This week’s PPCChat session discussed about the search conferences PPC experts like to attend, the conference they have attended and want to attend again, the topics they don’t want to listen about, qualities they expect from the speaker at the conference and more was discussed. Hosted by Julie F Bacchini, this session gives insight of great length.<\/p>\n
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Here is the screencap of the session.<\/p>\n
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I have not because of the cost. We work as a full-service marketing agency so there isn’t enough ROI. Try to find as many online as possible –\u00a0@matt_lozar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Yes and to stay up to date with the industry and learn about new ideas. Not always easy to do when I’m often in a silo without anyone to bounce ideas off of when it comes to technical\/tactical. –\u00a0@mikecrimmins<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I currently don’t, but would love to. The last few years, I’ve mainly been wanting to save so I can reinvest it into the company. –\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n not regularly. There is no budget so I even have to argue to go to confs I speak at (ask me how often I win. Cry.) Some are so beneficial, but the travel alone is really a challenge. –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I attend a few monthly meetings of @TheUtahDMC<\/a> during the year and usually about 3-4 larger conferences during a year. –\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I attend a couple per year, generally if I am fortunate enough to be a speaker (helps to lessen the costs involved). –\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I do attend them, on the caveat being that I have to be speaking at them, otherwise I don’t get travel expensed –\u00a0 –\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I have. I work in house on a very small ecommerce team as the sole paid search resource. I enjoy conferences for the opportunity to meet other people in the industry, hear new ideas, and bounce thoughts around – things I don’t get to do in my every day job –\u00a0@jlash_digital<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I did when my company paid for it. I’ve spoken at a local developer miniconf as well, and attended local meetups. I’m not particularly in love with them. I wonder if my focus on “new ideas” & “education” was misplaced — I should have been doing Yes, but these days, mostly to speak. That said, I always pick up something new. –\u00a0@CountXero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Try to go to a few a year. Networking and meeting all my USA friends I don’t get to see up here in the frozen North. Bonus is meeting potential clients or vendors… especially when the latter pays for dinner –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I have two that I Attend every year that I do not usually speak at. @sempdx<\/a>‘s Engage Conference in Portland and @MnSearch<\/a>‘s Search Summit. @Heroconf<\/a> if i’m speaking, but I find it nearly impossible to attend 2 day conferences these days. –\u00a0@Realicity<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Started to, and find it great for networking and learning about things outside of the PPC wheelhouse, as it were –\u00a0@Gooselessgander<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We haven’t attended search conferences, partly because of location, cost, and work itself.\u00a0–\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n We do attend fairly regularly. We usually send two people from our team. –\u00a0@searchmonitor<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SMXAdvanced is my favorite, Pubcon was a pleasant surprise last year with the level of PPC knowledge. Want to go to Hero, but with my dept being half SEO, it’s hard to do. –\u00a0@mikecrimmins<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n SMXWest & Hero Conf – attended and spoken \u00a0 Been to SMX West and Advanced, Pubcon, HeroConf, Affiliate Summit West, Utah DMC, SES –\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n SMX Advanced had good food and a lot of open-to-many meetups. Pubcon was not my cup of tea, either time I went. The stuff put on by the Digital Marketing Association has some great mini-talks but otherwise was a vendor showcase. Shoutout to @NOLAWordCamp<\/a>\u00a0also shoutouts to @ClambakePVD<\/a> which has been really good for getting me introduced to the design community here –\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I love Hero Conference. And I also really enjoy SMX East (which has the bonus of easier travel for me). West coast events are tough for me, it adds 2 days for travel to and from. –\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Again Engage, MnSearch Summit, HeroConf and then SMX Advanced, the Digital Marketing Conference in Utah and State of Search in Dallas I would all attend again. I’ve heard great things about Pubcon, though not usually interested in attending Cons in Vegas. –\u00a0@Realicity<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n SMX East and MN Search Summit, I’d love to get to SMX Advanced as well –\u00a0@jlash_digital<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I haven’t been to any… yet, but I’d love to attend Hero Conf. –\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ad:tech, AllFacebook Expo, Conversion Conference, eMetrics, Search Marketing Expo (SMX), Digital Hollywood, Online Marketing Summit (OMS), Consumer Electronics Show (CES), and Search Engine Strategies (SES). For SMX and SES, I\u2019ve done all the US (plus Advanced), and a bunch of international. London and Sydney are my fave. Doing Search Marketing Strategies Sydney in May. –\u00a0@CountXero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n In no order; we try to go to SMX, we also send our CRO team to CXL –\u00a0@360vardi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I’m a different beast. I’m half-marketer, half-product manager for marketing software so I go for different reasons. That said, exposure to new people and new ideas (aka networking) is always almost the top reason. –\u00a0@Wickerpedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Sadly, we haven’t attended any.\u00a0–\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I’m a current student and a part of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). I attend their regional and national conferences every year depending on where they occur –\u00a0@jessymoyer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Some local to the northeast U.S. direct marketing conferences, Internet Retailer, and SMX East (once). –\u00a0@lchasse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n SMX Advanced, C2MTL, E3 reason: $$$$$ –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Pubcon and Content Marketing World here in the US. @adwexp<\/a> in Italy. Also, the @Unbounce<\/a> CTA conference in Vancouver BC was great the last time I attended. –\u00a0@Realicity<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I really wanted to attend Hero Conf this coming April but the cost (USD to CAD is insane) and the fact that my brother gets married a few days later made it not happen this year. –\u00a0. I really wanted to attend Hero Conf this coming April but the cost (USD to CAD is insane) and the fact that my brother gets married a few days later made it\u00a0 not happen this year. –<\/strong>\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Pubcon and State of Search are two I would like to go to one day. Why I have not – cost (I pay for all events & travel) and sometimes they are too close together for me to be able to do it logistically. –\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n MnSearch Summit, especially for their content video speakers. –\u00a0@LindsayNMorley<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n @DigitalSummits<\/a> @heroconf<\/a> and @Pubcon<\/a> never gone because I never got picked up to speak. –\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I think as a small-medium agency, the cost of all these conferences is really high to send to multiple conferences a year. You have to make some tough choices. You get a lot of meeting new people and some of the sessions, but $5k in cost for 2 is a lot –\u00a0@360vardi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The bigger conferences that more focus on business and marketing across the board. Usually it’s the price tag for a single ticket. Also, trying to pitch vertical confs to broaden who I meet –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n SMX East is the most accessible, but we haven’t figured out logistics in time to go whenever it comes up. –\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n State of Search and Engage have always interested me. –\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Always wanted to speak at @Pubcon<\/a> and HeroCon, but can\u2019t seem to crack the speaker roster. Speaking at SEOctoberfest looked cool, but I think that\u2019s gone now. –\u00a0@CountXero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I try to attend meet ups with digital marketers to at least get some of the conversations, you would get in conferences. Those only cost me a couple of drinks. –\u00a0@360vardi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Definitely some of the PRSSA conferences that occur far away from me! As a part of a smaller school, it’s difficult to afford going to these national conferences when they aren’t close by. It’s a shame to miss out on opportunities like that –\u00a0@jessymoyer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n a breadth of topics. There are so many different approaches to how we get goals met, so lots of diverse voices, different points of view and different ways of looking at things! and in speakers in particular. I notice if a conference is Pale Male and Stale. –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Beyond having a good mix of speakers and not the usually suspects. Or just all middle age white dudes on stage. The food MATTERS, don’t go cheap here. Pus swag if at all. I rather no swag then cheap ass walmart store items. –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Gotta get 3-4 ideas that I can implement when I get home. That’s #1. Networking is a solid #2. The conversations you can have with the people you meet often elicit the ideas from #1 above. Then it’s always nice to have fun, eat good food & bring home some cool swag. –\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n 1. Vegetarian food that isn’t a Caprese sandwich. \u00a02. A forum\/workshop to actually meet and engage with people 3. At least one non-industry speaker with new ideas, research, or inspiration –\u00a0@Wickerpedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I set the bar pretty low. Smart people. Smart ideas. Good food is a plus. –\u00a0@mikecrimmins<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Much like you said, @neptunemoon<\/a>, a diverse group of speakers and topics with ample networking opportunities, as well as open discussions\/panels. –\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Ooh, most important is location. Love it when a conference satisfies a travel goal. –\u00a0@CountXero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Hearing from senior leaders about the actions happening YoY in their organisation directly affecting the service to clients and how they run their business –\u00a0@beyondcontent<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The more actionable the better. Presentations that are overly conceptual, have to many bullet points, or rely too much on meme’s to fill the content are less impactful for me. –\u00a0@Realicity<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Solid actionable content and great real world examples –\u00a0@JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n A great conference is one where you (1) learn new ideas for your clients and (2) connect with other really smart folks. –\u00a0@lchasse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Someone who is in the trenches with us, not some agency owner that doesn’t do the work anymore. –\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Makes me question “best practice” or assumptions. Makes a good point AND tells what action to take because of that point –\u00a0@robert_brady<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n real enthusiasm for what is being talked about. We sometimes cover similar ground in PPC and I love hearing someone really engaged with what they want to share. That and real, solid takeaways. –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Unique perspective: tell me something I haven’t heard. Something I hate hate hate: I probably will love it a few years later, sorry Problems & solutions: “how” “why” & “man this was confusing”, not “what” –\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Knowledge about the topic and presenting a concept that is useful. I like detail – I want to go back to my office after the event with some ideas I’m excited to try. Also, enthusiasm. Don’t have to be super polished, but excited to share their talk goes a long way! –\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Actually knowing how to present (theme, composure, etc). A good step by step and actual results\/case studies. So many presenters these days just vomit a bunch of slides that say, \u201cwe did this,\u201d but not how. –\u00a0@CountXero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Fast-paced. Topic I can understand. Good takeaways. Data is a plus –\u00a0@matt_lozar<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n one that is both a “show man” but also down to earth – @JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Learn something new or provide a POV I had not thought of before. Also someone who clearly knows the material. –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n A knowledgeable speaker, up-to-date material, a sense of humor, etc. –\u00a0@marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n challenge my assumptions. If it’s common knowledge that app placements are bad, show me some that work. If audiences are amazing (they are) give me some warnings. The best presenters make me think. –\u00a0@armondhammer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I’m a big fan of engagement. I find it difficult to sit through a speaker who talks without even attempting to relate to the audience. Visuals are a contributing factor as well; any great visual makes a presentation more of a success. –\u00a0@jessymoyer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n A great presentation makes me think of something in a new way or something I have not thought of at all in some cases. They are also very clear with execution. –\u00a0@lchasse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Salesy stuff. If you spend a session pitching me, you’ve lost me.\u00a0– @JonKagan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n If the content across the board was meh or worse, I would not attend again. If the environment was not comfortable for women, I would not attend again. –\u00a0@NeptuneMoon<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n salesy talk. Condescenscion. general “hi dummies, this is my power-point. can you say power-point?” ugh. –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n I think the worst experience for me was feeling completely unable to talk to anyone else, with very few official networking events (and a lot of unofficial, invite-only ones) It was awkward, but one of the better networking cons ha a “speed-networking” event mid-day –\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n For me, it would be me walking out feeling as though I didn’t learn anything. The purpose of conferences, for me, is to learn something I didn’t know and am looking to the speaker to teach me. –\u00a0@adwordsgirl<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n the people attending and presenting have got to be advanced to learn and share the learnings. Never interested in trying to sell me a product and nothing else –\u00a0@360vardi<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Disorganization is right up there. Conferences that are just in it for the money and don’t care about the industry. Or if it’s an out of the way and hard to get to. I spoke in Italy last year and it’s just to hard to get to and wasn’t that special.\u00a0 –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Heavily seconding your second point, @NeptuneMoon<\/a>, especially in light of @ichbingisele<\/a>‘s Medium post<\/a> \u00a0– @marccxmedia<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n when I don’t get picked as a speaker (half kidding) When the topics are the same year after year we talk how the industry is changing all the time some shows haven’t gotten the memo –\u00a0@armondhammer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n The people. Some tend to present or speak in an unattainable way\u2013meaning, there’s a sense of superiority or elitism. This distracts me from learning anything meaningful from them. It depends on the extent of this behavior, but for the most part I’d attend again. –\u00a0@jessymoyer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n A bad experience would be not coming away with knowledge you can use. At a minimum I hope to make 10x any investment I make over time. This can be how to execute something or even meeting someone who motivates you to do better. –\u00a0#<\/s>networking<\/a> instead –\u00a0@ferkungamaboobo<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ2: Which conferences have you attended and would you attend again?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
#<\/s>CTAConf<\/a> attended (they’ll call me I’m sure) local specific events – Evening Rounds for health digital communicators, creative mornings, and webinars. –\u00a0@JuliaVyse<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n#<\/s>ppcchat<\/a> USA: SMX Advanced, Hero Conf & State of Search UK: #<\/s>BrightonSEO<\/a> & their sister events, SMX London, Heroconf Pitched a some new conferences this year that can change this mix. –\u00a0@duanebrown<\/span><\/a><\/p>\nQ3: Are there any conferences or events that you have always wanted to attend, but have not? Why not?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Q4: What makes for a great search conference experience for you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Q5: What makes for a great presentation by a speaker for you?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Q6: What makes for a bad experience for you at a conference or event? Would that experience keep you from attending again?<\/strong><\/h4>\n