Blogworld & New Media Expo NYC is in its third day, but I’m back to the office after 2 solid days of sessions – and wow, what a fire hose that was. Since “blogger” has been part of who I am for the past 7 years, I really identify with this event and was at Blogworld in Vegas a couple of years ago.
Relevance to B2B
Blogworld is extremely relevant to B2B, even though it is not a B2B crowd. Some presenters wear flip-flops and seemed proud to be in t-shirt and sloppy jeans. Since I live in the corporate world, yet run a small business, it flows for me and I like the great mix of people. Presentations I heard referenced big consumer brands were applicable to who we work with in the corporate world. I feel that by attending an event like this, it helps us to stay current and hopefully more relevant to our constituents.
Terminology Changes
Former descriptors, like “mommy bloggers” are now “lifestyle bloggers” or “parenting bloggers”. Even the event, Blogworld, was renamed as just “New Media Expo” or NMX for short, at yesterday's end of day keynote. Times change. Events and brands evolve. It is good to move forward and not get stuck in the old.
There is no Substitute for Meeting People in Person
Meeting up with colleagues is always valuable, but meeting new potential partners and some of the speakers is amazing. You can’t do that with a virtual event. No matter what the conference is, if you take nothing away from presentations, the connections will be invaluable.
Disappointments Always Happen
As someone who has planned much smaller events, I know that there are so many issues that can and do go wrong. For this event, the Javitz Center as a venue is wrong – because of poor (no) wi-fi - not even AT&T coverage - and just this cavernous building located near nothing. I got more used to it the second day, but when I want to be social online, at a new media conference, I need connectivity.
A couple of “bigger name” speakers were disappointing. One showed up late for his session and made little eye contact with the audience. What’s with that?
After blogging for more than 8 years, I know a lot of the content that was discussed in many sessions I attended. However, I want to be better. If I pick up 3 or 4 ideas from each full day, that is a huge win. In a world of instant gratification, I think people expect too much - especially when everyone in a session has varied and diverse backgrounds. Attendees need to calibrate their expectations.
It’s About the Content
There were real diamonds in the Blogworld mine – gems that made me glad I invested to attend. For example:
The Podcasting Track was fantastic – tools, lessons, and lots of examples
Standout sessions for me were from presenters
Jay Baer, Marcy Massura and Adam Keats, Barry Moltz and Becky McCray, Derek Halpern and Rich Brooks.
The Day 2 keynote with Chris Brogan was inspiring. My friend Karin, a new blogger, was really moved when Chris said at the end to be brave. It would only make sense as a blogger / speaker that he’s post his talk on his blog, right? I love that. Read it, and it will give you a flavor of the heart of the event – people like Chris who are passionate, helpful, and inspiring.
Since I also have the virtual conference to listen to, I'll catch up with what I missed on Day 3. Next year, I'll go to Vegas - looking forward to NMX 2013
Lori Richardson is recognized as one of the “Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012″ and one of “20 Women to Watch in Sales Lead Management”. Lori speaks, writes, trains, and consults with inside and outbound sellers in technology and services companies. Subscribe to the award-winning blog and the “Sales Ideas In A Minute” newsletter for tips and strategies in selling.