The final presentation of the day was by Erin Youngquist, and was a good quick primer to looking for jobs online. Her presentation, which was informative, was a good example of the presentations I saw today. They were educational without being pushy or trying to “hard sell” the participants, and they did a great job at informing people at their level, instead of expecting them to already have a certain level of knowledge.
Overall, the event was (in my opinion) well-run, informative, and a terrific opportunity to meet local business owners. Larry Zimbled and his team did a great job of keeping the day flowing, keeping the bloggers (well, this blogger anyway) happy, and creating an informative program.
I have just a couple of recommendations for next year’s event:
- Have copies of the agenda on hand. Although the agenda *is* online, for the most part people need agendas while they’re walking around the venue, and they’re not necessarily looking at their computer at the time.
- Have a copy of the map for people, with presentation rooms clearly marked.
- Build in time cushions at the end of each presentation, so that presenters and participants have time to get from one presentation to another. It speaks to the quality of the event that the biggest complaint I heard was, “There were so many good presentations, I wanted to catch every minute of them!” This can be hard to do when you don’t have time to get from the first floor to the second.
- Enlist volunteers who are assigned to each room; their responsibilities should include making sure the A/V is working, that presenters have water, and that presenters stay on time. If you decide to have a feedback form given out at the end of presentations, they can serve to collect the forms after each presenter.
- Better signage – especially as regards refreshments (there was a little confusion as to where the food was for bloggers, as well as where the water was and whether it was available for everyone).
- A couple of large maps posted so that people know where exhibitors are.
- Time for bloggers/staff to have lunch.
- A morning coffee/bagels session, sponsored by the companies with booths.
All in all though, it was a very enjoyable and productive day. I made quite a few good connections, got to talk about social media with others, and generally enjoyed myself immensely.
Good job, Larry and team, and I look forward to next year’s event!
