Comments on: Free Advice for Organizers of PubCon, SMX, and SES http://www.soloseo.com/blog/2008/11/19/free-advice-for-pubcon-smx-ses/ SEO for All Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:03:55 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Michael D Jensen http://www.soloseo.com/blog/2008/11/19/free-advice-for-pubcon-smx-ses/comment-page-1/#comment-16516 Michael D Jensen Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:39:19 +0000 http://www.soloseo.com/blog/?p=434#comment-16516 @btabke, I'm not asking for a "plated breakfast", just a big bucket of bacon that I could grab a few pieces out of, the rest of the breakfast is fine. :) @btabke, I’m not asking for a “plated breakfast”, just a big bucket of bacon that I could grab a few pieces out of, the rest of the breakfast is fine. :)

]]> By: Alison Driscoll http://www.soloseo.com/blog/2008/11/19/free-advice-for-pubcon-smx-ses/comment-page-1/#comment-16515 Alison Driscoll Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:05:39 +0000 http://www.soloseo.com/blog/?p=434#comment-16515 As a vegetarian, I'm not so into buckets of bacon. Unless you go the fake bac'n route as well, and then that gets complicated. However, I'm intrigued by your suggestion about speaker trials. While I'm not sure the method you proposed is the best way to go, there needs to be some sort of speaker feedback system; just because you spoke last year does not mean you have an automatic in. An opening day panel with hopeful new speakers and some kind of interactive forum could be cool. Or not. I'm sure I don't have the answer, but someone could come up with something different that would allow fresh voices to present a new spin on old topics, or try out some new ones. As a vegetarian, I’m not so into buckets of bacon. Unless you go the fake bac’n route as well, and then that gets complicated.

However, I’m intrigued by your suggestion about speaker trials. While I’m not sure the method you proposed is the best way to go, there needs to be some sort of speaker feedback system; just because you spoke last year does not mean you have an automatic in.

An opening day panel with hopeful new speakers and some kind of interactive forum could be cool. Or not. I’m sure I don’t have the answer, but someone could come up with something different that would allow fresh voices to present a new spin on old topics, or try out some new ones.

]]> By: Dr. Pete http://www.soloseo.com/blog/2008/11/19/free-advice-for-pubcon-smx-ses/comment-page-1/#comment-16514 Dr. Pete Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:28:11 +0000 http://www.soloseo.com/blog/?p=434#comment-16514 Unfortunately, having been on the conference side of the business, I can tell you that #2 isn't the organizer's fault. Convention centers usually have contracts with service providers that lock in show managers to one internet provider. Often, in my experience, that monopoly means jacked-up prices and poor service. I've been at shows where the exact same wireless service was (1) free in the lobby, (2) $14.95 on the conference floor, and (3) $200 for exhibitors. It is, in every sense of the word, a racket. I'm all for buckets of bacon, though :) Unfortunately, having been on the conference side of the business, I can tell you that #2 isn’t the organizer’s fault. Convention centers usually have contracts with service providers that lock in show managers to one internet provider. Often, in my experience, that monopoly means jacked-up prices and poor service. I’ve been at shows where the exact same wireless service was (1) free in the lobby, (2) $14.95 on the conference floor, and (3) $200 for exhibitors. It is, in every sense of the word, a racket.

I’m all for buckets of bacon, though :)

]]> By: Brett Tabke http://www.soloseo.com/blog/2008/11/19/free-advice-for-pubcon-smx-ses/comment-page-1/#comment-16513 Brett Tabke Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:01:13 +0000 http://www.soloseo.com/blog/?p=434#comment-16513 Very Cool. > bacon A plated breakfast is around $25 a plate. As shocking as it sounds, food for 3 days runs around $200 a head at the convention center. It is a tough dance keeping the conference afforable (cheapest in the entire industry) and providing some higher caliber perks like double shots of coffee. This year, we obviously went for the coffee! > wifi Yep, the first day caught everyone flat footed. We had no clue demand would be five fold what it was from last year - not even a hint that it would. Last year we had a max of 65 users at anyone time. This year it was 265. We had no way of knowing that. The growth in wifi phones and the numbers of laptops caught us completely by surprise. The trouble was that the first day of the conference was vetrans day. That is a union day off. There was no one down in the dmark to try to update the routers. Wednesday and Thursday were solid all day. We had to up the numbers twice more. Either way, we apologize for being an issue the first day. >You know how they do that “speed dating”? We tried that about 3 years ago at a conference and got some pretty nasty feedback about it. Very Cool.

> bacon

A plated breakfast is around $25 a plate. As shocking as it sounds, food for 3 days runs around $200 a head at the convention center. It is a tough dance keeping the conference afforable (cheapest in the entire industry) and providing some higher caliber perks like double shots of coffee. This year, we obviously went for the coffee!

> wifi

Yep, the first day caught everyone flat footed. We had no clue demand would be five fold what it was from last year – not even a hint that it would. Last year we had a max of 65 users at anyone time. This year it was 265. We had no way of knowing that. The growth in wifi phones and the numbers of laptops caught us completely by surprise. The trouble was that the first day of the conference was vetrans day. That is a union day off. There was no one down in the dmark to try to update the routers. Wednesday and Thursday were solid all day. We had to up the numbers twice more. Either way, we apologize for being an issue the first day.

>You know how they do that “speed dating”?

We tried that about 3 years ago at a conference and got some pretty nasty feedback about it.

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