Daniel Burstein

MarketingSherpa Summits: Pick a city for a chance to win a ticket

August 19th, 2011

Location, location, location. No, I’m not talking about real estate, I’m talking about event marketing.

The location of conferences, summits, conventions and user groups is critical to their success. People don’t just go to events to network and learn how to do their jobs better, they want to go to a city they would really want to visit on vacation, like Orlando, or Denver, or Washington, D.C.

Or at least that’s how it used to be. Now, everything has changed. Event attendees are no longer looking for flashy cities, they’re looking for budget-friendly destinations. Reasonable flights. Inexpensive hotel rooms. Goodbye New York City, professionals want to head to cities like St. Louis and Nashville for their industry events.

Here’s the thing. I don’t know which of the above statements is true. We were debating this very challenge, perhaps a similar challenge you’ve faced when planning your own events, in our latest event team meeting.

Share your opinion for a chance to win a $1,695 marketing summit ticket

So, we thought we’d start with a little unscientific, qualitative research. Simply put, which city or cities would be most appealing to you for a future marketing event? Let us know from the list below for your chance to win a ticket to a future MarketingSherpa Summit, such as B2B Summit in San Francisco or Boston, Email Summit in Las Vegas, or, well, you tell us….

(and if there are any cities we’re missing, feel free to let us know in the comments section below)

***UPDATE***

Congratulations to  Carol Reid, Owner/Marketing Consultant, Carol Reid Marketing, winner of a free ticket to a MECLABS summit. She has chosen the upcoming B2B Summit in San Francisco.

Related Resources:

Event Marketing: Regional customer forums improve field events attendance rate by 150%

Never Pull Sofa Duty Again: Stop guessing what your audience wants and start asking

Marketing Intelligence: 3 ways to better serve your customers (and your bottom line)

The Indefensible Blog Post: Actually, the old rules of marketing are pretty good

Daniel Burstein

About Daniel Burstein

Daniel Burstein, Senior Director of Editorial Content, MECLABS. Daniel oversees all content and marketing coming from the MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa brands while helping to shape the editorial direction for MECLABS – digging for actionable information while serving as an advocate for the audience. Daniel is also a speaker and moderator at live events and on webinars. Previously, he was the main writer powering MarketingExperiments publishing engine – from Web clinics to Research Journals to the blog. Prior to joining the team, Daniel was Vice President of MindPulse Communications – a boutique communications consultancy specializing in IT clients such as IBM, VMware, and BEA Systems. Daniel has 18 years of experience in copywriting, editing, internal communications, sales enablement and field marketing communications.

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  1. August 19th, 2011 at 07:55 | #1

    Opening Keynote Address: “State Symbols…What are they? Do they really matter?”

  2. Penny
    August 19th, 2011 at 08:06 | #2

    If the content is relevant, fresh and unique, I think the location is less important. Also, you probably already noticed this, but St. Louis is in Missouri (MO), not Michigan (MI).

  3. August 19th, 2011 at 08:24 | #3

    I think Salt Lake City has much more to offer than Denver for a Mountain Time Zone conference. Mountains are much closer so either winter or summer it is easier to combine some recreation with your conference trip.

  4. August 19th, 2011 at 08:26 | #4

    Right you are, Penny. Thanks for catching that.

    Although, thanks to you, I learned that there is, in fact, a St. Louis, Michigan. Although it is probably too small to hold our events. Fun fact, though: it’s slogan is “Middle of the Mitten.”

  5. August 19th, 2011 at 08:40 | #5

    Wow. That’s probably the most informative and helpful slogan of any city in the United States. I vote for St. Louis, MI. I’m sure there’s some sort of barn or something there we could all crowd into. 🙂

  6. August 19th, 2011 at 09:00 | #6

    Why so few suggested cities in the west? And, Las Vegas may be convenient if you fly in, but not for those of us who take the train (great opportunity for some quiet thinking time.)

  7. August 19th, 2011 at 09:52 | #7

    Selfishly, since I live in Boston, I always like a location where I can get a nonstop flight and which is close enough for me to get back to my family (and desk) without losing a day in travel time.

  8. August 19th, 2011 at 10:03 | #8

    I’m totally biased, but I’m recommending you take a look at my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. We’ve come a LONG way, baby!

  9. August 19th, 2011 at 10:03 | #9

    I agree with Penney on that if the content is great the location is less important. However I would love to see more suggested cities on the west coast.

  10. Meloyde Blancett
    August 19th, 2011 at 10:10 | #10

    YAY!!!!

  11. Meloyde Blancett
    August 19th, 2011 at 10:10 | #11

    Finally something in “Flyover” country.

  12. Meloyde Blancett
    August 19th, 2011 at 10:12 | #12

    Consider Kansas City and Dallas too.

  13. Reggie Dunbar II
    August 19th, 2011 at 13:44 | #13

    Atlanta would be a centrally located venue.

  14. Amber Ostermann
    August 21st, 2011 at 21:37 | #14

    Please don’t forget to consider Canadian locations for MECLABS stops. Or, at least, locations close to Canada for an easy direct flight.

  15. August 22nd, 2011 at 15:00 | #15

    How about Austin, TX?

  16. August 22nd, 2011 at 16:03 | #16

    It all depends on where you’re coming from – i.e. where can you get to quickly and cost-effectively? I have friends all over the country that I like to see (tag on to a “free” trip) but my boss is much more likely to approve a conference in my home town (St. Louis, MISSOURI:))than in say, Miami. We’ve had corporate conferences in Chicago (easy to get to but $$$ to stay in; also weather issues in the winter), Nashville, Dallas, and Disneyland.

  17. August 22nd, 2011 at 16:04 | #17

    PS Cathy – Pittsburgh is my birth city! And I do love it, especially at night with the whole downtown lit up over the bridges, the rivers….

  18. Julie Masin
    August 24th, 2011 at 11:04 | #18

    An event at Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, WA would be great. You are in the Columbia River Gorge (an incredible national scenic area), it is very close to the Portland International Airport and it is a change from the typical big city conference.

  19. David
    August 25th, 2011 at 16:20 | #19

    Fort Lauderdale, FL! Those of us in the south
    cant afford a whole day of travel to the west coast! Plus
    you have Miami and Palm Beach nearby for more
    exposure. Those in cold climates during winter would
    love it too! Plus, I’m not sure there have been
    any Marketing Sherpa event in SoFla. Btw,
    have you considered doing a Marketing summit @sea
    on one of the major cruiselines doing weekend
    cruises?

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