Carried Away with FunnyBizz

Last week I attended a new kind of business conference. Not on marketing technology (see my post on THAT one!) nor on the business of food (though my friend Sheree puts on a great one for that field) and not on the business of travel, either, though I’ve spoken at a great event for tour guides. Nope, not on social media (there are plenty of those, the best being Social MediaMarketing World which I did love) and not even on design (I often attend as well as speak at these, like SF Design Week, where I will be on a panel on VR in design, but I digress….)

I went to a whole conference about using humor in business! FunnyBizz is in it’s 5^th year, and all I can say is, why didn’t I discover it sooner? I literally screamed with laughter (my goofy mug is all over the event graphics, because I was caught laughing my ass off) for 8 hours and took 6 pages of notes which are mostly illegible, but for the multiple exclamation points I used after each point.

My top takeaways from the event:

1)      Be sure to attend next year (I think this is poised to become the next TED talks).

2)      Comedians are much smarter than they want you to believe. They know what they’re doing.

3)      It takes vivid stimulation of the brain to move an event into memory. If you can activate an emotional signal, you will be memorable.

4)      Use humor on yourself first, then you can select other targets.

5)      Serious topics CAN use humor – see realtor.com

6)      Job titles are ridiculous. (Chief Evangelist of Evangelism)

7)      If it’s embarrassing for me, it’s funny for you.

8)      Do NOT do what works! (That’s what everyone else is doing.)

9)      Make other people look good.

10)   You are at your funniest when you are just being yourself.

11)   Comedy = tragedy + time

12)   The structure of every joke is 1..2..4!

13)   Talk about pain to get empathy.

14)   Comedy tells the truth about being human.

15)   Don’t do anything you wouldn’t want to read about in the paper.

16)   If you are told “No” find another way and make it happen.

Carried Away with MarTech (conference recap)

Martech is the blending of marketing and technology, and today careers with job titles such as Chief Marketing Technologist are rapidly proliferating. There is also a highly focused business conference called MarTech, now in its 4^th year, for its practitioners. As a Social Media Strategist working in marketing, a job that would not even be possible without technology, I decided to attend the conference to learn more.

Described by the planners as the “international conference series for senior-level, hybrid professionals who are both marketing- and tech-savvy: marketing technologists, creative technologists, growth hackers, data scientists, and digital strategists.” MarTech is held each Spring in San Francisco. When I heard about it, I signed right up, put on my best vintage power jacket, and marched myself downtown to attend. With a notebook and a pen, no less, because what’s more tech than the rejection of tech? I digress….

What I learned at MarTech is that the tech arena moves at an even faster pace than I was aware. That eMBA that I earned back in 2001 (which only existed for 3 years) was pretty revolutionary at the time, but any laurels I may have been resting on have long since decomposed. We all have to work to keep up in this ever-changing sphere, especially as a Gen Xers who refuse to be left behind. ESPECIALLY as a woman. Something happened during one of the sessions, where a speaker responded to an audience question in the negative, admitting she didn’t know the technology in question. This horrified me, since even I had read blog posts on this particular technology. She was a woman of about my age, and up to that point I had admired her and decided that if she could do it, so could I. Then the bomb dropped, and I, along with those seated on either side of me, just shook my head. As terrible as I felt for her, I was relieved it wasn’t me. I filed it and kept going, which is the first rule of business.

Fortunately, that was the only cringe-worthy moment, and most of the other moments were quite grand, such as the opening party, “The Stackies". This is an award ceremony for graphics describing a  firm’s "marketing stack" which is the tech they use and what it does for their marketing campaigns. I had examined and (I think) intelligently processed entries from previous years that were posted online; this years’ winners were firms that nobody in their right mind would even try to compete with. Like Microsoft. Still, if not at every level, I completely grasped the broad theory of each entry and enjoyed seeing the entries and the winners. Plus, there were artisan donuts!

The next day, I attended several of the conference sessions - at the reduced “Expo Pass” rate, which meant I had access only to those sessions sponsored by vendors. The sessions described their offerings, yet there was no sense of lesser content. These were all remarkably bright people and relevant topics, such as new marketing uses for IBM’s Watson (which was a true highlight), as well as a talk by the lead for digital at subculture favorite, Dr. Martens Boots. Though these were sponsored talks, they were far from advertisements, and offered really fascinating case studies and explanations of some high-level architecture and tools. I realized that just because I do not currently work with clients who could benefit from 95% of it, this time next year or perhaps the next, that percentage could be different. It was quite a relief to observe that I am closer to understanding much of what I was hearing, and that the questions I had were of a specific nature rather than general or vague. Strange waters, these, but I was afloat. Not sailing the luxury yacht, as many in attendance were, but afloat nevertheless. So glad I love to swim!

Finally, I made a point of schmoozing – OK, networking - with everyone at the expo hall. There were over 100 vendors, and I spoke with well over half of them, and not just with the goal of collecting free conference swag. I introduced myself as a social strategist for small business, and asked what their apps / tools did and how they benefit small business. Many, in fact, were tools designed for enterprise-level business, but several tools might apply to my own clients now or in the near future. I was proud that I was able to ask intelligent follow-up questions, and understand the demos I was shown. And of course, I am delighted with all the free swag ;)

If you’ve attended a conference lately, you will know the procedure: as you are chatting with a vendor, they scan the code on your conference badge before handing over the cow-shaped logo stress squeezie or hilighter pen or keychain, which means that in addition to the swag you cart away, you will also receive emails galore. The week after MarTech, this was in my inbox: Hello Carrie, Thanks for stopping by our booth last week at MarTech SF! After seeing all the different technologies you might be thinking, "What tool is missing from my tech stack?"  and the email went on to suggest that their tool is what I was missing. But what I thought was actually more like “wait, is there a glossary attached to this email?" (thanks, Google.)

For the case studies alone, I am thrilled I attended. Because most of the offerings are beyond the needs of my own business, or that of my clients currently, I can’t say for sure whether I will attend next year, but I did step up my reading of tech blogs and subscribed to a couple of new tech podcasts. Rather than leaving feeling overwhelmed, I left feeling even more determined and on the right track. Lifelong learning is more than a goal, it increases my worth and the value to my clients. Supposedly it will also stave off Alsheimers and, as my grandmother used to say, “keep me out of the pool hall”.  Thank you, MarTech! 

Carried Away with SMMW17 (recap)

Straight up 100

Do you like business conferences? Love them even? Or do you, like most people, dread them with every fiber of your being? Don't worry, I'm bananas for them and I'm here to share a recap so you don't have to feel bad that you didn't go. You're welcome ;)

Social Media Examiner came across my radar a few years ago as a resource for social media how-to, and in a sea of eBooks, blog posts and "authorities", they actually know what they are talking about and give quality and up-to-date info. For those reasons, I decided to make the (substantial) investment to attend their massive annual conference (3000 people) in sunny San Diego in March of this year. And [**SPOILER ALERT**] I am quite glad that I did! First, a little about the experience, and then I will share my top 3 takeaways from the event.

From the very start, the experience was grand - and not just because I had a fancy room with a view in the Grand Hyatt! Bad pun, great location.

I used The Force to get a room upgrade!

At check in I was given my credentials. I wasn't expecting a card for a free Starbucks, but clearly someone was advised that I was attending, and it was handed to me by a friendly check-in volunteer. So far, my investment had just paid off! (Well OK about $4 of it...)

Credentials

Did I mention that the conference is held in San Diego? To be honest, it's difficult to be in a place of such natural glory and only spend time inside, but the fact that the Convention Center is so groovy made up for it a bit. Built in 1987 (which might be the last time I was actually IN San Diego) the center is a total mod spaceship landed on earth. Thank you, Arthur Erickson. 

The groovy SD Convention Center

Wasting no time, I attended several pre-conference workshops on Wednesday (Day 1) on storytelling, using your phone to create decent videos, and PR. It was appropriate to end with PR (darling) as it was time to get ready for a kind of massive party (remember, I said there were 3000 people!) on-board an Aircraft Carrier! I got dressed up and headed over to the USS Midway where the scene was lively, to say the least. Planes! Sailors! 80s music! Tours! Wine! Flight Simulators! Tacos! DONUTS! Glow necklaces! Advice not to ride the flight simulator after drinking the wine! 

I like people, but even I can get overwhelmed, so I found my sweet spot at the party below deck, learning about supplies delivery, ship operations, and how the mess hall worked. Meeting retired military personnel who now conduct tours was a treat, as was the private tour aspect. Any and all of my silly questions (did you get sea-sick? did you actually eat shit-on-a-shingle? did your dad make you join the Navy?) were answered patiently and fully. I didn't take a formal poll, but I can report that there were as many different answers as people I spoke to. The fact that I am familiar with the USS Carl Vinson (which was stationed near my home town, in Alameda, in the 80s), helped me converse as well as understand their answers. I could have stayed all night but soon enough it was time to go, because events began at 6am the next day! 

Party on the USS Midway. With tacos. 

After a party, it was refreshing to see my personal favorite, green juice, at the breakfast buffet. No, were were certainly not in Kansas! 

Breakfast in California ;)

Day 2 started off with a bang, or maybe I should say a prediction, in a great keynote by Social Media Examiner founder, Michael Seltzner, on Social Media in 2017. THIS is exactly why we go to SME for advice, because they work with the very best and newest in the field. This is also why I spend my money to attend this conference, so that I can bring that info / perspective back to my own clients! I was pumped. And each block in the day, and the whole following day, offered a choice of 10 or more different sessions - THERE IS SO MUCH TO LEARN ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA! I wasn't getting overwhelmed, though, I was going to relax in the sun at lunch time. 

Sunny San Diego

In addition to literally hundreds of classes offered over the next two days, there was a well-stocked bookstore where I bought books from speakers I heard at the event itself (and even had a few signed) as well as a couple that had been on my reading list for some time. 

Book haul

And there was a networking hall where we could meet with vendors, like David here, who started EasyMedia and who gave me a pair of logo glasses, so we could have a Sally Jesse Raphael moment in one of the thousands of selfies I took at the event: 

Meeting vendors / collecting swag

Ummmm did I mention that I adore conferences? I do, and I also live for the haul of conference swag I network my butt off for. With apologies to my daughter, who for her whole life has had to use random corporate logo-gifts as school supplies, I gleefully collected and dragged home plenty of swag. 

Conference swag

In addition to lectures, networking, swag collecting and juicing, I also made it a point to meet the founder of the event, Michael Selzner (see selfie below!) which I am using as a reminder to myself to work towards the level of expertise which will allow ME to one day speak at this conference! 

Selfie with the founder, Michael Stelzner

After an incredible 3 days of lectures, parties and whatnot, we were treated to a closing keynote by someone I know from the fitness world, the adorable (and tiny) Chalene Johnson. I actively do Chalene's PiYo and other fitness videos from BeachBody, and have been inspired to purchase them because of her wildly successful info-mercials (I am actually a huge sucker for info-mercials but that is a story for a whole post in itself!) so I loved hearing her describe the process and formula for creating those very videos. As a wrap, it perfectly capped off a hugely relevant and entertaining conference. Also, she made us dance. 

Closing keynote with Chalene Johnson

Did I mention that I had help from my sweet daughter, Ivy, in selecting my conference garb? Yes, I very carefully styled it up. And then was dismayed to see an overwhelming number of guys in shorts! Oh San Diego, didn't we tell you to Stay Classy? 

#ootd

After three days, though, I was TIRED. And that is why this conference ruled: after the close on Friday, I was able to drive the 2 hours to Long Beach for dinner and a bed at my Dad's house! Total bonus, available only at the Super VIP level ;) 

Dinner at Dad's

Now, enough about my experience, what were my three biggest takeaways from the event? 

1. Technical details change constantly; rely on the right sources to stay up-to-date.
2. Quality content still rules; storytelling is key. 
3. New technology is available at every level and should not be ignored by small business!

Thank you to my Dad for having me, to my family for sparing me for 3 days, to my clients for sending me with questions that I was able to answer and more, and to Social Media Marketing World for quite an experience! And I will be back next year (already bought my ticket) for more coffee, selfies and science. And watch this space, because I WILL speak there some day!