Conference Wrap Up: ERE Spring Expo 2010
Another conference behind us. I’m back in the office after attending ERE Expo and before I move on to other things, I wanted to give you a little conference wrap up:
Session Soundbite
On the last day, we had the pleasure of hearing Kat Drum from Starbucks talk about their social media strategy. What I really enjoyed about her session was the casual, conversational way she talked about social media. Starbucks, like many of us, is still trying to figure things out. But they are in it for the long-haul and understand things like ROI will become clearer over time.
(It’s funny that her session fell on the same day as the 25th anniversary of the first .com. Back then, only 100 domains were registered in the first two years. And now? Well, the number is crazy. I wonder if social media will be viewed the same way in the future.)
Expo Highlight
Exhibiting companies please note: invest in some basic sales training for people assigned to work conferences. Such a shame to spend thousands of dollars at an event only to have a sales person botch it up with their opening comment. I had someone approach me in the expo and ask, “Do you want to learn about background checking systems?” It’s basic sales training to at least introduce yourself before you start launching into a product conversation. And, you don’t start with a closed-ended question. What if someone said “no”, I’m not interested?
Swag of the Day
I wish I had better info to report in the swag area. The swag offerings were pretty crappy. I know swag isn’t important to a lot of people, but the bottom line is swag can be a sales tool to help people approach a trade show booth and start a conversation. But if exhibitors don’t offer anything or they’re guarding their swag like the last Mint Milano in the house, then – oh well…
Foodie Spotlight
San Diego is not the foodie city that places like San Francisco or Las Vegas are. Or maybe I just made a whole bunch of bad decisions. But a couple of places were exceptional. First, it might sound silly but I got to try my first Pinkberry. Loved it! If you haven’t been to one, check it out.
And, I had the pleasure of visiting Nobu. Incredible food. If you get to dine at one, try the black cod.
You Made My Day Award
Kudos to James Finnerty at Indeed, who conducted an entire conversation with me and I didn’t have to talk. See, I lost my voice during the conference. So, like a good sales person, he adjusted his approach to have a conversation with me. Many thanks to James. And thanks also to the folks at Indeed for an awesome party – loved the sliders!
Finally, my thanks to David Manaster, Scott Baxt, Lance Haun and all of the team at ERE for their hard work in putting the event together. And, for giving me the opportunity to attend. I met a lot of new friends and reconnected with some old ones. And, with the exception of losing my voice, it was a very successful trip.
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