Jeff Cutler™ – columns, essays and opinions

For the next two days I’m at a conference in Foxboro, MA listening to a variety of marketing and PR professionals talk about communication techniques in new media.

The conference will give me a better perspective on how companies are reaching their clients, partners and even competitors. It will probably arm me with some techniques I can use in my social media training. And it will definitely fill my rolodex with some great resources (people) I can turn to with questions when I’m doing future work on technology.

But reading my rambling about how I’m going to improve my professional life via the Inbound Marketing Summit isn’t a lot of fun. What’s better is a bulleted list of pluses and minuses of the event.

So here goes…and feel free to add your own in the comments….

Top Five Things about Inbound Marketing Summit

1. Content. The speakers at the event are smart and for the most part are not caught up in their status. Instead of hearing, “I’m kind of a big deal” 42 times this week, we’re hearing real case studies and about experiences that have made these people successful.

2. Venue. Gillette Stadium, while the home of the Hatriots and perhaps the team I despise most in the world, makes a great place to put on a conference. The sights are great. The sound is good and the facilities are functional. Parking is free and I think we might even get to walk on the field tomorrow.

3. The staff. The people putting on the event – from Justin Levy to Chris Brogan to Colin Browning, Bob Collins and the entire New Marking Labs team – are skilled, unflappable and personable. They’ve arranged for a great mix of companies and attendees that actually makes it fun to be here.

4. The attendees. The people here to learn are friendly and they’re really here to learn. No naysaying, no griping, just smiling faces. Seriously. You should get to an event with a mix like this as frequently as you can.

5. The timing. Placing a conference in the middle of the week is a major win. Why screw with my weekend or my leisure time? Put your conference on during the week when people are working. This is work. We’re here during the work day. Good choice!

Bottom Two Things about Inbound Marketing Summit

1. Wifi. I can count on one finger – and not my middle finger, although I’m tempted to use it – the number of tech events I’ve gone to in the past year that had adequate, functioning wifi that was seamless for the entire conference, tweetup or party. WHAT THE HECK!!?? We are operating in a field that prides itself on the use of new media tools. Why have I been to 75+ events in 2009 and had reliable Wifi only ONCE? FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL. *Caveat – I bring my own USB modem with me as a backup, but that’s only because I know with certainty that Wifi is going to blow.

2. Toilet paper. Are we back in grade school? The bathrooms on the Fidelity Clubhouse Level feature little squares of paper in a dispenser that won’t allow you to get a proper amount of paper. Just saying, does this little box of frustration make anyone happy when they’re on the can?

That’s it. No other complaints and probably many more high points. How is your conference going?

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Jim Storer mentions in his latest blog post that it’s foolish not to begin a week of insanity, sleep deprivation and critical client networking with a few naps and then a few more naps to ensure you’re bright-eyed and bushy tailed for the challenge. He also implies strongly that some opportunities in life are too interesting and possibly philosophically lucrative to pass up.

With the scales nearly flipped over sideways in favor of getting some sleep and being prepared for the non-stop energy suck that is South by Southwest (#SXSW), Jim jumped at the chance to drive a pre-release 2010 Ford Escape from the tip of the Great Lakes to the center of Austin Texas with a few other creative types.

I’m one of those aforementioned CT’s. That’s right. I’ve had my arm twisted to join a crew of social media experts and strategists on a four-wheeled excursion (the name of another Ford product – unintended connection) through the heartland of America.

On this journey I don’t think we’re going to run into turkeys or lions or tigers or bears – oh, my. But I do harbor some hope of connecting with the ever elusive Twitterer. You know the one. You’ve seen the name online constantly. They have some of their comments retweeted by luminaries like @jimmyfallon or @therealdvorak, but they’re seldom in the wild.

I also am seriously thrilled to chronicle the journey in words, images and sound. To that end I’ve pitched a handful of publications and will be making my missives (likely three or four per day) available here at jeffcutler.com.

I encourage you to link to the original work and add comments on the posts.

If we run into trouble, I’ll tweet about it and share those events and fears at my other blogs.

What do you think? Where do you want us to go? What do you want me to ask of the guys in the car and of the people on the road?

It’ll be fun having you along.

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