In my last post about “Podcamp 2010″ I talked about the notion of the unconference for anyone interested in exploring the cutting-edge of social media. I don’t want to be redundant here but If you stick with my slight repetition you’ll see where I’m going with this. The event was held at Ryerson University in Toronto and 1400 people showed up. Not a penny was spent on marketing. It was all done through social media.
Presentations were 30 minutes – fast paced, full of info. I loved the short format. I loved the pace. Loved the energy of the crowd (who were mostly under 30). I left feeling inspired.
A week later, I attended “The Art of Marketing, Canada’s Marketing and Innovation Conference.” It was held at the Metro Convention centre, one of the least inspiring venues in Toronto, in a huge dark hall with theatre style seating. The speakers were top notch, Seth Godin and Mitch Joel but I found the format and setting stifling and as I looked around the room It seemed like people were having a hard time staying awake – at a price tag of $400 (without lunch)!
As creators and marketers of brands we need be mindful of the experience we are creating – if we say we are innovative we must BE innovative. Shouldn’t a sustainability conference be sustainable instead of people flying all over the country to attend? If we say it will be inspiring what can we do to make sure people will leave feeling inspired. We need to start to walk out talk. Sure its always easy to criticize but my intention is to get you thinking!
I love it when I feel inspired and I’m guessing that you do too!
