Posted by randfish
For the last few years, our partners at Distilled have run some incredible conferences in London, New Orleans and Boston. This year, for the first time, they're coming to New York City and it's going to be an incredible experience.
Rather than pour over details of the event, I'll let some photos, images and screenshots do the talking.
#1: The Speakers are Unparalleled
The team selecting speakers goes to dozens of events each year and we get to cherry-pick only those speakers we know can present exceptional quality material. Will, Duncan and Lynsey are religious about speaker quality and have a rigorous ratings system to make sure that only the best are invited back a second time. New York's SearchLove Lineup will be remarkable.
#2: Content Quality is Insanely Good
You will be amazed by this next screenshot. It's from the feedback forms Distilled collects from attendees and shows just how well they've done. Lynsey + Will didn't actually give me permission to share this... But I figure, ask forgiveness, right? :-)
For context, until this year (2011), the scores for our annual event, Mozcon, were not as good as these numbers. I've also gotten to see aggregate feedback for several other major conferences in the search + marketing world, and they've never come close.
Typically, the folks filling out feedback forms pro-actively are going to be a mix of those who loved or hated the experience. The Distilled feedback suggests almost univeral happiness. In particular, the high proportion of attendees saying the content level was "just right" is unprecedented. Professionals in the Internet Marketing field are a demanding group and they've heard it all before. To show them something new, you need to have top notch content and that's what SearchLove has proven it can do.
#3: The Head to Head
Seatlle's Mozcon face-off ended in a mixed result. The on-site vote count suggested a win for me, making the score an even 3-3 over 6 battles. However, our follow-up survey revealed that Will had better scores, thus making the wins Will 4, Rand 2. Whatever; I'll get him this time.
Though, probably not with an expression like that one.
Seriously, though, my slide decks have been getting tens of thousands of views on Slideshare. What's up Critchlow? Too tired after your Quidditch game to upload more than these 2 measly presentations? Yeah. That's what I thought. I've been practicing. And I'm not taking any more losses.
#4: Everything Around the Conference Rocks
Unlike Mozcon 2011 (where, for those who didn't attend, the hotel's wifi was largely broken until day 3), free wifi works. And like Mozcon, there's lots of awesome stuff surrounding the events including awesome afterparties, an SEO site clinic, great food, drinks and a terrific crowd for networking.
#5: New York City
One of my favorite parts of going to conferences in NYC is the city itself. For anyone with extra time, there's a million things to do and for those with a strictly business agenda, it's next-to-impossible to not have other business in the city. Just make sure you don't schedule it over the sessions :-)
#6: It's Only $899 for SEOmoz PRO Members
As in years past, Distilled's generously given PRO members a discount of $200 off the regular price (and if your organization would like to purchase multiple tickets, the discount can apply for them as well).
To find the discount code, just head to the bottom of the Moz PRO Discount Store page.
#7: Truly Exceptional People
On our anniversary this year, my wife and I had a conversation about our favorite people in the world and the people who we most wanted to get to know better. Nearly every one was connected to the world of search and marketing. That's the incredible thing about the field we've also chosen professionally. Sure, in some circles, SEO has a bad name. But it hides a collection of inspiring, exceptional, down-to-earth, generous, fun, heartwarmingly-authentic people.
It's folks like this that make me proud and humbled to be in the search world. I couldn't ask for better compatriots.
#8: Actionable Information
One of my least favorite experiences is sitting in a session where speakers talk about problems or challenges, but provide no actionable solutions. I want something I can write down, email to my team or implement that night (or the next day) and get a win. It doesn't have to be easy or quick, but it has to be real. Advice like "engage with your audience" is the bane of my conference-going existence.
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Which is why I love SearchLove. Will Critchlow has personal calls with every speaker. In those calls, he informs us that we have to make presentations that would impress him and show him something he's never seen before. No one gets up on stage without being through the rigors of Will's crucible (which also often involves an outline and slide review), and that makes for a list of tips, tools, examples and recommendations that will make you a better marketer and earn your site better traffic.
#9: The Parties
Networking is fun. Networking with fire-breathers, acrobats and magicians is way more fun.
This year, SearchLove NYC falls on Halloween, and that Monday night, Distilled's holding a bash that will rival anything they've ever done. I've got my costume all picked out, too (OK, technically, Geraldine made it for me).
#10: The Format
The SearchLove format isn't for everyone, but for me, it's heaven. I dislike most panels - I've gone on the record many times as saying I think the content that can be delivered in 10-15 minutes tends to be shallow and unactionable. I dislike what panel formats do for speakers, i.e. make it not worth the time for great speakers to attend. If you're a talented, keynote-quality presenter, why would you go to a show where you only get 15 minutes on stage next to 2-3 other folks on the same subject. It's tough to make sure there's no overlap, impossible to be comprehensive and the focus isn't on your material.
SearchLove is different. A single track and 30-60 minute talks per speaker means it is worth the time of folks like Mat Clayton, Mike King, Bob Rains or Wil Reynolds to come and deliver their best material. It means that after the sessions, the networking is easier because we've all seen the same material and can discuss our thoughts on it. It means there's no weak links in the conference.
I've attended a few other events with this format and from a personal perspective, it's how I get the most value. If you feel the same way, you should give SearchLove a try. From what I've seen in the feedback forms and my experience at prior events, I think you'll find it to be one of the best professional events you've ever attended.
You can get tickets here. Hope to see you on Halloween!
p.s. My understanding is that the London show (which happens a week before) is nearly sold-out - if you're hoping to come, you'd better book your place. NYC will likely be getting full soon.
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