While some may say there is a million and one reason to attend conferences, when it comes to conferences on marketing I like every attended trade show to bring measurable results. Then it has a truly positive ROI in my eyes (hence, a good reason to be there). Just as 74% of CEOs I believe that a hype is always a wrong thing to spend time on. As marketers we always want to focus on measurable performance — always and everywhere (conferences included).
Besides inspiration that I always draw from a good conference, there are three very specific areas that I am generally looking for: (a) learning something, (b) making new connections and cementing old ones, and (c) getting some additional exposure, thereby gaining better visibility among peers and prospective clients.
To see how this aligns with other conference attendee’s goals and objectives, two weeks ago I’ve put together a multiple options poll where I asked fellow-marketers to vote for their reasons in attending conferences. The poll closed just yesterday and here are its results:
I did expected networking to beat education and publicity, but, frankly, I was expecting a much more confident lead. I can see how much will depend on the type of conference, though.
What do you attend marketing conferences for?
Thank you for the ping. Interesting vote as it correlates with some views I have put together around participation 3.0 and thoughts around web events… http://www.thestrategyweb.com/participation-3-0-thoughts-on-attending-web-events – happy weekend.
Martin, you’re most welcome. That was an interesting (and a thought-provoking) post. Off to read your views on Participation 3.0 and web events now…
I’ve always had the view, that a conference is only as good as those people sitting next to me in the audience. If they are not the right people for me… Im in the wrong conference.
Very good approach, Chris. Applies a lot to the subject of relevance. I remember attending a conference a few years back, and both the people next to me and the people on stage sounded as if they are “speaking tongues”… Obviously, it was the wrong conference — wrong for me, not in any other way.
Networking is the most important for me, however education lets me decide which conference to attend. Financial and time constraints prohibit me from attending all industry conferences. I look for where I can get the most “bang for the buck.” Additional, if the education is well done then it is easier for a slightly shy marketer to strike up conversations with new folks.
Good points. Thank you for chiming in too, Stephanie.
Interesting. I’ve never attended an affiliate marketing conference, although I can see the attraction of building a network of contacts. Most of the conferences I have attended have been online and are mainly educational, but with a networking element to them as well.
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