Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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The Castaways of Survivor SxSW Austin: How to Find ADOS Immunity at a Huge Conference

Filed Under Marketing, Successful Blog | 9 Comments

Off to the Island We Go

I was still a young pup when I discovered the key to conferences. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in. They’re arranged, funded, and attended by people. People at conferences seem to fall victim to the same behaviors. By the end, the folks leaving can look like they’ve lived a season of Survivor — Take for example this recent conference: Survivor SxSW Austin.

People were off to the island of Austin. Soon enough SxSW castaways realized that their ties to home were gone. We started saying hello; finding common ground; seeing who had a SxSW badge, forming our teams. The people of the town, the people of restaurants, the people in the cars, cabs, and hallways become like so much scenery — we only interacted with them when we needed essentials — food, clothing, and shelter (well, mostly food.)

Survivor SxSW became Reality 2.0. Anticipation was high. Possibilities were higher. Intentions and expectations were everywhere. “Do everything” looked like the only option between now and home. Survival required focus and follow through in the alien environment that only a huge conference can be. The folks who came without training were at a serious disadvantage.

The 3 questions on the Survivor site were heard throughout the week.

Who would be left standing at the end of a week?

It’s easy to feel alone. No one gets automatic immunity. You have to find your own.

The Castaways

Huge conference after huge conference the cast doesn’t seem to change. Let me introduce you to the folks I always see. They were there last year … but like a new season of Survivor, they seemed to be the same people with different names.

  1. The first timer: She was glad to be there and overwhelmed that everyone knew what she didn’t — that just because you know 100 people at the same conference, it doesn’t mean you’ll see any of them. She’s was soon wishing she’d come with comfortable shoes, with a plan, with a friend to keep her company.
  2. The up and comer: He went for the win. In a few hours, everyone knew him. He was networking until the cows came home, or at least back to his hotel. You’ll know him by the number of flickr pix that you find tagged with his name. Do you have a copy of his book? Wait, he hasn’t had time to write it yet.
  3. The information junkie: Her head was in the panels. She could quote chapter and verse of the keynotes and blogged every question. Her program was worn to shreds from handling by Day 2. She exchanged cards with every speaker, but didn’t really have a conversation the entire week.
  4. The party monkeys: Each morning they built alliances on the list of parties they’d attend that evening. The next day they spoke slowly about how long the lines were. They lost their voices and their hearing by bits with each new sunrise.
  5. The rockstar: She showed up for appearances, did her gig, smiled at fans, shook their hands, and disappeared almost as quickly. She might have gotten off most easily because her unreal fame fits the unreality of the conference with a resonating rhythm.
  6. The social jockey: He decided what to do and which people to spend time with based on whether they add to his visibility. You know your star is rising if his kind spoke with you this year.
  7. The sponsors and the sponsored: They worked their butts off and hardly had time to talk. They made everything happen. When they had downtime they talked business or partied like the attendees.
  8. The camera crew: The camera crew was busy with their cameras. They are not allowed to interact while the cameras are on. They’ll experience the conference when they look through their flickr accounts.
  9. The pros: They treated the conference like a Twitter stream — taking part in what they found valuable, letting the rest go by. They did business. They attended some sessions and events. They skipped others for quality conversation. They got sleep every night. They kept their feet on ground and their thoughts in perspective.

Lots of regular folks were there too, by Day 4 they were easy to identify. They were the ones who were still awake and itching to find their own pillow. A Survivor Experience can wear on the most grounded psyches. These are the folks who disappeared from the interwebs when they got home.

How to Find ADOS Immunity at a Huge Conference

Lots of great things happen at conferences. SxSW is outstanding for what it offers –incredible opportunities to expand your network and constant input to move your thinking to new levels. You’ll meet great people and if you try, you’ll get a chance to know them. To be successful, you need to find immunity to an extreme case of ADD that someone called ADOS — AD-oooo shiny.

Five ground rules will help.

  1. Build your network before you go. Meet people via email and telephone long before you get to the “island.” Huge conferences are more valuable if you already have a connection to the people you’re going to meet. You’ll also find that more of the meetings that you plan will actually take place.
  2. Invest in a goal. That will give your conference a direction and a basis on which to make decisions about what to do next when unexpected opportunities jump in front of you.
  3. Only plan 3 - 5 things each day and be lethal about getting those done. Interruptions and opportunities to explore people, places, and conversations will be everywhere all day long. If you find you have time to do more than you planned, you’ll be ahead of the game.
  4. Make time for at least one important conversation daily. Go to lunch with smart people. Talk about smart things. A week of continuous small talk can make any person feel shallow, insecure, and a little lost.
  5. Make time for sleep. Don’t think you can do everything. No one will notice if you missed that third party on Tuesday. Everyone will notice if you look a wreck and can’t think by Day 3.

Those few strategies can help keep your balance. You’ll accomplish your goals, get a return on your investment, and learn plenty from just being there. You’ll head home a Survivor, feeling like the tribe was worth every minute you spent in their company.

What do you do to survive huge conferences?

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!!

Work and network in a small quiet space with a dream team.

SxSW People and a Panel that Rocked Butt

Filed Under SOB Business, Successful Blog | 6 Comments

Gee “Butt” It’s Great to Be Back

Sometimes you have to take an airplane clear across the country to have a conversation and conversations are being had. From the minute, I came down the escalator to baggage claim and saw Becky McCray waiting for me the talking began. Before the bag even arrived, Jonathan Fields and David Maher Roberts showed up.

From the airport, it was off Vignette for Austin Social Media Club — where I finally got meet up with old friends and new Connie Reece , Mike Chapman , Ben and Lani Rosales , Lauren Vargas , Aaron Strout , Jason Falls , Shannon Paul , and many others.

Later we caught up with the guys from Radian6 and had finally found our way how to @SheliaS and @CFanch where Becky and I are holed up.

We collected our badges and @Tojosan in the morning and set up Table2.0 for a Tweetup Firday that corresponded with @EricaOGrady’s birthday party. We also met up with @ShashiB, @EricaBiz and few others, including @Geekmommy and @SaulColt

Later it was on the BlueSky event, I finally got to see my friends @ChrisBrogan and @Copyblogger and to meet the famous Pam Slim. So many good conversation were had.

I had the bp pleasure of walking over with a great group of the Walmart Moms to the high point of any conference is the @BrianSolis and @StephAgresti Tech Set event.

Amazing how much fun you can have in a new pair jeans - heh heh!

BTW, Sheila Scarborough’s travel panel rocked butt!! Watch the video.

(CC) Brian Solis. www.briansolis.com

(CC) Brian Solis. www.briansolis.com

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Register for SOBCon09 NOW!!

That many incredible people make it incredible!!

Conference Time!

Filed Under Successful Blog | 7 Comments

I attended a Podcamp unconference over the weekend. It was so much fun. Not only did I learn from the sessions, which covered topics such as podcasting, metrics, and monetization, but I met so many wonderful people as well. The conference was a two day event with days full of sharing information and dinners and parties at night. It was busy and exhausting. In order to get as much out of the conference experience as possible I have suggestions that might be helpful.

 - take the time to say hello and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. If there is a person at the conference whom you admire, say hello.  Say hello to the person you’re sitting beside, the person who presented and the person in the coffee room. Chances are you have come across these people online and just may not recognize them. If not you’ve just made new connections!

-  remember the hallways, lobbies, and all public spaces in the venue. You’d be surprised how much networking occurs in these busy spaces. Hang around and introduce yourself to the other people hanging around there.

- remember business cards. I’ve asked this question a few times on Twitter and I always have someone say “business cards are obsolete”. That may be for someone who’s famous online, but business cards are like souvenirs for encounters. Make yours memorable. One of my favorites has a picture of the person and their url on it. Be generous in handing them out.

 

It’s conference season coming up. SXSW is the big one that comes to mind and, of course, there’s the one we’re all looking forward to - SOBCon 2009. Plan your time there wisely you so you can walk away with a wonderful ROI in the relationships you create there. Are you planning on attending any conferences this year?

from Kathryn aka @northernchick

 

photo credit: @SuzeMuze

Missed Opportunities and High Returns of Attending a Conference

Filed Under Business Life, Strategy, Successful Blog | 15 Comments

With a Little Help From Friends — Old and New Ones!

SOBCon08 Logo50

Deciding to go to SxSW was easy. Well it was easy last summer when Sheila Scarborough and I had this master plan. I would go down to Austin and stay at her house. We’ve known each other since two days before forever . . . it seemed a logical next step — everyone says it’s the show for bloggers. Everyone seems to go there. It seemed that I should too.

Sometime in January, I started to wonder, why was I making this significant investment? Would it really help my business? Adding friends to my Twitter account didn’t seem like enough reason to melt my credit card for a trip to Austin. At best, my answer was nebulous.

I was torn. I saw serious potential, but I’ve also gone to conferences where no business happened.

Missed Opportunities and High Returns of Attending a Conference

I had to be sure before I registered that serious business conversations would happen. I needed a high return on my investment. The registration would be more than worth it, if I could grow my business and add more value to SOBCon08.

I realized the only way to ensure a high return was to plan one. Here’s how you might do the same when you come to SOBCon08 or any upcoming conference you’re considering.

Simple enough suggestions, but I asked — lots of folks came without a plan.

Frankly I’ve had my share useless, no-return conference experiences. They make it easy enough to convince myself that I can’t afford the time and cost of any conference. One thing they have in common is that I was a passive attendee — not invested in my own attendance.

It’s the plan that ensures the return. Now I pick the conferences most relevant to my business. Sometimes I suffer a pinch of cash flow, but I make a plan to ensure a return on my investment. My business grows, my network gets richer, and my blog gets more traffic. The plan keeps me focused, organized, and feeling in control of capturing what I’m after.

SxSW was a high return investment experience. I had fewer than 50 conversations, but they were the right ones with the right people. I came home with two new clients, another sponsor for SOBCon08, and a new project that I’m working on. That would have been a lot of missed opportunities had I not made the commitment.

Getting a return on our investment is the core of business. Key to investing is identifying true opportunities. Without investing we’re just going, moving forward not growing.

No one can attend every conference. But when one offers real potential, it’s worth thoughtful consideration. With a plan, we can ensure a high return on our investment. Missed opportunities are expensive too.

How do you decide between the high returns or missed opportunities of attending a conference?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!! SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. All that expertise in one room! Register now!

What I Missed at SxSW

Filed Under SOB Business, Successful Blog | 8 Comments

Friends

relationships button

It’s a joy to be able to spend time meeting with folks I know down Austin — Sheila was a gracious and generous host. Becky made sure I toed the line and helped me sort the world. That Chris Brogan is a rock star and personally delivered on of my favorite dinners. Aruni is even more beautiful inside and out. Christina, Shama, and Shashi made a group lunch just by being there.

Still I have to say that I missed talking to everyone I meet here in the morning.

At a meeting on Wednesday, Leah Jones was speaking to a group about the people she knows online and said this, “I’m not going to use quotes. [My friends online] are real friends.

It’s a right choice for me to be “gone” when I’m gone on conference. Otherwise, I find myself torn in too many directions — trying to do too many things. I lose track of where my focus should be.

Conferences come and go. Hopefully, I found some new thoughts to share with you.

What I missed at SxSW was talking to you everyday.

I also missed sleeping with my own pillow.

Thanks for being here to come home to.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Work with Liz!!
SOBCon08 is May 2,3,4 in Chicago. Register now!

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