Conference Dichotomy Issues
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The trickiest part in all this is actually getting to the conference.
Once there, it's super easy to be ignored and forgotten (invisibility/NPC ignore the player cheat code). I am tops at this.
If you want people to meet/talk to you, you need to stand out.
It's really hard meeting new people, especially when it's at a conference and you know nobody (also including not met IRL but know online) -
@Minion-Queen said:
That's where you went to the last night!
Ha yes! Back up to my room, I spoke to my wife for the first time all day and I was laying on my bed, said goodbye to her and then I said goodnight to the world lol.
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So glad that my wife works in IT and attends the conference!
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I believe the topic is somewhat moot at this point. IMO getting 50 IT pros (not including vendors) is going to be really tough the first year. I have organized many fishing tournaments and events. I organize two fishing tournaments a month. What I have learned through experience is that you take them one event at a time. I've had tournaments that have had over 50 people and I have had some that have less than 10. I like to prepare for a realistic number and take registration so I know what to really expect. People disappear really quickly when they either have to pay and/or showup someplace.
To get a big number of people you need to make the small events count. You need to reward the small core of people you get in the early stages and surely it will grow as they tell their friends. Handling the small events is very important because if they aren't handled correctly, the events will never grow.
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I went from starting a Facebook group of 5 people to creating a group of over 1500 active LOCAL fishermen. The website I built is now getting 6,000 hits a week. Which may not sound like much, but consider this the website is based in ONE county.
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@IRJ said:
I believe the topic is somewhat moot at this point. IMO getting 50 IT pros (not including vendors) is going to be really tough the first year. I have organized many fishing tournaments and events. I organize two fishing tournaments a month. What I have learned through experience is that you take them one event at a time. I've had tournaments that have had over 50 people and I have had some that have less than 10. I like to prepare for a realistic number and take registration so I know what to really expect. People disappear really quickly when they either have to pay and/or showup someplace.
To get a big number of people you need to make the small events count. You need to reward the small core of people you get in the early stages and surely it will grow as they tell their friends. Handling the small events is very important because if they aren't handled correctly, the events will never grow.
SpiceWorld had around 100 in 2008.
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@scottalanmiller said:
@IRJ said:
I believe the topic is somewhat moot at this point. IMO getting 50 IT pros (not including vendors) is going to be really tough the first year. I have organized many fishing tournaments and events. I organize two fishing tournaments a month. What I have learned through experience is that you take them one event at a time. I've had tournaments that have had over 50 people and I have had some that have less than 10. I like to prepare for a realistic number and take registration so I know what to really expect. People disappear really quickly when they either have to pay and/or showup someplace.
To get a big number of people you need to make the small events count. You need to reward the small core of people you get in the early stages and surely it will grow as they tell their friends. Handling the small events is very important because if they aren't handled correctly, the events will never grow.
SpiceWorld had around 100 in 2008.
But they had a product that brought people together. I think I'm parroting you from earlier.
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Yes, that product helped a lot to get the ball rolling. We dont have that.
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But on the other hand, this community has the advantage of being an older, more mature community at the beginning. So maybe it will work differently. SW was very young when the first conference happened. The attraction to the first conference was all product, no community. So the long term effects are likely very different.
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My reasons to attend MLCon in order of importance to me:
Meet people and put a face and a hand shake to an avatar
Get out of the office for a few days
See a new place
Learn stuff about junk
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@MattSpeller said:
My reasons to attend MLCon in order of importance to me:
Meet people and put a face and a hand shake to an avatar
Get out of the office for a few days
See a new place
Learn stuff about junk
Assuming your employer is paying, don't let them see that list.
