www.generations-quilt-patterns.com
by Julie Baird
(Plainfield, IL)
Even with reading all the info before going to Cincinnati, I still didn't quite know what to expect. With great trepidation, I spent the day driving and wondering just what was I getting myself into.
Within 10 minutes of check-in, I KNEW I'd made the right decision.
Thursday night is a mixer, a get together to break the ice with your fellow SBIers. What a talented, diverse and energized group of people. Easy to talk to, brimming with ideas and NO GRANDSTANDING like I've run into in my old corporate business life. Add to that, being able, for a change, to talk to people who 'get' SBI. No explaining the lingo or philosophy. They 'get' what you're doing. A true gift!
The conference schedule covers many of the basics of the AG and building your site. Seemed like a rather dull description at the time, but the information that came out of the classes with both the presentations and follow-up Q&A was quite constructive. It cemented many of the AG guidelines into a firm foundation. Following each presentation with a breakout session with groups of attendees further nailed down my grasp of my site's structure.
Even though this may sound like it's geared towards the beginning SBIer, the topics ranged from beginner to beyond my current status. The breadth of the the discussion depends on the mix of attendees. If your site is more mature and you're monetizing or close to it, a number of presentations were on tweaking your monetization model, different forms of monetization. And again, the networking was invaluable to me on this aspect.
Mealtime was fabulous. The hotel had a nice restaurant with an ample menu, but my interaction with my fellow site builders was the coup de gras. Brainstorming and sharing ideas were the meaty entrees and very satisfying. I came away with several new ideas for both creating content (video - who knew) and monetization that had never occurred to me.
Do stay at the hotel and take advantage of every networking opportunity you get. Priceless.
The accommodations were reasonably priced. I asked and received a roommate. Was unsure about that too, but she was and is an absolute delight, an amazing woman with amazing insight. Yet another unexpected gift.
At the conclusion of the formal presentations on Sunday afternoon, the presenters stayed behind and offered one-on-one and one-on-many help. A true treat to have an experienced SBIer have a look under the hood of your site and offer suggestions. Again, another unexpected gift.
If you have the chance to go to an SBI conference...
DO IT.
DON'T WAIT.
DON'T THINK.
JUST DO IT.
I'll see you there!
Respectfully,
Julie Baird
