Episode #9
On The Scene at Vistara 2026: The Agency-for-Agencies AI Conference
Robbie and Roger recap Vistara 2026 In this episode, Robbie & Roger recap Vistara 2026 in Austin, Texas, a two-day agency-for-agencies conference put on by E2M Solutions. This one wasn’t built around a single technology stack — it was built around the business of running an agency in an AI-first world, complete with a live AI Lab, action-item-heavy keynotes, and a diverse room of owners comparing notes on what’s actually working. Featured takeaways from Jason Swank on building your own AI operating system, Brittany Mueller’s viral “go build your ugly project” challenge, Andy Crestodina on AI citation hunting as the new backlink hunting, and David C. Baker’s closing “get on the bus” keynote. Plus the vendor and media-partner view from Roger (sponsoring with Kinsta) and Robbie (media partner running a five-camera podcast studio on site). Key Topics: Why an agency-for-agencies conference hits different than a tech-specific event E2M’s AI Lab: talk to a bot about your business and walk out with action items in five minutes Jason Swank on building your own AI-powered operating system for your agency Brittany Mueller’s call to action: “go build your ugly project” and stop waiting for perfect Andy Crestodina on AI citation hunting as the new backlink hunting Debunking the Reddit hype: for small B2B, it’s classic SEO — industry trade pubs and your own site David C. Baker’s closing keynote: the first trend he’s ever told agencies to jump on The sponsor view from Roger (Kinsta) and the media-partner view from Robbie Why this room felt different: a high percentage of female agency owners and open, generous conversations Practical framing for agency owners who feel behind on AI (spoiler: everyone does) What Khushboo and Vishal (E2M) are doing next with custom models and sentiment AI Why AI adoption isn’t optional, but you get to pick your pace Timestamps: 00:00 - Cold open: attendee voices on what Vistara delivered 00:52 - Three conferences in two months, and why the bonus recap episodes 01:13 - Setting the scene: Vistara 2026 in Austin, mid-May 01:28 - Why an agency-based, business-focused event felt different 02:22 - Vistara is put on by E2M Solutions, a white-label agency 02:52 - Year two of Vistara, and the gap it fills for agency owners 03:24 - Brant and E2M’s AI-forward point of view 03:35 - AI for clients vs. AI for your own agency operations 04:03 - Inside E2M’s AI Lab on the show floor 05:06 - Jason Swank on creating your own AI operating system 06:51 - Brittany Mueller: “go build your ugly project” and the takeaway that spread on LinkedIn 07:40 - Chunking AI builds the way you’d hand a task to an intern 08:31 - Andy Crestodina on citation hunting as the new backlink hunting 09:47 - The Reddit myth, debunked for small B2B 10:26 - The unsexy truth: classic SEO, trade pubs, and your own website still win 11:13 - Andy’s prompt-creation project and long-form prompts 11:42 - Feeling behind on AI is universal, even inside the industry 12:28 - The agency owners who say “never AI” and where they land 13:18 - Going meta: Roger sponsoring with Kinsta, Robbie as media partner 13:38 - Shooting video at a tech/agency conference vs. a client event 14:24 - Julia and the Vistara team on organization and running on time 15:13 - The Kinsta booth design, sticker interactivity, and Monday kayaking 16:52 - Running the on-site five-camera podcast studio between meetings 17:17 - Dot and Co (E2M) on the show and podcaster-on-podcaster interviews 17:37 - Shout-outs to Khushboo and Vishal (E2M) and what’s coming next in AI 18:13 - Custom smaller models and sentiment AI for customer health 19:08 - David C. Baker’s closing keynote: “get on the bus” 19:50 - Copyright, AI backlash, and the honest response from the stage 21:03 - The bus metaphor: why this trend is different from digital transformation 21:51 - Would Kinsta sponsor Vistara again? Absolutely, yes 22:48 - The most diverse agency room they’ve been in, and why it mattered 23:53 - “Ask me about AI” t-shirts and what’s next for Vistara 24:14 - Where to find the next Vistara: joinvistara.com Resources & Links: • Vistara ( https://joinvistara.com/ ) • E2M Solutions ( https://www.e2msolutions.com/ ) • Kinsta ( https://kinsta.com/ ) • Andy Crestodina / Orbit Media ( https://www.orbitmedia.com/ ) • David C. Baker ( https://www.davidcbaker.com/ ) • AGENCY inTELL on YouTube ( https://www.youtube.com/@AGENCYinTELL )
