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Vegas: a Love / Hate Relationship

EventPosted 29 Nov 2012 by Stefanie Lightman

Every time I land in Vegas, I get an anxious feeling around the idea that I am about to spend several days in a city which is filled with crowded venues, loud gambling, and lots of cigarette smoke. As you exit the plane the chimes of the slot machines start and you know it’s not going to end anytime soon. I will admit the city has some amazing restaurants, and the first time I visited there was a lot to see, but after being here several times a year, it is just not for me.

The other week, I returned to Vegas for the SharePoint Conference and while I went with my usual attitude, this time I started have some feeling of love for this city. No, I didn’t win at the blackjack table, but I started to see the convenience this city brings to large industry events. Here I was attending a huge event that was filled with partners, customers, industry analysts and technology enthusiasts, and Vegas offered me the most exciting and productive 3 days I could have dreamed of.

Adrenalin or Oxygen?

Don't know if it’s true, but I have heard that the Vegas casinos pump in oxygen to keep you awake and ready to gamble. Not sure if it was artificial or not, but I experienced an adrenalin that got me from meeting to meeting (no matter how far apart they were) and engaged in the most interesting conversations (no matter how late it was). If you can imagine navigating between the booth and a meeting suite could easily be a 15 minute walk, and with Vegas being the catalyst for back to back sessions, I think both oxygen and adrenaline played a part.

Ideas Sound Better with Wine

With so many great restaurants to choose from, the wine selection never fell short. Having the face time with colleagues that often you only connect with virtually proved to drive some inspiring conversations. As the evenings went on and the next bottle was opened, we shared new ideas and motivated each other to go back to our offices and put our plans in action. This was a SharePoint event, but the inspiration was less about SharePoint and more about social. How to get people to work together, be human in a digital world.

Big Tradeshows Don’t Need to be a Gamble

I am always a little skeptical about the budget required to show up at an event as large as the SharePoint Conference. You are in a booth buried in a sea of solutions and hope that the right person walks by at the right time. If played right, it doesn’t need to be such a risky proposition. The NewsGator team did a great job driving awareness before and all through the event. Customer, partner, and industry meetings back to back throughout the event kept everyone moving. Great dinners allowed us to continue the conversation beyond the booth into a more engaged setting. Multiple sessions showcased leadership in the Microsoft ecosystem. And a compelling “call to action” in the booth that not only drove traffic but has a valuable feedback loop post-event to continue the conversation.

So I left Vegas at the end of the event realizing that for me Vegas will never be a place to escape for gambling and late night clubbing, but the place I want to be for industry events of the future.

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Tags: Business Development Motivation fresh ideas

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