Some of my most useful immersion into the professional world recently has been my attendance at trade shows. I attended Affiliate Summit East in Miami at the beginning of July and just this week attended Inman News Real Estate Connect in San Francisco. Both had their benefits, although I enjoyed the Miami show a bit more.
There are a few reasons for this. For one, I didn’t feel like a child at the Miami show. The crowd there was a lot younger, fresher, relaxed. Of course, the affiliate marketing industry is a newer industry, not like real estate. Real estate is a very traditional industry, with a lot of older, established professionals. Which don’t get me wrong, that’s not a bad thing either. The purpose of the show was connecting new technologies with agents & brokers to improve the business.
I also learned a bit more at the Miami show that’s relevant to my professional life. It was also my first trade show, first business trip, so I was super pumped to get back and apply all the new things I learned. Connect was valuable, but reiterated a good deal of what I learned in Miami. But it gave me a good reinforcement that the tips I got from one industry are universally applicable to other industries.
A moment about keynote speakers… both conferences I went to had incredibly engaging keynote speakers. AS East had Ze Frank, a very funny and smart guy. He was very vivacious, and presented his message in a roundabout way, but hilariously entertaining. Connect invited Hugh McLeod, again a very intelligent and funny gentleman. His message was more direct but still engaging. I encourage you to check out their websites and if you ever get the opportunity to hear them speak, take it.
