8 Tips For New Media Expo 2008
Posted on 9:24 am by Paul ColliganUpdate: Per request, I’ll be Twittering some highlights and events as they happen from the Expo. If you want to get updated accordingly, follow me on Twitter.
We are but a few short days away from New Media Expo 2008. I offer my 8 top tips here but would love you’re additional tips in the comments section.
1. Buy the Full Conference Pass but then be willing to miss anything. Remember that everyone who buys the pass gets all of the recordings within a week. The valuable education part of this you can experience by time shift. Attend the ones that make sense attending live (either for the speaker or the audience that might be in attendance), but be willing to miss the ones that don’t make sense for you during your short Vegas stay.
The real important feature of the pass is that it will separate you from the thousands on the floor. If you want a real discussion with a speaker, a power user, a large vendor, a “rock star” (see below), etc., the Conference track will get you the access you want.
2. Keep well hydrated. Vegas food is, well, Vegas food. Conference food is, well, conference food. Hotel food is, well, you get the idea. I won’t even go into the adult beverages that one might take in during the course of this trip. The key is to keep well hydrated.
Big tip - most hotel exercise rooms have a cold filtered water source.
3. Practice your USP. Your USP is your “unique selling proposition.” It is what separates you from all the rest. Know yours - and be able to give yours in 8 seconds or less. A “I do a really cool show about everything” is not a unique selling proposition. Let me give you a few USPs to model from:
I help people leverage New Media to get their message out to more people with less effort and for greater profits.
We enable Podcast personalization, secure delivery, tracking and the sales of RSS delivered media. Everyone doesn’t have to get the same Podcast.
TubeMogul is a free service that provides a single point for deploying uploads to the top video sharing sites, and powerful analytics on who, what, and how videos are being viewed.
Wizzard Media Advertising is about bringing together great brands with the best shows in podcasting. The combination of top media creators and Wizzards content verification software makes it safe and easy for advertisers to match their message with appropriate content.
Podcasting Kit for Sharepoint is an accelerator for social media, using Podcasting, and social networks to deliver the next generation knowledge management experience to Microsoft customers.
Yes, the first one was my own personal USP and the second one was the USP for Premiumcast.com. You can guess the source of the others.
Post your USP below!
4. The first morning, make a quick loop around the floor before you do anything else. In short, you want to get a “big picture” of the event before you decide on your strategy for taking things on. You can tell a lot about a company by what their booth looks like, who is staffing it, what they’re giving away, etc. Once you’ve made your loop, sit down for a few minutes, drink some water, and plan your attack.
5. Realize the best moments for you aren’t on the schedule. This one is extremely important. The connections you make in the hallway, with a passer by, during a session, while talking at a booth, etc. - these are the ones that count. Look out for these opportunities and embrace them. Point #1 above is, honestly, all about buying access to a better chance at such opportunities.
6. If you want to approach a New Media “Rock Star” … do so intelligently. The “Rock Stars” in our space are very cool people and very approachable. They are attending this event because they want to meet their audience, etc.
However, there are times and moments when they will be surrounded by fans. There will be times when they really want nothing more than to escape to the bathroom or visit the speaker lounge. You can tell a lot by looking into their eyes and seeing if they look like now is a “good time.” Use a little common sense in approaching them and you’ll meet those that you want to meet.
7. Vegas doesn’t sleep - you must. This one should be pretty obvious, but we all need a reminder now and then. If you want those moments I’m describing above, you’ll need more than a catnap between the poker game the Profitable Podcasters Meetup.
8. Keep up with the New Media Expo Events Wiki. This little site is the default page for “everything else” going on at the event. It’s kinda silly there is no RSS feature but you can get updated by email and would do well bookmarking this page and checking on a semi-regular basis.
Those are my top 8 tips - post yours below!
13 Comments »
August 6, 2008
Tim Bourquin said:
Great tips Paul - my addition would be:
On the plane or in a quiet moment BEFORE you arrive, make a written list of at least 10 things you want to accomplish at the event and prioritize them. It will help keep you on track during the chaos.
Tim Bourquin, Founder
New Media Expo
August 6, 2008
Tim Bourquin said:
Oh and the wiki does have RSS:
http://newmediaexpo.pbwiki.com/rss.xml
August 6, 2008
Brett Bumeter said:
In addition to taking a spin around the floor, set aside some time during the conference to tour the floor and talk to the vendors there. There’s some great people, companies and insights waiting for you to talk to them in the booths. They can’t always get out during the sessions themselves.
If you approach a ‘rock star’ be ready for them to disagree with you. I learned a great deal from talking with Douglas Sarine (Ask a Ninja) after their keynote address. He shared a great deal of hard earned wisdom on a business model question I had. His answer was well thought out and we discussed it for a good bit, but it was not what I expected.
Lastly, don’t slap your business card against your hand as you offer it to someone in Vegas. That sound is notorious for another type of calling card that many people will not accept.
August 6, 2008
Fred Castaneda said:
I would suggest making a plan of action that lists the following with their schedules, so you can decide which you will want to do at which times (and make a decision on tie-breakers):
- Paid conference sessions;
- Exhibit Hall Presentation Stage (free sessions);
- Interviews or personal meetings aside from the noise with key contacts;
- Your top 10 or 15 exhibit booths you want to visit and talk to the exhibitors;
- Evening entertainment options &alternatives (including travel time to & from);
- Morning meetups or breakfasts (e.g., Paul’s profitable marketer bkfast Sat.);
- Plan for resting, sitting down for breathers and physical R&R inbetween top priority listed items–or else you can burn out or not be ready for the really important contact with your targeted personality.
As for me, I will be taking a 3-hour fun break from walking–I will be at the PremiumCast booth 406 on Thursday, 14 Aug. from 1pm to 4pm. Why? As the runner-up in the Podcast Secrets 2008 Challenge contest, I will be at the booth promoting my podcast and talking with aspiring and new podcasters about the criteria and implementation for improving your podcast and taking it from a hobby to a monetized venture.
See you on Thursday at the PremiumCast booth 406, and I wish you all the fun at the Expo this year!
(PS: my USP is:
We help podcasters & entrepreneurs to be more productive so that they can:
- accomplish more;
- in less time;
- with better quality; and
- reduced stress
with proven tools & techniques in our Personal Productivity training delivered automatically via PremiumCast–including personal 1-on-1 consultation.
August 6, 2008
Taylor Marek said:
Nice Tips Paul, I’ll use a couple of them..
And I’ll add my own at this moment.
Bring a recording device, camera, and/or a notebook. If there is ever a moment you wanted to take a pic, record a note, or write something down, best to have it handy during the Expo. You don’t want to have an opportunity come up and forget it later.
Also, not sure if you knew, but I spoke about the New Media Expo in my June Episode: http://taylormarek.com/blog/archives/145. I gave suggestions of what to bring, what to expect, what the speakers are, and those whom I look forward to meeting (You are on that list btw).
Most definitely looking forward to this Expo otherwise!
August 6, 2008
Dulcita Love said:
Paul, I love the tips you give for making the most of live events and telesummits. At my most recent event, I had my Flip Video, digital recorder, camera, spare batteries, and a notepad for people to write their contact information on the fly. Catching speakers long before they speak seems to work well because more people will be flocking to them after they speak. Dulcita Love
August 6, 2008
Paul Colligan said:
Spare batteries are key if you’re doing anything electronic.
Paul
August 7, 2008
Brad Codd's Massive Great Big Success Library said:
My USP…
I’m helping thought leaders in the Human Potential Development movement take advantage of the Internet to instantly distribute their message to the four corners of the earth.
August 7, 2008
Taylor Marek said:
I would agree with that too Paul, lol.
I can just imagine a situation like that happening
August 8, 2008
Oren said:
As a New Media Manager from the mobile industry, modu: www.modumobile.com I will be walking the show floor demonstrating modu and the concept of changing your mobile device based on your changing needs. I’d also like to discus with all of you from the New Media community how you would like to see modu evolve.
I’m also going to be live broadcasting via Qik: for those who can’t make it to the show, the live feed will be available on my Qik channel: http://www.kyte.tv/seovice
For all those involved in the mobile industry or offer a mobile added value service. Contact me via the modu blog.
August 9, 2008
Chris (Amateur Traveler) said:
If you are not on twitter, now is the time. Last year it was one of the biggest tools for coordinating what was happening and coordinating will only be harder in Vegas.
Brand yourself - I will be the guy walking around in one of 4 Amateur Traveler shirts.
August 14, 2008
More Tips When Attending Podcasting and Social Media Events | Podcaster Tips (Pingback)
[…] 14th, 2008 · No Comments Since there are several podcasting and social media conferences that are coming before the endof this year, I would like to share more tips that I read from Paul Colligan and his readers who came out with great round of tips for attending New Media Expo and similar conferences. […]
August 16, 2008
Jon Payne said:
My USP is “We offer provocative discussions about about living a holistic, sustainable and healthy life.”
Jon Payne
www.OurNaturalLife.cm