We're definitely going to bring the music volume lower next year. Or maybe we should have a dance club night and a more mellow night so everyone gets something to their liking (the Hilton pool party was quieter, easy to talk). We saw some people having a great time dancing, but not everyone likes to dance, some just want to chat. Or, like me, you may be a terrible dancer. :)
In any case, The Bank and Jet nightclubs were awesome, but bringing the music level down a few clicks would make it more sociable which is the whole point of congregating at night.
Regarding capturing more networking time in-between conference sessions: Would you want less sessions per day (3 time slots instead of 4?), or just a longer day with more time during the breaks?
Any input is welcome, as our goal is to make a great educational and networking experience for everyone (us included).
Feel free to email me with any special requests or comments, happy to chat with you.
Best Regards,
Dave Cynkin Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker BlogWorld & New Media Expo
Paul Stamatiou
· 1 month ago
Thanks for stopping by TechDrawl Dave. Yeah I definitely agree about the clubs - they were awesome venues and I would normally have a blast at places like that, but when I'm surrounded by bloggers I've been reading for years and I just want to chat with them I'd be better off elsewhere.
As for networking in-between sessions - I think it would be great if there was some more downtime between panels - or maybe just a free 1-hour block somewhere in the day, and one room was designated as the chill/chat room and had basic beverages and laptop charging stations and tables. The day was definitely long enough - I found myself often skipping the very last panel of the day to get ready and find dinner before the 8pm parties/events rolled around.
Best, Paul
dave_blogworldexpo
· 1 month ago
Did you get a chance to hang out in the lounge just inside the entrance to the Expo area? That was the chillin'/snackin' spot. That's pretty much open all day.
Last year, we also had an early evening mixer in a conference room with refreshments an hour or so before the evening parties, and that was nice. We're thinking of bringing that back next year.
Courtenay
· 1 month ago
I went by the Expo lounge area several times to pick up coffee and water for us (great job providing beverages!), but always ended up having to rush back for the start of a panel. I like the idea of an hour block midday dedicated to socializing, perhaps after lunch when the post-meal sleep wave tends to hit. Coffee and networking!
It might be hard to squeeze in an evening mixer (well, at least for the ladies). It was pretty tight with a keynote, 2 hours for dinner, and then the parties... when's a girl supposed to get fixed up? ;) Maybe the keynote could include the mixer somehow?
Overall, Dave, a wonderful experience! Can't wait for next year!
dave_blogworldexpo
· 1 month ago
Glad you had fun Courtenay, and I agree, we need to have a longer lunch/break time mid-day. Did you catch the networking social on the Expo floor on Sat 1-3pm w/snacks? I really enjoy that. Maybe we should have that every day.
Courtenay
· 1 month ago
Sat 1-3pm was definitely naptime after several jam-packed, exhausting days in Vegas! :)
iFroggy
· 1 month ago
Hey Paul!
Thanks so much for attending and writing about the panel. It was great to meet you. :)
I'm glad that you liked the panel. I thought the Twitter Lists demo added a nice side plot. It was fairly clear the crowd was interested, so that was why I decided to go with it. But, after 5 minutes, we got back on topic. And, of course, at Q&A time, we'll answer what people ask and they were curious about Twitter Lists. I was so happy that we were able to cover the panel content 100% as planned AND give people this nice Twitter Lists bonus morsel, if you will. I hope it delivered value overall.
And, who knows, maybe one day I too will have access to Twitter Lists.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you at the next stop.
Thanks,
Patrick
Paul Stamatiou
· 1 month ago
Hey Patrick - I actually did enjoy Scoble's Lists demo as well.. just put the "devolved" part in there as some snark. :-) I got Twitter lists access around the same time he did so I was just learning the ins and outs of it so it was nice to see his interpretation! See ya around. Going to SXSW this year?
iFroggy
· 1 month ago
Thanks Paul. :) Glad to hear it I still don't have access, hehe. :) Yes, I will be at SXSW (hopefully on my first SXSW panel ever! :)). Look forward to seeing you there!
beley
· 1 month ago
Great writeup Paul! And I'm laughing like crazy at Tim's "Stammys" suggestion... that's hilarious!
Willie Jackson
· 1 month ago
I'm with Tim; Stammy logos FTW. Hilarious.
The @ captions were a nice touch, particularly on the crowded pic.
Glad you enjoyed BlogWorld.
Chris Lentz
· 1 month ago
Great post Paul, wish I could have gone. Hopefully I can get out to some of these events soon.
Courtenay
· 1 month ago
Great post, Paul! Hopefully the organizers of BlogWorld will listen to their audience and address the major criticisms for next year. It's a conference definitely worth attending -- and it's not just for bloggers anymore!
SILENTBUTSMART
· 1 month ago
Wow!!!! I am blown away.....One ? when is the next one?
celiadyer
· 1 month ago
Tim, the 8.5 Stammy-head icons are awesome!
IdoNotes
· 1 month ago
Great posting and summary. I se the back of my head in a couple pics, lol. It was my first year at bwe09 after quite a few years of blogging and podcasting and working with some of the panelists. A good trip well worth the effort in attending.
We did happen to catch Jermaine Dupri after his panel for a podcast interview on http://TheSocialGeeks.com which includes three of us that made the trek to BlogWorldExpo this year and plan on coming back.
Paul Stamatiou
· 1 month ago
Nice! I'm checking out the interview right now.
akeorlando
· 1 month ago
What an awesome post, Stammy! I've been to BlogWorld Expo a couple of times, but if I hadn't your post would certainly encourage me to do so.
It was great to finally meet you - keep up the good work!
All Comments
We're definitely going to bring the music volume lower next year. Or maybe we should have a dance club night and a more mellow night so everyone gets something to their liking (the Hilton pool party was quieter, easy to talk). We saw some people having a great time dancing, but not everyone likes to dance, some just want to chat. Or, like me, you may be a terrible dancer. :)
In any case, The Bank and Jet nightclubs were awesome, but bringing the music level down a few clicks would make it more sociable which is the whole point of congregating at night.
Regarding capturing more networking time in-between conference sessions:
Would you want less sessions per day (3 time slots instead of 4?), or just a longer day with more time during the breaks?
Any input is welcome, as our goal is to make a great educational and networking experience for everyone (us included).
Feel free to email me with any special requests or comments, happy to chat with you.
Best Regards,
Dave Cynkin
Co-Founder, CMO, Sleep Deprivationist & Thrill Seeker
BlogWorld & New Media Expo
As for networking in-between sessions - I think it would be great if there was some more downtime between panels - or maybe just a free 1-hour block somewhere in the day, and one room was designated as the chill/chat room and had basic beverages and laptop charging stations and tables. The day was definitely long enough - I found myself often skipping the very last panel of the day to get ready and find dinner before the 8pm parties/events rolled around.
Best,
Paul
Last year, we also had an early evening mixer in a conference room with refreshments an hour or so before the evening parties, and that was nice. We're thinking of bringing that back next year.
It might be hard to squeeze in an evening mixer (well, at least for the ladies). It was pretty tight with a keynote, 2 hours for dinner, and then the parties... when's a girl supposed to get fixed up? ;) Maybe the keynote could include the mixer somehow?
Overall, Dave, a wonderful experience! Can't wait for next year!
Thanks so much for attending and writing about the panel. It was great to meet you. :)
I'm glad that you liked the panel. I thought the Twitter Lists demo added a nice side plot. It was fairly clear the crowd was interested, so that was why I decided to go with it. But, after 5 minutes, we got back on topic. And, of course, at Q&A time, we'll answer what people ask and they were curious about Twitter Lists. I was so happy that we were able to cover the panel content 100% as planned AND give people this nice Twitter Lists bonus morsel, if you will. I hope it delivered value overall.
And, who knows, maybe one day I too will have access to Twitter Lists.
Thanks again and I look forward to seeing you at the next stop.
Thanks,
Patrick
The @ captions were a nice touch, particularly on the crowded pic.
Glad you enjoyed BlogWorld.
We did happen to catch Jermaine Dupri after his panel for a podcast interview on http://TheSocialGeeks.com which includes three of us that made the trek to BlogWorldExpo this year and plan on coming back.
It was great to finally meet you - keep up the good work!