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Tech Conference Wrap Up

I feel bad, I didn't post during the conference at all. Primarily because I didn't want to lug my computer around and I am not a fan of typing on my smart phone just yet. Anyway, here are my quick hit thoughts.

1. I wish the floor had more pure social media companies. I counted 3. Several claimed they did social media, but were more AMS or CMS consultants.

2. The sessions were pretty good, but why is everyone so in love with SharePoint? As a collaboration tool, I find it cumbersome and wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole.

3. It was good seeing the Blogoclump crew. We should get ASAE to give us a booth next year to talk about blogging about association work.

4. I am sad I missed the 80's dance party. Frankie does say relax.

I will have more thoughts over on PITV later this week.

Comments

Maddie Grant said…
Totally agree about the social media companies! I am sure there are other vendors too that could help associations think outside the box. And also agree re MOSS - it bites the big one, as far as I am concerned, and lots of people were saying that (well maybe not in those words though).
Anonymous said…
Wasn't able to attend the Tech Conference this year due to a scheduling conflict with two of our own programs... but from Matt's brief description, it sounds similar to my experience in 2007 -- lots of focus on MOSS (are they a big sponsor? is there a relationship between sponsorship donations and stage time?) and when trying to sort through the vendors on the show floor, getting the impression that everyone did everything... with a few exceptions.

Believe me, I understand the tricky balance between needing vendor members (and their financial support), providing them with enough "face time" to keep them onboard as sponsors, and trying not to dilute a program's content with too much of a sales pitch.

Having said that, how do we make the most of our experiences at ASAE's events, given their challenges, and what sometimes feels like a few big players get a lot of stage time and attention?

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