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)