Gary Vaynerchuk, Guy Kawasaki, Avinash Kaushik and Bill Taylor Walk Into A Bar…

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OK, what if it wasn’t a bar, but The Center for Performing Arts in Vancouver?

On June 9th, 2011, The Art of Marketing comes to Vancouver, British Columbia with an amazing line-up! I’ll be kicking off the day at 9:00 am sharp talking about Digital Marketing and the new consumer, then I get to sit back and watch Gary Vaynerchuk (Crush It and The Thank You Economy), Avinash Kaushik (Digital Marketing Evangelist for Google and the author of Web Analytics – An Hour A Day and Web Analytics 2.0), Guy Kawasaki (Rules for Revolutionaries, The Art of The Start, Reality Check, Enchantment and more) and Bill Taylor (co-founder of Fast Company Magazine and author of Mavericks at Work and Practically Radical) take the stage.

Everyone will be there – live and in-person – and you can too.

A general pass for the day is only $399 (and there is VIP pricing available as well), but if you use the promo code: TWIST, you get $50 off of every ticket you purchase. As you know, I spend a good chunk of my time either speaking at or attending conferences like this all over the world, and I don’t think any of them offer this caliber of speakers and content for such a reasonable price. On top of that, most of the speakers stick around, sign books and hang out, so it’s not just a conference, it’s an event.

But wait… there’s more!

I have two pairs of VIP tickets that I can’t use, so I am giving them away here (and for free!). The VIP tickets give you an express VIP entrance, reserved premier seating in the first five rows, an eco-friendly tote bag and personal spiral bound notebook, plus a copy of Gary Vaynerchuk’s The Thank You Economy, Guy Kawasaki’s Enchantment, William Taylor’s Practically Radical and Chip & Dan Heath‘s Switch – all of them are best-selling business books. I’ll also toss in a signed copy of Six Pixels of Separation for you and your guest (four copies total) which I will be happy to sign at the event.

All you have to do is…

Leave a comment below. Let everyone know why you would like to attend The Art of Marketing in Vancouver on June 9th, 2011. I’ll choose the two winners (each winner gets two tickets) on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 in the evening (so, you have until then at 5 pm EST to leave a comment and qualify). Also, please note that I only have tickets to give away, so getting to the event, food, etc… is all on your own dime.

Seriously, can you afford to miss this event? Order your tickets here or leave a comment below to try your hand at the tickets I’m giving away.

UPDATE! WINNERS!
The following people won the pair of VIP tickets:

  • Terre Love
  • Laura Espinosa

Congrats! Watch your inbox for details.
I also decided to give away 1 VIP ticket to each of the following people:

  • Sharon Taylor
  • Dana Reed
  • Harvey McKinnon
  • Linda

Watch your email for details as well!

65 comments

  1. Why choose this one to attend? I think you said it best in your write-up, I haven’t seen a lineup of speakers this compelling for such a reasonable price since… Ever. I spend my days (and most nightts) experimenting, learning and then experimenting again in my quest to engage online audiences around film. This event is on my list because inspiration tends to strike when smart people gather to discuss things passionately… and if it doesn’t, there is always Vancouver to enjoy!

  2. Hi Mitch, I’d like to see what a digital marketing event in the Great State of Canada looks like and get a better sense of the talent up there in order to better represent Canadian thought leaders in our US events, like ad:tech, iMedia and the Digital Collective. This looks like a stimulating day and I’d like to see how it shakes out.
    On the personal side, the new book I’m just outlining (see the top video on the “Speaking” page on my website for the seed of the thinking here) argues that face to face interaction is still critical not only to business success but also to personal satisfaction, and I get a lot out of observing what happens when social media folks meet outside of screens large and small.
    Sincerely,
    Brad Berens

  3. As a professor of both business AND tourism, this fantastic line up / event could just as easily be called “The Art of Peopleâ€. Each of these presenters and authors focus on listening to people, understanding your environment and acutely paying attention to all the micro changes around you. Why do I want to I want to attend the event? First of all, I truly believe that hanging out with smart people raises everyone’s game and these folks are the ‘achievers’ of today. While other people talk, they are out there making things happen, then teaching us about it. Second, I want to be able to bring in new, cutting edge thoughts into my classroom. Students, our leaders of tomorrow, deserve both a mix of traditional theories and modern accomplishments. When people ask what I do, I tell them that I am both an educator and a student. This would be an outstanding ‘classroom”! Thanks for considering me.

  4. For almost four years I have been growing a company that I knew in my heart was not where I wanted to be. I have so badly wanted to get back into the marketing/internet world and this month I was finally able to sell my company. The closing date on the sale happens to be three days before the conference!
    As I now get ready to relaunch my marketing career I know that attending this event would rock my world. The amount of juice I would get from spending the day with these fantastic speakers and attendees would surely resonate in my future work and enable me to do amazing things for my clients. There would be no more perfect way (did that sound right?) for my career to relaunch. I want to eat, sleep, breathe marketing again, and this event would be an amazing catalyst for that. Thanks for the opportunity Mitch!

  5. I would like to attend the Art of Marketing because I’m transitioning out of a very fulfilling career and I’m looking to CRUSH IT in my next one. I don’t know much about WEB ANALYTICS 2.0, but I do know that with only SIX PIXELS OF SEPARATION btw me and everyone else in the world, getting a glimpse of these MAVERICKS AT WORK is exactly the kind of FAST COMPANY I need to learn from. They are in tune with the RULES FOR REVOLUTIONARIES, and they get the ART OF THE START… we’re not talking REALITY CHECK here, we’re talking serious ENCHANTMENT. Getting to spend some VIP time with this crowd, why that would be PRACTICALLY RADICAL!
    now if that’s not a good reason, then I’d better get back in the pool.

  6. I would love to see all of these great speakers live and in person in my favorite city.

  7. Fresh off a stellar line-up of incredible speakers at the CMA National Conference, I’d love the opportunity to learn more about the new consumer and the new world of digital media. Its an exciting time to be in marketing. I’d love the chance to attend this conference Mitch.

  8. Please, please, pick me. I don’t think I’ve been under a rock, but this is the first time I’ve heard of this event. The line-up has got me salivating. Who doesn’t love Gary for his great energy, creative mind and wine enthusiasm. And it goes without saying that Guy is always a huge draw and a great, yet down to earth speaker. I’ve never heard Avinash Kaushik speak so that would be a first for me. And Bill Taylor, OH MY GAWD, Mavericks at Work is my all time favorite biz book. I heard him speak at a Brand Manage Camp several years ago, without any power point in tow, and he not only rocked the room, but rocked my world. Plus…well, there’s that eco-friendly tote bag….as an EnviroWoman who gave up plastic for two years…ya gotta love the eco-tote bag…so long as it’s not made of nylon (i.e. plastic). Enough said, now I’m going to go check out the price tag for this event….

  9. Wow, that is an AMAZING lineup of speakers. I’ve reviewed and blogged about both Gary Vs book and Guy’s book. I’ve seen Gary speak once and he is the real deal. I’ve only corresponded with Guy over e-mail, never had the pleasure to meet him, but he too is a class act. Seeing Bill and Avinash would be icing on the cake for me. I think you need to bring this show on the road to Lake Tahoe (an hour from my house)!

  10. Hey Mitch. I’ve already got tix and I’m going with 6 others from my team. But if I’m lucky enough to win a pair of VIP tix, I’ll invite a couple of friends — excellent marketers, great people — who are in between gigs right now.

  11. I am not a business student, or a marketing student. In fact, I am doing a Master’s degree in Community Development, focusing on non-profit work.
    I believe in the power of the web to connect people in ways we are only just beginning to understand, and I would like to see more emphasis on online communities in my programme. Instead of reading business and public administration articles, I read you. And Seth Godin. And Clay Shirky. And Valerie Maltoni. I follow Neil Gaiman on Twitter and watch his influence spread through the web. I want to know more about the ways marketing, especially social media marketing, can affect social good.
    I would love to go to this conference in my home town, but I suspect I am not your target audience. Perhaps that’s the best reason to pick me – because I (and people like me) will be your target audience in a few years, or months, or weeks, or by June 9th.
    The academics ask me why social media matters. I think it matters because it is about connection: across the street, across the country, across the world. I want to be in on the conversation.

  12. This event has been on my radar as well. I so wish they were streaming it for those of us not in the area. I’ve read all the books these awesome speakers have written, watched their videos I’ve found, but always hunger for me from them.
    Truly envious of those who get to be there in person, I’m sure the energy in the room will be dynamic.

  13. Hey Mitch, I first saw you speak at an IAB conference in Calgary four years back. That seminar inspiried me to be the social media evangelist in my organization and begin to create better realationships with our customers and our brand in Alberta. Today we are about to launch a new website that is based on strategic content marketing. The whole organization is waiting on the edge of their seats to see what it can do and I’m now the Content Manager that is going to manage this colossal site. I think hearing from these mavericks of digital marketing would round out my experience, and I can bring those learnings to my organization of 6000 employees to help them understand this medium and what it means to our brand and their individual brands.

  14. Mitch:
    As a digital marketer, I have been following you for over two years, spreading the “Digital Marketing Word”, and recommending you to colleagues,SU students (speaking engagement), friends and family. I need to be at this event and a free pass would help because currently I am looking for my next opportunity.
    Please choose me and I will continue to share this work with marketers and the wrldwide community.
    Hope to meet you there and dinner’s on me!

  15. Well Mitch, I feel the need to buy you a beer for all the wonderful ideas and thoughts you’ve shared with me. If I had a VIP ticket, I could do that. I’d share some stories with you of watching the Talking Heads and DOA in Vancouver’s Commodore ballroom.
    Also, I love to be the dumbest person in the room, and there’s no doubt that would be the case with those VIP seats.
    Finally, I know you’re not coming to Regina anytime soon and I’d love hear you in person.

  16. Can I say real quick that I love you? 😀 And I would simply die if I was able to go to this conference?
    This might sound completely selfish, but I want to attend because I simply want to hear you speak on stage. I love Gary. I love powerful speakers that not only walk their talk, but understand how to deliver that to an audience in an authentic way. But I’m reading your blog, Mitch. And after watching the video of your TEDtalk in Montreal on the future of the web may not be social, I made it in my mind that you’re one of the people where blogs and podcasts and video aren’t enough for me. I want to hear you speak in person.
    I said you were a smart cookie, but you’re also a soothing one. 🙂 I love Gary’s passion. But if he’s like sitting next to a roaring fire on a hot summer day, you’re like a cool glass of ice lemonade, and I respect how you can be so thought provoking and inspiring while still keeping that shy nature you expressed on the blog. (I’m shy too. So I always marvel that you can speak like you do.)
    So that’s my honest reason why I want to go, aside from visiting Vancouver and that this conference is simply awesome in the traditional definition of the word: “inspiring awe”.
    If I can’t go to this conference–and I really thought I wasn’t going to be able to–I’d love to know next time you’re coming back to Vancouver or speaking in Canada or the Pacific Northwest. And if I’m able to go, I’m totally flipping my schedule on its head and driving up there at the crack of dawn. 🙂 It should only take me five hours, and you speak at 9, right? 😉 Got to love long summer days up here.
    Well, now that I’ve embarrassed myself on your blog, I just wanted to say, since this is my first comment here… thank you. For all you do. 🙂 You don’t have to run a blog, but you do. You don’t have to speak, but you do. That goes for Gary. That goes for all the thought leaders that are currently out there.
    But you do. So thank you. You are reaching your audience.
    -Laura

  17. Noting the amount of take-aways I experienced while attending The Art of Marketing (Calgary – 2010), its pretty clear this event will have that one beat hands down (no offence, Cowtown – your Palomino Smokehouse is amazing btw). I have always wanted to meet Guy Kawasaki. And who would want to pass up a (second) chance to see Gary on stage!!

  18. Long-time reader, first time caller. Never seen you speak live, but have been reading your stuff online for years.
    Also, Gary V always gets everyone into such a positive mood. I think just having him on the bill changes the tone of a conference.
    Plus, it’s practically in my back yard. Sounds like a winning combo to me.

  19. Here’s a reason why I would like to attend this conference.
    I was once asked in an interview, “On a scale from 1 to 10, 1 having no idea and 10 being the opposite, how would you rank yourself as a marketer?”
    To this is replied with, “7.”
    The interviewer asked, “Why just a 7 and not a 9 or 10?”
    “Well,” I continued, “being a 9 or 10 means that I would be innovating and be on the cutting edge of trends, I don’t have that kind of skills at the moment, but I am always looking to broaden those skills and learn how to become a 9 or a 10.” I ended up getting the position, but now I am looking to make good on my word.
    This conference is a way for me to broaden those skills and learn from people who are innovators in the field.

  20. The art of telling stories to build brand reputation and engage with your consumers is not necessarily a new strategy. But understanding how it has become the most important strategy in today’s 3.0 world is key. Gary Vaynerchuk is why I want to attend this conference.

  21. I would love to attend this event! As a Community Manager for a tech company, the ideas and theories that these speakers bring to the table are mesmerizing. Their value-add is relevant to marketers and beyond. Thanks for the opportunity to win and, oh yeah, pick me!

  22. Two words sum up why I would like to attend: Contagious Passion.
    You can read the books, blogs & follow the speakers on YouTube but the passion in the room that day will be contagious. So much so it will extend to the other attendees and flow through the hallways.

  23. Why anybody would not like to attend a speaking event with the best of their kind? Great minds think alike… SD

  24. Hey Mitch! Dude, I’d love to meet all you guys in person! GaryVee and I can swap signatures since one of my cover designs made it to the back pages of his new book. I haven’t had a chance to tell him in person that I think the orange one sucks. (kidding, I guess since Cingular isn’t around he has rights to that color… Good thing content is king, right??) Anyway, love the podcast, bro.

  25. Hey Mitch! Dude, I’d love to meet all you guys in person! GaryVee and I can swap signatures since one of my cover designs made it to the back pages of his new book. I haven’t had a chance to tell him in person that I think the orange one sucks. (kidding, I guess since Cingular isn’t around he has rights to that color… Good thing content is king, right??) Anyway, love the podcast, bro.

  26. Greetings Mitch, just wanted to say thanks for sharing. I would love win these tickets to the “art of marketing” event, but unfortunately circumstances are such I cannot go even if I was lucky enough to won. That said, I felt it was important all the same to stop by, say hi and extend my thanks.
    I have a suggestion; any chance you could persuade those powerhouse guys to do a roundtable podcast with you. Maybe we (audience) could submit a few marketing questions and get their feedback. WOW, just the thought makes me tingle :)…
    Anyway, thanks again. Enjoy and have a great event. Cheers, rita

  27. Wow, that’s quite the line up. As someone laid off last year and trying to get a small business going on a shoestring, marketing is vital and I’ve been working hard at learning all I can. I couldn’t possibly afford to attend an event like this but were I to win tickets, I know it would provide a lot of information and help me up my marketing game like mad. And I have just the person for the second ticket who is going through a business revamp and could definitely use this kind of knowledge. And it’s local which is fantastic.

  28. Hi Mitch –
    I am working with the Rick Hansen Foundation to develop a youth strategy; to inspire young people to join Rick in creating positive change in the world. This is an extraordinary line up of speakers; a rarity in Vancouver and I know it will provide tremendous insights and knowledge for the RHF team if we are able to attend. You are quite correct it is great value, but still steep for the NFP world!
    We have not met, but thanks to a great recommendation from Ken @ Queens, I believe we have an opportunity to chat with you about our program tomorrow. Really looking forward to it.
    Fingers crossed,
    Lisa

  29. Yes, I want tickets!!!
    I would like to see if Avinash buts Gary V to sleep … and, how is Guy Kawasaki going to be keeping up with tweeting at the speed that Gary V talks.
    (Love your blog)

  30. After years of working in uber conservative marketing roles for professional services, educational services and financial services *yawn I’ve just taken on an unpaid position as Social Media and Marketing Manager for a startup. My last contract managing a tech funding competition introduced me to this mad mad world, and I couldn’t resist getting involved while I look for work.
    The information and the ability to attend for free would be very very very welcome.
    Sincerely,
    Deanna

  31. In a word, WOW! What a stellar lineup of speakers, all of whom I’ve been following but haven’t yet taken enough time to connect with vis à vis their books.
    What an opportunity of a lifetime this would be to learn from and be inspired by this these true leaders. I see this as a chance to catapult my business to a higher level, as well as put a new business in-the-works in good stead for a successful Fall 2011 launch.
    Further, I would be delighted to share the knowledge I’ll acquire with others, to engage them to new heights in their own businesses/ lives. Pay it forward, if you will.
    Here’s my call to action: Choose me.
    Follow me @candicebest.

  32. I would love to attend The Art of Marketing to listen, learn and share. What a wonderful selection of speakers – and I can only imagine how great the crowd will be, too.

  33. I dream my Paintings, then I Paint my dreams. Vincent Van Gogh This quote sums it up for me, events like the “Art of Marketing” gives us a unique forum to learn, share and grow in the digital space. I simply want to embrace this opportunity to nurture and bring to life something new and truly remarkable into this world to make it a better place to live for everyone on this planet 🙂

  34. I can only agree I always feel like: yes that’s me, I would really like to go there and then I check the whereabouts and it’s on another continent… Poor me. Could maybe someone give away tickets for an event more Center of Europe based? 😉
    But of course I wish everyone good luck who is close enough to go for it! Have fun (and of course a very interesting day) at The Art of Marketing in Vancouver!

  35. Why would I like to attend…lol. Because of you Mitch!
    Everyone is sick of me asking …â€Did you read Mitch Joel’s insight today?â€
    I have introduced you and your book, Six Pixels of Separationâ€, to everyone I meet. I’ve made it part of my strategy with the fortune 500s c levels, in an effort to build trust and provide value to them, by sending them a copy of your book after our meeting. I write on the inside a personal note about making the digital journey together. That’s how strongly I support your book and your blog. I’ve learned more from you than any other source. I’d love the opportunity to say thank you in person not to mention get a signed copy of your book! Your though process reminds me of our personal vision that you can give a man a fish and he eats for a day or you can teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Thanks for teaching me to fish! Hope to see you soon Mitch!

  36. Judi Collins, uneducated slug ‘Artofmarketingly’- speaking, needs help!
    Imagine learning from the guy who wrote the other ‘Bible’ in my life: Six Pixels.
    Got the passion; need the prep. Choose me.
    Judi Collins (not that one)

  37. I’m driven by gratitude. I can’t even go to my hometown in Belarus because they will Google me and kidnap my ass.” Gary Vaynerchuk
    Pick me or I’ll hunt you down for those tickets!

  38. I just finished rereading Six Pixels of Separation, almost one year to the day after attending a lecture of yours in Burlington, VT. I’m particularly interested in the effects of virtual communities – both as a media critic and a business major with a focus on marketing. Online communities, depending on who you ask, are either a result of market segmentation, a revolution in targeted marketing, or a serious threat to democratic conversations as the audience is polarized and fragmented.
    In reading through Six Pixels of Separation, the first perspective is more widely supported than the later. There is absolutely economic advantage to building a community of like-minded individuals, particularly when the group takes ownership of a brand. Yet in forming these distinctions, for instance between Mac and PC owners, it leads to very real social consequences and divisions between consumers (as citizens). As a members of a society and economy driven by consumption, these divisions seem inevitable; the question yet to be asked is: “How can online communities attract and engage with people with different perspectives, different consumption habits, different cultural values? How do we as consumers (or marketers, creators of communities) expose our communities to the diversity of opinion that is fundamental in democracy?”
    In a sense, what is the social responsibility of social media?
    Here’s an article by Cass Sunstein on audience fragmentation.
    http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122307/

  39. Thank you Mitch for all the great speeches you make.
    I particularly enjoyed the one you gave @ Social 2011, it was really mind blowing (actually I have the Philips QT4045 shaver with vacuum and it saved my relationship!)
    Why I want to attend The Art of Marketing in Vancouver?
    1. Gary Vaynerchuck is #1 on my list of persons I am dreaming of meeting*
    2. Guy Kawasaki is #2
    3. This event is out of my student budget but if I had the opportunity to get tickets I truly believe that I would make the most of it, enjoying every minute of such an outstanding event
    *Mitch, you were on the list but since we briefly met @ TEDxConcordia, you are now on my list of people I would love to see again!
    Thank you very much for the great ideas you spread.
    Thibaud

  40. Let me start this story by saying I was desperate to get a summer job. I was applying absolutely everywhere I thought I could remotely work. By fluke, one of the places I applied to, hired me for a job that wasn’t even posted, and it was right up my dramatic arts and communication studies alley.
    One day, I was speaking with my new boss one day about updating their PowerPoint slides and he mentioned Guy Kawasaki’s name. I was delighted he knew who he was and he lent me “Enchantment†to read. I’m currently a student of advertising at Seneca College in Ontario (Mitch, you spoke there and of course, front row seat were the way to go) and all this was just awesome.
    Here’s where it gets more awesome. I had planned a trip to Vancouver to visit a friend, the dates kept on changing and because I got this new job, it was up in the air on whether or not I would be able to still go. My excitement went overboard when I was given the go-ahead to take a trip to Vancouver. I leave next Wednesday, June 8th.
    To top off the awesomeness, it just so happens that I read your blog and realized that I will be able to attend The Art of Marketing in Vancouver. In any other situation it would be completely out of the question as I’ve never been to Vancouver and hadn’t planned on going until recently. But the stars have aligned for me to make it possible to be there next Thursday. Mitch, I would love to attend, it would make this story even better.

  41. Mitch
    I read Six Pixels of Separation in December, 2010 and have been applying your principles in my fledgling social media efforts. I’m still a newbie. Our niche firm is celebrating our 10-year anniversary this year in the totally underserviced, undervalued and misunderstood industry of irrigation. We have a budding and innovative service with great water conservation potential that requires some major marketing umpf. This event will help vault us over the top. Thanks for your consideration.
    Case in Calgary

  42. [Insert enthusiastic comment about how I’d like to go]
    [Insert complimentary comment about how great the speakers are]
    [Insert pandering comment about Mitch, Twist and/or his book]
    [Insert endearing comment about me, my work, lack of something (money, skills, etc.)]
    [Insert enthusiastic comment about how I’d like to go… slightly different from before]
    [Insert thankful comment about my hopeful desire to win]

  43. Dear Mitch,
    Why do I want to come?
    I am not going to lie, I did not read EVERY books, I haven’t seen EVERY videos about the speakers who will be there. BUT I am a huge social media fan (and it is my job) and of course the little I see of them, I loved it and consequently, I really want to know more and meet them!
    –> So why do I want to go there? Because I will really LEARN, and be ATTENTIVE to everything, maybe more than someone who read and saw everything about the speakers…

  44. I would love to attend this event because it’s much more interesting than the Stanley Cup playoffs.
    And even though I’ve been doing marketing and fundraising for three decades, I am a committed lifelong learner, and read voraciously.
    I only follow a handful of people on Twitter, because I want to pay serious attention to people I consider leading thinkers. You, Mitch, and Guy Kawasaki are two of just 23, so I can say that I am a fan.
    For 30 years I worked with non-profit organizations. First as a staff person with Oxfam for decade, and now as a consultant to a wide variety of wonderful causes from Amnesty International, Eco-justice, to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Our newest client is Sea Shepherd, which has tremendous online marketing potential. So, I want to learn more, so I can help more.
    One of my passions in life is promoting giving. A friend and I co-authored a book called The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All, which hit number one in both Canada and the US, and we gave away all author royalties to charities. The book has also gone into 10 languages, and we are giving away those royalties as well. I suspect I have volunteered at least 20% of my time over the last five years promoting giving, because I feel passionate about this. I think that giving, in all its forms, is how we change and improve the world.
    So, I’m a big fan of giving, and appreciate your giving away these tickets -even if I don’t win them.
    Lastly, I’m pretty confident that attending the marketing event will help me do a better job for the nonprofits I work with. And I am sure there will be fewer fights than there will be in the Vancouver-Boston games.

  45. I started my own advertising agency 3 years ago after working with big agencies and big brands for over 20 years. What a humbling experience. As a small business owner in Vancouver, I have learned some valuable lessons and have had to do it on a shoe string … no million dollar budgets. I read everything that I can and follow you and your colleagues, but nothing compares to seeing you all LIVE. I need the inspirational “reboot” that inevitably happens when attending a conference. It would force me to get out and about and reconnect with like minds. I would be very grateful, thankful and excited about meeting you in person … you have already provided so much direction I can’t thank you enough – but I would love to do so in person.
    For the love of advertising, I remain

  46. Hey Mitch,
    I have to be honest with you. I think you are incredible speaker, writer and personality. Getting to see you speak in person alongside other thought leaders in the Social Media/Marketing/Communications industries would be amazing. The reason why I would love to attend this conference is NOT because you guys are speaking (no offense.) The reason is getting the opportunity to meet people you guys are speaking to. You, Gary, Guy, Avinash and Bill are all thought leaders and you seem to be great guys. As you know, though, leaders are made by their followers. If you guys are great, I can’t imagine what your followers/listeners/fans are like! If I get two VIP passes, I will embrace the exclusivity but when I get the chance to meet others, I will forget that I am a Very Important Person and network with as many people as I can.
    Thanks for making this opportunity available to those who can’t travel that often (I am a newlywed, so money is a hot commodity:)

  47. After listening to Alvinash at the CMA National Conference last year, I have been waiting for another LIVE event to hear him speak again. This time it will be in our own backyard Vancouver, I am really looking forward to it. So excited: the Art of Marketing, beautiful Vancouver and Canucks all within the same week.

  48. There are so many reasons I would like to go to this I likely would not have enough time nor room to write them all here. I have been to a number of conferences here in Toronto but have not had the chance to attend conferences elsewhere. I am a cheerleader for social media both in my current business, with clients and with friends. It is my passion and it took the birth of my son in 2007 for me to really realize that this is where my future lies. I have read your book, Gary V’s book, Chris Brogan’s book and the list goes on. I spend more time on YouTube watching the Ted Conference series and other events speakers that I don’t really watch TV anymore. I listen to podcasts instead of the radio when I am in my car. I do everything I can to stay up-to-date, to understand and to be inspired. I used Twitter to meet you in Toronto a couple years back. That was cool. I attended your social media seminar through the IAB in 2009..and found the knowledge I learned that day to be the single most I have ever learned in a seminar to date. I am ready for the next step, I am ready to take the plunge and launch my own website. I am scared and nervous but it is the next step of where I want to be and I know that I will learn more through the actions. 2011 is my year, and I would be so excited, thankful and honoured to be chosen to attend this event, to listen to each speaker, to be inspired, to learn and to grow.

  49. If I had to pick only two reasons I’d love to attend, they would be because:
    1. Being in the presence and wisdom of innovative artists like yourself, Guy, Avinash, et. al would truly be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that no boardroom, conference track, or textbook could ever provide.
    2. Being in the presence and wisdom of like-minded marketers and passionate digital mavens would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that no email introduction, cocktail mixer, or post-conference after party could ever measure up to.

  50. While I don’t have a heart warming story or a compelling reason… I am just as excited as most people here. There’s no way the small business I work for or myself can afford the tickets- so winning the opportunity to go to the conference would be awesome. I’m a newbie to marketing, taking in all the resources I can get my hands on and studying marketing part-time. People like yourself and Seth Godin have influenced me in wanting to study Marketing. I’ve heard Gary and Avinash on webinars, read some of Guys posts and I regularly read your blog. This would be my first real (not virtual) marketing conference. It will be real nice to see “real†people and not sit behind a desk. There is something about a live event, when like-minded people come together. “Problems can become opportunities when the right people come together.†– Robert South
    If I get lucky and win tickets, I hope to share the second with someone just as enthusiastic- maybe someone in my marketing class would appreciate it.
    I am not sure how you will go about choosing winners Mitch. But after reading all the comments… you have quite the task at hand… good luck everyone! Whoever wins… I hope you takeaway much from the experience.

  51. It is important to get out of the day-to-day grind and open our minds to the great thoughts and ideas out there. Too often we get focused on what’s happening in our specific office or our specific project – it’s great to spend a few dedicated hours absorbing and being open to the possibilities. With such a great line up of speakers – inspiration guaranteed! (And I, for one, am in need of inspiration these days!)

  52. Great event – was intending to attend Montreal but was unfortunately out of town. Would be great to visit Vancouver.

  53. Hi Mitch, my interest in attending is, obviously, to hear you and the other terrific speakers. The purpose of attending is to learn and then to share and try to put into practice with my collegues in the not-for-profit sector, to advance awareness and action to issues around (1) sustainability and (2) social innovation via social media. I’m co-organizing a TEDx event and help out in very small ways with a few charities. I hope there is an opportunity to interact with the speakers. I picked your book at the airport last year, follow your blog as well as other blogs you recommend. I’m no where near being fully informed, an expert and have lots to learn. Norman

  54. Winner, winner… chicken dinner. Please look at the end of the Blog post to see who the winners are. Many thanks to everyone for the very insightful (and kind) words. See you in Vancouver!

  55. Mitch,
    The conference was incredible and the energy and insight more than ever expected! We are digesting all the information this am. Being a high end film media production company we are trying to position our subsidiary company “FishFeed Marketing” in the digital strategy world utilizing our creative team and state of art cameras to produce video rich content/context. Strategist are obviously key but we are promoting the quality of the videos as well. Are we on the right path here or does the quality of the video make a different as long as you are feeding the fish? Appreciate your guidance!!!

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