Levelwing: Top 10 Conferences for Digital Marketing Professionals - Steve Parker Jr.

Since 1995 I have attended a number of conferences probably hundreds if not a thousand as well as been a featured speaker or panelist at more than I can count amp8211 that39s 16 years39 worth of listening talking networking handshaking and a lot of mixed drinks Some conferences have been large with thousands of attendees and others small with less than a hundred Many have been very thoughtful and others a complete waste of timeRecently I reached out to a number of industry friends and asked them for opinions on their favorite conferences Below I have combined my feedback with theirs hence amp8211 the Top 10 Conferences for Digital Media Professionals EnjoyNote some of these conferences and events have passed for 2011 but mark your calendar for the 2012 versions1 IAB Annual Meeting amp8211 IAB meetings are not one of the most specific to a particular segment of digital but do provide a great forum for knowledge about the direction of the entire industry and cover topics from basic media standards to privacy concerns As Jack Myers told me quotI am not at many conferences but I do like the IAB annual meetingquot It is well regarded by many in the senior leadership of the industry and I39d agree that it is a leading knowledge base Here is a link to a Recap of the last IAB Annual Meeting2 SES Search Engine Strategies amp8211 If you are not attending or don39t have a few staff attending SES each year then recapping the learning and trends from the conference throughout your company you are missing the boat With search commanding the lion share of digital media expenditure SES is a must attend conference You39re not responsible for search in your company So what You should know how search affects digital media traditional media and even the operations of a business and this a great place to start Go ahead amp8211 register for one of the SES Conferences you can thank me later PS publisher sales representatives trying to sell display and sponsorships amp8211 this conference will help you better understand what you are selling against amp8211 go3 iMedia Agency Brand ampamp Breakthrough Summits amp8211 I39ll be frank here iMedia is really good at scheduling conferences at great resorts that are positioned well away from any outside influence In other words if you attend you will be focused because the debauchery of Vegas Miami and Austin are a hike and this crew starts early although there are always those that burn the midnight oil Not for everyone but one of the best for agencies and publishers to learn mingle and discuss high interest topics with peers in the industry Personally the first day of the Agency Summit is always my preferred day amp8211 The Aspen Group Agency Only Attendees The Aspen Group is a gathering of mostly senior agency leaders from the largest of agencies to the smallest of them and everything inbetween in a closeddoor forum openly discussing opportunities and issues Special Note the largest and the smallest agencies all suffer from the same problems Size has become irrelevant for many of the issues the agency world faces Here is a link to upcoming iMedia Summits4 SIME Ok so most of us in the United States tend to have a slightly skewed viewpoint with digital Yes of course it is penetrating all countries but at SIME takes place throughout Europe a few times a year you can get a great perspective from leaders in digital media the world over A passionate knowledgebased group of speakers and attendees If you want to change your vantage point a bit amp8211 attend Here is a link to upcoming SIME events5 OMMA Metrics amp8211 Measurement is key Nothing in this day and age should come without metrics nothing OMMA Metrics will introduce you andor reacquaint you with the information you need to know in order to measure what you are doing online effectively Need to tie online to offline amp8211 yes that will be covered too Get thee to OMMA Metrics6 AdTech amp8211 It is almost as if AdTech invented the internet They call themselves quotThe Event for Digital Marketingquot and they may well be right Seriously they have been producing digital media conferences many of them for quite a long time And they are really good at it A broad range of topics speakers workshops and more will keep you engaged for the duration I have found at times that the content gets a bit stale BUT only if you attend many of them back to back Otherwise AdTech is a great resource to the industry More on AdTech Events7 DPACDPS amp8211 These Digital Publishing ampamp Adverting Conferences and Summits do good job of bringing in a vast array of thought leaders in media publishing and technology The focus here is on monetization and distribution of content A clear leader for attendance for those that create and publish digital content Links to DPAC Events amp8211 DPS Events8 Seller Forum amp8211 Ok I know some will disagree but if it were not for sales reps the entire industry of digital media would fall flat on its face This is a small albeit great event for sellers of media and services Honestly the word on the street is that if you are a seller amp8211 this is a must attend event Network learn from peers and get strong POV39s on the issues that face the industry and the sales process It is invite only Here is the link to the Seller Forum Events9 TED amp8211 this may be a strange addition to the list but the great thing about TED is that it will take you out of your comfort zone and into an inspiring realm Yes some of the topics may not be at all related to digital media yet the inspiration will guide you in all endeavors and give you tips about how to better communicate your own ideas TED also does a tremendous job of syndicating their content and providing it in many digital formats From the TED website to Apple TV to the iPad App in all honesty you can attend TED from the comfort of your couch but I39d recommend an inperson attendance amp8211 it39s well worth it Here is a list of TED Conferences ampamp Events10 See below What No SXSW you say No SF Big no 212 no BiMA etcamp8230 Well this your chance I said this was the Top 10 Conferences for Digital Media Professionals as decided by my very influential peer network amp8211 and myself of course However I want your thoughts amp8211 you decide the 10th Please provide your feedback section below and list your favorites and I39ll update this list to reflect the 10thFollow me on Twitter sparkerjrSteve Parker Jr is a CoFounder and Managing Partner of Levelwing a digital advertising agency that provides datadriven marketing solutions Steve can be reached at sparkerlevelwingcomRead all Steve39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at AskingSmarterQuestionscomCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers 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