10 Things I Learned From BlogWorld & New Media Expo New York 2012
The event is over. I am sitting in the Yotel, a very interesting hotel on the corner of 10th and 42nd street in Hell’s Kitchen part of Manhattan, New York. After 3 days of solid work, a ton of video taken, and a lot of new people I met, I have a few minutes to sit and reflect about this whole experience. It’s amazing how an event like this can really bring you closer to the people you hear about online.
Because of this, I thought I would go through a top ten list of the things I learned not only being at the show, but also being a part of the show (even more than I was back in 2010).
- There were a lot of new faces.I polled each session I introduced, and in every session, 80% said this was their first BlogWorld & New Media Expo. It was great to see new minds to be molded.
- People will complain.Yes – the Javits Wifi was not the best. We put their system to the limit, and maybe it will open their eyes to invest a few more dollars in it. Still, some of the complaints I heard about felt a little uncalled for. Do you complain that bad if your flight is grounded due to inclement weather? It was not the best situation. You can only give out what you can get.
- The tracks can still teach you a lot.I’ve been to 5 BlogWorld & New Media Expo events so far. I wasn’t able to sit in many sessions – the ones I did sit in I came out with something. I even asked one person what they thought of a session they were in. Apparently, they were a good friend of the speaker, and he came out with a bunch of new ideas. It’s amazing the little things you forget and the great things you learn.
- New York Pizza is definitely really good. I wonder if you match NY Pizza with Chicago style, who would win?
- People that come to networking conferences like these don’t always utilize the resources too well.I asked many people to give me comments in front of the camera. 2 out of every 5 people simply say “no”. I am not sure why – This is a great way for you to promote yourself. Still, I saw those who ducked their heads down and hoped that I wouldn’t pick them. (Just so you know, you will be the one I pick if I see that)
- Cliff Ravenscraft did one of the best jobs with the Podcast track.There were only a couple instances where we saw only a few people in a session. Otherwise, these 30 person rooms were filled with eager to learn podcasters. Kudos to Cliff!
- Actually, the whole BlogWorld & New Media staff just kicked things out of the park!There was not a session I walked into that made me want to walk out of (although I HAD to walk out of them because I had to be somewhere else… ;). The expo hall was a great place to talk with new companies, and reconnect with old ones. I remember talking to Lijit back in 2010. They have exhibited in ever show since. It was good to reconnect with Perry and the gang!
- Jason Falls doesn’t like bean bag chairs.
- The keynote sessions gave us some great moments in the conference.Yes, there was an “incident” on Tuesday with one of the attendees. If you were sitting at one of the six tables around that person, you saw the extra show. What was cooler was people talked about Rick Calvert’s comment after – You never know what will happen in New York City…
- This is the most important thing: Never underestimate going to a trade show.A lot of people say these things are dead. But look at the alternative: I have held webinars and roundtables before. I am alway curious if people pay attention to what is being said, or getting distracted by email, kids, pets, food, the telephone or other events. When I am done, I leave the virtual room. I don’t get much of a chance to talk with others. Therefore, I loose the chance to really connect with the person. Last year, I came to New York for under $1,000. I stayed pretty close to the Javits center and got a lot out of it. I know people that got creative (using things like airbnb.com) and their travel price was $500. I know some people cannot just drop everything to attend, but if you put your mind to it, you can find a way.
I am really stoked to see the New Media Expo (NMX) take place in January. It’s got a new life to it, and will be right before CES, which is also an awesome event. I have already heard people coming to both – Some will be their first CES and they will have a good reason to go with the doubling up of the conference. It’s going to be at the Rio, which is a casino I haven’t stayed at yet. I’m really excited to see how NMX will shape in the next few months, and am really proud to be on the team!