ad: tech IMPACT Boston
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the IMPACT series. When I got to the Boston Marriott Copley, I simply couldn’t find ad:tech. I saw a bunch of people going up the escalators, so I followed them. It turned out there were stories of escalators, so it became a game of “Press Your Luck” for me, where I was watching the signs, and thinking, “No Whammies… be a sign for ad:tech… no Whammies… OH! Stops on a conference for doctors. Okay, next level… no Whammies… let this be ad:tech… no Whammies… NO! It’s some gathering of salespeople.” Having gone all the way up and all the way back down, I went to see the concierge, who looked everything up for me. He also told me there would be no wireless connection to the Internet on the floors ad:tech would be on…
This sums up the experience I had with the ad:tech IMPACT series. It was filled with great people, with great ideas, great products, and incredibly interesting things to talk about. The problem was that the setup of the event - the location and structure of the breakouts, the timing and the fact that it was a roadshow, kept all of that great stuff from bubbling up to the surface. It became obvious right from the keynote, when Jim Sterne, an incredibly interesting guy whom I’d gladly invite out for beers, looked like he was reciting lines instead of sharing his insights with us. The last five minutes of his presentation should have been the entire presentation because it seemed to be made up of all the great material he didn’t have time to cover during his speech.
Unfortunately, it seemd the keynotes were simply rushed and didn’t engage the audience. By that I mean they didn’t use the audience as a resource. ad:tech is a meeting of big minds, and there’s as good a chance as not that someone in the audience knows more about a subject than the presenter. Let’s face it, great minds think alike, and ad:tech is where great minds come together. Pewrhaps more audience participation might be built into future shows.
While I was disappointed by this event, but don’t think it a loss. I met a ton of great folks who attended the event, many with whom I’ve already shared a few beers (now you know how to get an hour of my time - just offer). I look forward to ad:tech IMPACT next year, and hope that the lessons learned from this year’s event will make next year’s more impactful.
