Forum Moderators: open
It's time for PubCon #10, the WebmasterWorld Search and Internet Marketing Conference. We're in Las Vegas and it's time to kick things off.
PubCon is not the time to be shy - it's the time to get it in gear and have some fun. All of us were new to PubCon at some point or another, so if it's your first time, never fear! Just march up to people, introduce yourself, and start talking. This is a friendly bunch of people. (I flew by myself internationally for PubCon #3 ... on my first evening there, I walked into a bar, sat down at a table and ended up talking with Brett Tabke, 2 admins, 3 mods and about 5 other people. I didn't get up from that table for about 4 hours and that alone was worth the cost of my trip ... not to mention fun fun fun!)
Executive Summary of PubCon
PubCon FAQsWhat is PubCon?
The Official Version
WebmasterWorld's PubCon is an educational conference and industry trade show programmed specifically for web professionals and website site owners. Although our center piece is Search Engine Marketing, Whether your primary role is in web site marketing, corporate IT development, or as a technology business management, you will find something of value at PubCon (aka: Publishers Conference). It is also designed to be fun and entertaining with ample opportunity for quality networking. More here: [pubcon.com...]
The Unofficial Version
This is THE place to hang out, have fun, and learn from the people who know stuff. Nearly all of our incredible regulars from WebmasterWorld, including more than half of our moderators and administrators, hang out at PubCon. Google Engineers, industry innovators and stealth geniuses abound. You can learn more about webmaster stuff in an hour over a beer at this conference than you can imagine. And it's a blast.
Where is it being held?
We're at the Las Vegas Convention Center [lvcva.com].
What are the dates and times of this event?
The conference is November 15-17. Registration officially opens at 8am on Tuesday the 15th, the keynote begins at 9am, and things are going on all day.
Where is everyone staying?
The official conference hotel is the Renaissance Las Vegas [renaissancelasvegas.com].
How do I find and hook up with fellow conference attendees?
If you don't spot 'em at all hours, bleary eyed, in the nearest bar, you're not looking hard enough - look in the dark corners. Anywhere you find clumps of people all huddled up, throwing words around like "Jagger" "algo" and "sandbox," you'll know you're in the right place.
Name badges are geeky, do I really need mine?
Oh yeah, you really need it. First of all, we want to know who you are so we can talk to you! Second of all, your name badge is required for admittance to all events, including lunches are parties. No badge, no attendance. Seriously. Don't lose that thing, it's the golden ticket.
What's going on at the conference?
Check out the official PubCon website [pubcon.com] for all of the info about the conference.
A list of the sessions and special events can be found at [pubcon.com...]
There are some special lunches - one by Google and one by Yahoo!. Be sure to find the link to those lunches on the session grid [pubcon.com] and register for them - you must preregister to attend these lunches, but they are free.
Yahoo! is hosting a party on Tuesday night ... but again, you need to preregister or they will NOT let you come in, and I guarantee you won't want to miss it.
The official PubCon party will be on Thursday from 1pm until "whenever." Brett will announce the secret location at some point during the conference, so keep your ears tuned in.
What else do I need to know?
Check in here to this thread - any extra announcements will be here, plus the chatter in this thread should tell you what you need to know.
Cheers!
[edited by: Hawkgirl at 6:38 pm (utc) on Nov. 14, 2005]
No. Stuff like this is officially copyrighted G (the speaker) and WebmasterWorld (the host).
Man - overall it was a great time - good crowds - great sessions - and super people!
Today is going to be even better. Thanks everyone that came!
Is there a complete transcript of his coffee session anywhere on WebmasterWorld?
Unless we had some court reporters there taking it all down I doubt it, but I did see a bunch of laptops going so you never know what will show up on a blog somewhere.
I'm just sorry I couldn't stay for the last day Pub session....
Thanks,
Jon
I'm sure glad I didn't. That session alone made it worth the trip.
so i won't get to read about it on a blog somewhere lol .. :)
[seroundtable.com...]
DaveN
Only problem is I tend to nap after a few hours drinking beer so if anyone from the conference sees me sleeping under the crap table this afternoon, please kick me so I make my flight at 7.
Thanks in advance.
Incredibill! Wake up and splash some water in your face, it's almost time for the PubCon part!
this was my first conference, you guys did a great job and i enjoyed it very much. so many new ideas...
this was definitly not my last one...
again, thanks!
thanks!
[edited by: Woz at 5:29 am (utc) on Nov. 18, 2005]
[edit reason] No email addys please, see TOS#13 [/edit]
From the first day, I felt like I learned enough and sparked enough new ideas to make it all worthwhile. Everything after that was gravy.
Met a few of the regulars here, but I don't think I ran across IncrediBill.
Mostly everyone was friendly, although there were a few either shy (like me) or standoffish folks.
Yahoo through an awesome party, although I was dressed for it, it was a bit of a bummer about the lack of info on the dress code. My business partner wasn't fully dressed for it. We ended up leaving before 10pm anyway though, but it was pretty surreal drinking and having a chat with Yahoo execs. Felt like a VIP and at the same time it help bring back the realization that the folks that work at Yahoo/Google/WebmasterWorld are really just "people" (not faceless corporate website zombies :)
Brett was a great host, and I'm looking forward to my next Pubcon already. I just gotta learn to talk to more people :)
The Vegas airport has nice free wifi, so now I get to catch up on work while I wait for my plane to take off.
I can't believe I attended the WHOLE thing!
I also can't believe I'm home, have barely slept all week and I'm still up past midnight.
Shoot me.
or just bad press. Let's face, there are writters out there waiting for a story. If Matt is honest, they will run with it: "Google acknowledges serious issues; many mom-and-pop stores effected."
this was my first pubcon, and i can easily say that it was one of the best conferences i have ever attended. even as a seasoned marketing/search/seo professional, i came away with a ton of knowledge. IMO, it's because the event mirrored wemasterworld, which is all about the community and sharing knowledge - which is so essential for what we do in this ever-changing world of SEO.
thanks, all - great stuff.
***********************
incrediBill - the table went south in a hurry when you left but not until one of our fellow Pubcon attenders put $100 on a hard 8 and it paid. I'm glad you made your flight.
Was there a date announced for Boston?
There's been a pubcon in Boston before - I have no worries about lack of fun. ;-) I'll be glad for a little bit more laid back conference - I still haven't recovered for New Orleans and being a gambler, I barely sleep in Vegas.
This was the first conference where I could answer another member's question and Help them.
I must be learning something...Thanks again.
Neil
Whatever, Brett, you had a good show. Thanks.
(Happy to be home, finally.)
