As a session leader, this is the first time I've gotten a look behind the scenes at ad:tech.
It is very exciting to see first-hand, all the energy, focus and strategy behind this event. A great deal of preparation has gone into making sure this year's ad:tech provides exceptional value for all attendees --- whether you are from an agency, part of a brand or involved in media sales. One of the greatest advantages at ad:tech is ACCESS to a wealth of knowledge, but like everything you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
Regardless of how many ad:tech’s you've attended, it's critical everyone spends time in advance setting their personal agenda outlining what , exactly, you want to accomplish. Who do you want to meet and why? What questions do you want answered and what will those answers mean to you and your business? What challenges are you facing that you want to solve? What can you learn that will turn into trusted strategic advice at your next meeting?
Before attending ad:tech do you prep work! Invest the time to decide what you want out of the event and then set an action plan to ensure you'll get it. If you have questions and you are not sure how to do this, don't miss the pre-conference sessions scheduled for Monday afternoon where we will cover "Getting the Most from ad:tech."
I am particularly excited to be leading the publisher pre-conference session this year along with many industry experts. Vince Thompson, managing partner of Middleshift, longtime interactive sales mentor and author of the book Ignited, will kick off the publisher pre-conference with a review of best practices to manage through the chaos. During the second hour, we will have a highly-interactive Town Hall discussion with long-time sales leaders Scot McLernon, CRO of YuMe and Matt Arkin, CRO of Sojern where will identify and address the key issues facing the publisher community. Finally, we will conclude the day with "Getting the Most from ad:tech." We will be covering best practices for networking, when not to sell, and how to ask the right question during or after a conference session. Ultimately we will help you build a winning personal agenda for your two days at ad:tech ensuring you get the most value out of your experience.
I hope to see you there. In the meantime, feel free to share any thoughts or ideas about key challenges you are facing that would like to explore deeper by adding a comment.
Look forward to seeing you in SF.
Samantha
