Welcome to my latest post in my series – Expert Briefs.

So, let's jump in. Today's topic is all about live events. Why on earth do people go? Are internet marketing conferences honestly worth the price of admission and travel or not?

Beginner Marketers:  Why not just just learn from webinars and teleseminars instead of paying the higher cost for live events?

Advanced Marketers: Why would I personally pay to travel to internet marketing conferences (live ones) when I'm already successful online?

On that note, the question I asked our experts today is:

“Do you attend live events (actually traveling to seminars and conferences)?
Why? What specific benefits have you gotten from attending?”

I only asked people who I know are attending events so that you could get a feel for why they'd spend money on travel to attend them, even when they aren't attending as speakers.

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Connie Ragen Green of ConnieGreen.com says:

Attending live events has been the best way for me to connect with new prospects and continue my education. Last year I attended 13 conferences and seminars, and my business took off like gangbusters. I believe you must think about your strategy for doing this before you sign up to attend a live event, in order to make the most of it in the months to come.

My mentor, Armand Morin, puts on at least seven events each year. I usually attend most of these, depending on my schedule. I always go to his Big Seminar, and this year will be the last one. I get a lot out of learning from the different speakers and connecting with the people in the audience. Last year I won 25K in his ‘Better Your Best’ contest, and this year I get to crown the next winner.

I also attend several events each year that are held by people outside of my marketing circle. This enables me to meet people I would otherwise not have connected with, and to learn other perspectives on building my own business on the Internet. That’s how I was finally able to meet Nicole in person! (Note from Nicole: Yay!!! And, I hope to see you soon.)

Even though you must travel to these events and it may seem expensive or inconvenient, I believe it will play a major role in your online success.

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Jeff Herring of TheArticleGuyBonus.com (Get 2 free article templates.) says:

Attending live events has been the best way for me to connect.

I regularly attend and invest in seminars for 2 main reasons: learning and meeting.

1) Learning – Four of the deadliest words that block growth are “I already know that.” If out of an entire conference I can get just one gem I can use and implement, then it was more than worth it to me. Be careful that you never allow yourself to believe you are past learning anything.

2) Meeting – The people I have met at conferences and the relationships we have formed have led to life-long friendships and partnerships. Though we had communicated by email before, I first actually met Nicole at a NAMS conference (<-click to learn more) and here we are… (Note from Nicole: Jeff ROCKS! I'm so thankful to call him a friend.)

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Susanne Myers of EasyLinkLove.com says:

Yes, I do attend a few live events per year. I don't do a lot of traveling since I have a young child at home, but every time I do I see some immediate progress in my online business. There are a couple of reasons for that.

1) Being at a live events allows me to focus just on my business without the everyday distractions like family, friends and the ever growing laundry pile. I can concentrate 24/7 on learning something new and will often implement new ideas and strategies while I am at the event. In other words, I can learn and implement things in 2 or 3 days that would otherwise take me weeks to get through.

2) Over the years I have made some great friends who are in the industry. Live events give us a chance to meet in person. There's usually a lot of brainstorming and collaborating going on over breakfast, lunch and of course after hours. I often learn the most impact-full things outside the official sessions and there are no formal courses, ebooks or recordings of seminars that will teach you those things.

3) Events are also the perfect place to meet other big players in your market (or in related markets). I spend some time at each event making new connections. There's always someone you may want to JV with or just brainstorm with down the road. I've found guest bloggers at events and have written guest blog posts and articles for big names in my markets that have brought quite a bit of traffic and sales.

I would encourage anyone to attend at least one good event this year. One of my personal favorite is NAMS. Make sure you stay at the hotel where the event is hosted. Not only is it convenient to be able to run up to the room during breaks, but most of the networking will take place at the hotel as well and you want to be able to be there as much as possible.

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Doug Champigny a.k.a. Captain Affiliate of Captain-Affiliate.com says:

I have attended numerous live events now, and am always amazed by the number of people I meet, the friends I only see at these events even though we do business together year-round, and the new developments I learn so much more about during the sessions.

While I, too, am one of the speakers at NAMS this August, I'd want to be there even if I wasn't speaking – the quality of speakers and materials to be presented is awe-inspiring, and the networking opportunities will be unrivaled!

See you at NAMS… (Note from Nicole: I'm looking forward to it!)

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And, here's my 2 cents. I wrote this before reading the others just to make sure I wouldn't let their ideas sway mine. 🙂

 

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

I love live events. Well, *some* live events. (You'll want to be picky about which ones you attend.)

I’m not even talking about speaking at them, I’m talking about just showing up.

I wish that I had gone to more events over the years, because every single time I go to an event, a seminar or conference that’s related to internet marketing, it drastically increases my income.

I'll say that again in case you missed it.

Attending – Live – Events – Drastically – Increases – My – Income.

(Every single conference that I've gone to has in some way – yes, even the “bad” ones have simply due to the people I got to meet.)

It's funny, because I may leave the event thinking that I didn't really learn anything earth-shattering. But, when all of the pieces have fallen – I realize the true value of the trip. It may take a few weeks or a few months, but it always happens. The money is there and it demonstrates that the trip was MORE than worthwhile.

I know. You want some real life examples of the benefits of attending. No problemo. Here you go…

1) I have found awesome podcast guests. Where do you think I meet most of my guests? I've met most of them at live events. (There are only 6 who I haven't met of the 24 interviews so far.)

2) I've been interviewed by several amazing people – several who've met me at live events – or have heard of me through others who've met me in person.

3) These Expert Briefs. Who do you think I'm asking? People I've personally met. At live events.

4) I've uncovered phenomenal JV Partners and Affiliates.

• Example: My #1 affiliates for my last product launch were Connie Ragen Green (see above) and Bob “The Teacher” Jenkins. When? After I met them at live events.  Most of my top affiliates for my Blog Tour Guide were also people who know me personally. I'm saying. It helps. They got to meet me, speak with me, realize I know a thing or two and work hard to provide value – and they grew to like me. That's much easier to accomplish in person over a meal or drinks than it is in email.

5) I've benefited from incredible Social Proof.

• Example: Because I now have relationships with high level marketers such as Willie Crawford, Jeff Herring, Kathleen Gage, and Lynn Terry – we chat back and forth on Twitter.  I don't have to beg and plead to get Retweeted. They know me. They like me.  They trust me. And, vice versa, of course. I respect them immensely. Other people see that communicated on Twitter. Like I say, “Expertise is like cooties. You catch it by close proximity.” So, it's good to be close to people who are considered experts – even before adding in the obvious benefits of being friends with warm, smart, cool people.

6) I've also hired highly skilled people that I've met at live events.

• Examples: I met both my transcriptionist, Loretta Oliver, and my Squidoo lense creator, Lisa Roberson, at a live event.

7) I’ve also met lots of people who’ve ended up as customers. We got a chance to meet face-to-face, and they realized that I was the “real deal” (their words) so they are now loyal customers. That’s a lot harder to accomplish in writing.

8 ) Some of my best friendships were formed and deepened at live events in the chatting after hours and between classes.

9) PLUS, I’ve met brilliant people who I can mastermind with. Once you reach a certain level in your business, it becomes next to impossible to find a coach, since you’re ahead of most people. So, instead, connecting on a mastermind level is sometimes the next best option. I’ve met tons of REALLY smart people who I can brainstorm with whenever I get stuck. (Yes, it happens to ALL of us!)

10)  AND I get out of my regular daily routine which helps me to get ideas upon ideas, so it’s fantastic.

So, Which Internet Marketing Conference Should You Attend?

If you've never been to one before (or if you just like to hang with cool people) – then I'd recommend The NAMS event, David attracts fantastic, positive, wonderful people, and that’s why that event is so highly regarded. I’m absolutely thrilled that I get to be a speaker there. I don’t get paid to attend, heck I have to pay to get there, but I am absolutely honored and excited to stand alongside amazing people like Willie Crawford, Lynn Terry, Kathleen Gage, and the rest. It's a pretty amazing event. Go if you can swing it.

Official NAMS Sales Page and Speaker Lineup

The sales page which includes the list of speakers.  Check out the NAMS Info Page. I'm not sure how many seats are left but last time I checked there were less than 20, so don't put it off if you're thinking of attending. 🙂 Hope to see you there!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Please post your reasons for attending (or NOT attending) events below. 🙂 Thank you!