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October 02, 2008
13 reasons to attend SWOMfest; 10 registrants get a free...
SWOMfest '08 -- the daylong conference/workshop/party on Oct. 30, 2008, to help you bake word of mouth into the DNA of your product, service or overall organization -- is a month away.
It also happens to be the first-annual event for the Society for Word of Mouth, which we founded earlier this year.
SWOMfest '08 is teeming... teeming! with an exciting and eclectic group of experts who'll help you focus on developing a word-of-mouth strategy that delivers long-term benefits and results, not half-baked, short-term tactics that cost big bucks.
Attendance is limited to 200 at the brand-new Long Center, right along the banks of Town Lake in downtown Austin, so you'd better hustle up, Holmes.
Should you go? Here are...
13 reasons why you should attend SWOMfest:
- To meet other Swomies who understand that, except for one company out of a billion (it sells blenders) viral videos do not translate into sales.
- Big-thinking presenters like Haley Rushing of GSD&M's Purpose Institute and Hollywood screenwriter Yaphet Smith, who bring a unique perspective to word of mouth you won't see anywhere else. (You read that right: a screenwriter.)
- It won't decimate your training and education budget. At $325, SWOMfest is affordable compared to other word-of-mouth conferences.
- No boring and self-serving panels.
- Each attendee gets a hot off-the press book from one of the following authors: Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Dan Roam, Tim Manners or Geoff Colvin. Thanks, Portfolio!
- An optional Word of Mouth Weekend tour in Austin, Texas, after SWOMfest. Explore the city ranked as the most creative (and weird) in the U.S. It has more word of mouth stuff happening than you can shake a blog at. We have mapped out a tour of places that will spark your word of mouth imagination.
- If you're part of a non-profit organization, you can attend for half price.
- Pre-conference '80s party. SWOMfest '08 is during Halloween week, so we'll blind ourselves with costume party science on Wednesday, Oct. 29, the night before SWOMfest. The pre-conference party theme is the '80s. Bring your Devo energy dome and leg warmers. We'll have prizes for best costume. Then we'll adjourn to see the best '80s cover band ever, the Spazmatics.
- Live DJ. DJ Mel has spun at big-name gigs like Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits music festival. Mel will be spinning all day at SWOMfest. Yup, a DJ at a business conference!
- Beer all day. The gonzo guys at Flying Dog Brewery will provide their spectacular craft brews throughout the day.
- The chance to win a Dell 20-inch widescreen, flat-panel monitor. Thanks, Dell!
- John Moore, Connie Reece, Richard Binhammer and Sean McDonald from Dell, the crew from Brains on Fire, and Virginia Miracle, will be there as well as all of these people.
- Bragging rights for being at the first-ever SWOMfest.
Here's one more reason: Jackie and I will host a 45-minute conference call for the companies of each of the next 10 people who register. Just you and us. We can discuss your biggest or thorniest marketing challenge, how to create more customer evangelists, how to convince your boss about word of mouth, what color socks go with brown shoes... whatever you'd like.
Go register.
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See you there!
Just do it, folks -- register now! If I hadn't been one of the first few people to sign up, I'd be registering now just to get that conference call with Ben and Jackie. This conference is definitely going to be something different -- c'mon, beer and a DJ at a biz conference? -- and I'm looking forward to meeting a bunch of fellow SWOMies. I've only been to the Long Center once, to see The Redneck Tenors in concert, and I figure the inaugural SWOMfest may be nearly as much fun.
Color me so BUMMED that I am going to miss this. I'll be living vicariously through Connie and her pink boa. But know that I'll be with you all in spirit - have a GREAT event and take lots of pictures.
Rob -- Looking forward to seeing you there.
Connie -- I hope you're bringing the boa.
Amber -- Thanks. We'll see you at the '09 event!
Rob -- Looking forward to seeing you there.
