel. They’re the thing that carries you through the next few months of Zoom calls and Slack threads. I thrive in those instances the most, and so does this team.

For a remote team, those in-person moments aren’t just nice to have. They’re fuel.

The Heyo team together at the Creative South 2026 opening ceremony

The Personal Becomes Professional

Thursday morning of Creative South, my grandson was born. New life. In the middle of the craziest, most intense week of my year, new life. I was able to share that news with the team, and the community, and the people who had already gathered together in Columbus. Unreal timing.

Oh, and that same day I was at a press conference with the Columbus Clingstones, our local MiLB baseball team, unveiling a brand new alternate identity I had been working on for over a year. The Columbus Scrambled Dogs is one of my favorite projects of all time, hands down. Working alongside Dan Simon of Studio Simon, we brought this thing to life: an identity rooted in one of Columbus’s most iconic culinary traditions, the scrambled dog, a dish that’s been part of this city’s fabric since the 1940s at Dinglewood Pharmacy.

I stood there with the team that made it happen. My Heyo family was in the building cheering me on. I don’t have words for it. What a day. What a weekend.

Mike Jones holding a Columbus Scrambled Dogs cap in front of Dinglewood Pharmacy in Columbus, Georgia

It’s been a wild ride seeing the identity be shared on MLB.com and I just got word it’s going to be showcased on ESPN soon!

Homecoming for Year 15

And so here we are. We’re all back in the swing of things. Heads down. Grind in full effect. Working, building, making it happen.

But the glow of Creative South stays with you. It always has. The hugs and the handshakes and the conversations that turned into projects that turn into more conversations and collaborations and meals that turn into memories. CS has always been about an idea so simple it almost seems not worth stating: come as friends, leave as family.

Fourteen years in and that idea is as strong as ever. Year fifteen, baby. CS27 is gonna be a celebration like no other and we’re taking tickets now.

If you’ve been before, we can’t wait to see you again. If you haven’t, come see what everyone’s talking about. Come to Columbus. Hug some necks. Break some bread. Be a part of something real.

Tickets for Creative South 2027 are on sale now at creativesouth.com. Hope to see you there.

From the Blog

Huggin' Necks, Breakin' Bread, and Building Something New — Creative South 2026 Recap