Throwing Lights On
By Ethan Boldt
About Ethan
Ethan Boldt is the Chief Content Officer of DirectMarketingIQ, which operates as the research division of the Target Marketing Group. He oversees the creation of premium products, including special reports (on such topics as email, direct mail and social media), industry sector reports (magazine publishing, fundraising, insurance, etc.), how-to guides (such as email creative), books (including two by Denny Hatch), and company profiles.
He's also the Editor in Chief of Inside Direct Mail Weekly, an enewsletter that covers the entire direct mail industry and which is the new incarnation of the long-running print publication Inside Direct Mail. He also frequently contributes to Target Marketing magazine's enewsletter TM Tipline.
He's also a married and proud father of two children, grew up on a farm in Iowa, rides his bike to work when weather permits, loves the bands Two Door Cinema Club (new) and L7 (old), reads James Howard Kunstler and Richard Heinberg, follows the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Bulls, and loves to work on home construction projects when he has time!
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Blog: Direct Marketing School Still in Session
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The virtual show. Anyone been to one yet? I have to admit, my first real attendance to any such show was to our very own, Direct Marketing Day @ Your Desk, which I helped organize (check out the agenda and, if interested, attend the on-demand version). And I was sold, especially after seeing the numbers (sponsorship dollars, yes, but mostly noticing how many people registered … nearly 3,000).
The reason is simple: A virtual show is just so convenient. You can pick and choose your sessions, attend only the ones that are truly relevant for you (or view on-demand later on), chat with select others in the networking lounge (or break off into a private chat), browse the exhibit hall … all with great ease, without leaving your office. No travel, no hotel (okay, that part I kind of miss), no great local restaurants (wait, not sure if I like this suddenly), no business cards from people I'll never see again (that's the spirit) and, biggest thing of all, no giant wrench getting thrown into your work schedule.
In other words, it can be a highly productive day, or half-day, or even hour if you only go to one session. Meanwhile, you're still in your own office, so you can still get your own work done.
While the need for in-person events remains (I just spoke at the DMA's Circulation Day in New York City and made a connection with people that transcends the vitual connect, significantly), the level of learning and networking is only going to increase in future virtual conferences.
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