Well, Pubcon was pretty incredible.
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Just kidding, I have a ton to say.
This story really starts about 10 months ago back at SMX West. I really should say at an incredible SMX really. Leaving that conference beyond inspired, Casie and myself decided to make a pact that Pubcon was going to happen no matter what. And it did.
Why Pubcon?
Actually, truth be told, I didn’t really know much about it. I just knew that last year around Pubcon 2011, I came down with this terrible case of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and felt this horrible void. Tweets, live blogging… It just seemed like a massive conference and I wasn’t there. With a huge amount of attendees and the broad range of topics, I was not about to miss Pubcon 2012.
Highlights
A couple standout tips:
- If you can get invited to the Raven Poker Tournament, I highly suggest it. The Raven crew is awesome to hang out with, and it was cool to finally meet Courtney and Arienne in person, as well as Joe who talks a big talk at the table (and all the other raven people). And while I am at it, a very special thank you to my friend Dana Lookadoo for “inviting” me ;)!
- I also survived Vegas without gambling my life savings away, which I am sure made my wife happy. Actually, not to get all sappy, but rather than gambling money, I sent her flowers with a nice little note since she is more supportive than I could have ever imagined. I spent a total of $1.00 on a nickel slot machine in the airport on the way home (just in case).
- Did you know if you are traveling with someone and they have a higher boarding number than you, you are still allowed to board with them, earlier? Yeah, well, it’s true. Thanks Melanie Mitchell on that one.
What About the Session?
There are some really smart people at #Pubcon. When I arrived on Monday afternoon, I went straight to the convention center for the speaker’s enclave. I got there late and missed a lot of it, but this was wild to have all the speakers sitting in the same room, discussing real industry topics. And there was business being done, ideas flying around, and people collaborating on small projects. Really a cool idea. And not to mention the Photo Booth After with Mike, Ryan and Lisa.
And of course I went to a bunch of different sessions throughout the event, but one of the absolute best sessions I was sitting in was Wil Reynolds site audit clinic. All I have to say is, that guy is doing some #RCS (Real Company S#it). It really just goes to show that there is always something more to learn. If you don’t know Wil, you are missing out big time.
Speaking
I spoke on two panels with some really bright people.
The first day was the Personalized and Universal Search panel with Scott Polk moderating it and Mike Marshal and Brian Combs. The next day I spoke about Facebook Marketing with Alison Zarrella. and Amanda Watlington, and I think we made a pretty good team.
And the People?
Of course, I love hanging out with Lisa, Barry, Steve, Gil and Rena over dinner. There is nothing better than seeing and spending time with some of your friends at these shows. In some ways it’s kind of like summer camp.
But at Pubcon, there are so many people who I have only known through the industry or met online. And It’s this broad range of people that makes it so valuable. There are people there with some pretty cool start ups, running their own consulting firms, you name it.
A perfect example is Sarah Evans It was about time I finally met in person. I have “known” Sarah for nearly 5 years and we never actually met in person until now. I joined her for a lunch with the folks at Tracky, Pitch Engine, SEOMoz, Lisa Buyer, Ash Buckles, and a few others.
And she even gave me her book and this awesome sticker which I put on my notebook.
Melissa Fach and her husband Paul interview me for Search Engine Journal, stay tuned for that. They are two of the nicest people of all time, and absolutely crazy in love with each other, which is so awesome. And by the way, they have effing tigers!
Also a big thank you to Michael Dorausch for taking amazing pictures of everyone around the conference and at #epicdinner hosted by Alan. I am sure there is one or two of me in there that are alright. Kirsten got a few awesome ones for sure.
I know I am leaving some people out (forgive me… it’s the day after the conference) but it’s these connections you make at conferences that are so important. Help them. I promise you, and I have seen first hand how helping people out can come full circle.
So You Asked Why Pubcon?
Enough said.
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And one final thought. A special thank you to Brett Tabke for putting on an amazing show. I know he works hard at it so big time appreciated and many thanks!
DISCLAIMER: I am SRSLY Recovering in a big way from the conference right now. I might update it later, but this is all for now. Share this if you are too 🙂