The final major search marketing conference of 2008 opens next week when the venerable Search Engine Strategies Conference rolls into the Chicago Hilton next Monday. The smallest of the three US-based SES shows, SES Chicago sports a unique character that makes it a special week for speakers and attendees. It’s the show I look forward to most each year for a number of reasons.
SES Chicago is considered the most intimate of all large shows on the annual circuit. The sense of urgency that surrounds virtually every other show is toned down a notch in Chicago. Perhaps it’s because it is the end of a busy year and autumn is an especially busy time of year. People are too tired to work all day and then party all night so the tone of conversation is a little bit deeper. Perhaps it’s because Chicago tends to be insanely cold at the beginning of December and nobody wants to leave the comfy confines of the hotel. The conference venue in Chicago in particular seems to promote interaction between speakers and attendees.
SES Chicago 08 has one of the best speaker and session line-ups. Because there are three or four tracks running concurrently, it’s never possible to see or learn as much as one might wish to. Here are some of the features I want to see…
Monday Dec 8
9:00 - 10:15 - Keynote Speaker, Lawrence Lessig, Professor of Law, Stanford Law School
Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Economy
10:30 - 11:30 - Universal & Blended Search
Moderator: Kevin Ryan, SES Advisory Board Chair & CEO, Motivity Marketing
Speakers: Dr. Larry Cornett, VP, Consumer Products, Yahoo! Search
Mike Grehan, Global KDM Officer, Acronym Media
Chris Blakely, Director, Client Services, comScore, Inc.
Todd Schwartz, Group Product Manager, Live Search, Microsoft Corporation
Jack Menzel, Senior Product Manager, Google
11:45 - 12:45 - Mobile Search Battle Update
Moderator: Eric Chan, Consultant in Mobile and Wireless Technology, Mobileslate
Speakers: Cindy Krum, Founder, Rank-Mobile.com
Bryson Meunier, Associate Director of SEO, Resolution Media
Rachel Pasqua, Director of Mobile Marketing, iCrossing
Phyllis Reuther, CTO, Mobile Content Networks, Inc.
Shawn Prutsman, Product Manager, APS Network Prod Mgmt, Microsoft Corporation
1:45pm-2:45pm - Orion Panel, The State of Integration
Moderators: Kevin Ryan, SES Advisory Board Chair & CEO, Motivity Marketing
Andrew Goodman, Principal, Page Zero Media
Speakers: Robert Murray, President, iProspect
Aaron Goldman, VP, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships, Resolution Media
Josh Todd, Director of Acquisition Marketing, Constant Contact
Gregg Stewart, Senior Vice President, Interactive, TMP Directional Marketing
3:00 - 4:00 - The End of the Search? (This one is my panel so I sort of have to go to it)
Moderator: Cindy Krum, Director of New Media Strategies, Blue Moon Works, Inc.
Speakers: Jim Hedger, SEO Consultant, Metamend Search Engine Marketing
4:30pm-5:30pm - Intellectual Property & Trademark Issues: What SEMs Should Know
Moderator: Anne Kennedy, Managing Partner & Founder, Beyond Ink
Speakers: Mark J. Rosenberg, Esq., Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.
David M. Adler, Esq., Partner, Adler Law Group
Jonathan Moskin, Esq., Partner, White & Case LLP
Tues Dec 9
10:30 - 11:45 - Advanced Keyword Research
Moderator: Ron Jones, Search Engine Watch Expert & President/CEO, Symetri Internet Marketing
Speakers: Damian Finlay, Managing Director, Epiar Inc.
David Snyder, Search Specialist, JRDunn.com
Martin Laetsch, Sr. Director of Search Strategy, Covario
Monte Cahn, Founder & CEO, Moniker
4:15 - 5:30 - Advanced Link Building
Moderator: PJ Fusco, Natural Search Director, Netconcepts
Speakers: Michael Gray, President, Atlas Web Service
Wil Reynolds, Founder, SEER Interactive
Chris Boggs, Manager, SEO, Brulant, Inc., recently acquired by Rosetta
Rae Hoffman, Principal, Sugarrae SEO Consulting
Wed Dec 10
9:00am-10:00am - Keynote Speaker, Josh James, President and CEO, Omniture
Avoiding the Chasm of “Anticipointment”
10:30 - 11:45 - Podcast & Audio Search Optimization
Moderator: Kevin Ryan, SES Advisory Board Chair & CEO, Motivity Marketing
Speakers: Amanda Watlington, Owner, Searching for Profit
Daron Babin, CEO, Webmaster Radio
12:45 - 2:00 - Social Media - Measuring the Business Value
Moderator: Pauline Ores, SES Advisory Board & Sr Marketing Mngr, Social Media Engagement, IBM Corporation
Speakers: Bill Hunt, CEO, Global Strategies International
Rob Key, CEO, Converseon
Brian Halligan, CEO, Co-Founder, HubSpot
2:15 - 3:30 - Ads in a Quality Score World
Moderator: Jonathan Mendez, Founder & CEO, RAMP Digital
Speakers: Andrew Goodman, Principal, Page Zero Media
Kristopher Jones, President & CEO, Pepperjam
Ron Jones, Search Engine Watch Expert & President/CEO, Symetri Internet Marketing
Mary Berk, Senior Product Manager, Microsoft
Thurs Dec 11
9:00 - 10:00 - How to Speak Geek: Working Collaboratively With Your IT Department to Get Stuff Done
Moderator: Chris Boggs, Manager, SEO, Brulant, Inc., recently acquired by Rosetta
Speakers: Matthew Bailey, President, SiteLogic
Bob Tripathi, Search Marketing Strategist, Discover Financial Services
Robert Heyman, Chief Search Officer, MediaSmith
Stephan Spencer, Founder & President, Netconcepts, LLC
11:30 - 12:30 - Brand & Reputation Management
Moderator: Elisabeth Osmeloski, Founder, AdventuresinSearch.com
Speakers: John Tawadros, Chief Operating Officer, iProspect
Simon Heseltine, Director of Search, Serengeti Communications
Michael Kiefer, SVP, Brand Protect
Noah Elkin, Ph.D., Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Steak NYC
Set in the elegant Chicago Hilton hotel, SES Chicago presents a number of quiet places to duck away for a chat with friends or new contacts. Knowing the good places in the venue can make meetings and appointments easier. Many of the best SEM business deals get done in Chicago. I think that has a lot to do with the venue.
Though it is the smallest of the shows, SES Chicago also sports one of the most confusing floor plans. The hotel itself is massive, stretching a full city block in front of Grant Park and Lake Michigan. SES takes over the entire basement section and one or two second floor lecture/conference rooms towards the back of the hotel.
As you enter through the front door you’ll pass a central display in the massive stone and marble foyer. This display is used as one of the meeting points for groups heading out to supper so make a mental note of it. Moving forward you’ll enter a long hallway leading north and south. Hotel check-in is to the right (north) and half-way down the hall. To the left you’ll find stairs down to the conference level.
1st floor, North
The quiet lounge
One of the nicest hotel lounges in America is found at the far north end of the long hallway. The lounge has several places for meetings and a number of smaller tables for individuals or couples. The layout of the lounge gives most seating spaces a sense of privacy even though the lounge is built to offer an open-space environment. Attendees will want to schedule team meetings here and the lounge provides a quiet alternative to the more raucous pub at the other end of the building.
The Hotel Restaurant
Across from the quiet lounge is the hotel restaurant. Usually packed for lunch and supper, the restaurant offers a full menu ranging from light food to steakhouse specials. The hotel restaurant is a good place to grab a breakfast meeting. Conference attendees and speakers tend to be found here in the morning. Note: 30-minutes before the morning keynote, the hotel restaurant is packed. If you want to have a good breakfast and show up on time, start early.
Check-in / Concierge
Chicago is a very cold city in the winter. The folks working the check-in desk at the Hilton know this. Nothing phases them when it comes to requests for cars, taxis, dinner reservations, last minute tickets, etc… If it can be gotten in Chicago, these folks can find it for you fast.
1st Floor, south
The Clubhouse
The conference clubhouse, Kitty o’Shea’s is found in the south-east corner of the first floor. When you want to find someone after a session or in the early evening, this is a good place to look. Kitty’s is a loud room. A “U” shaped bar separates a front and back area. The back area is usually quietest and a good place to meet people in. Some of the greatest innovative and educational conversations happen in Kitty’s.
The Side Lounge
There is a hallway running towards the back of the hotel. Near the south end of that hallway is a plush lounge that feels set away from the bustle of the hotel. This is a good place to have a quick bite to eat in the evening as the service is faster in here than in Kitty’s or the north-end lounge. Usually less crowded than either other gathering place, the side lounge is a quiet out of the way place to catch-up with old friends and engage with new ones.
The basement and conference levels of the hotel involve lots of hallways and turns. Some of the session rooms are at the far north end while the keynote speeches are found in two second floor lecture theaters accessed by escalators which are partially hidden at the back of the hotel.
SES Chicago is arguable the nicest and most pleasant show of the year. If you find yourself in Chicago next week, make your way down to S.Michigan St and join thousands of search marketers at the Hilton.
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