I've just returned from the Email Evolution Conference in San Diego. I learned some things, shared some knowledge and made new friends. I'm energized and it's all still running through my head. I'm really looking forward to Marketing Sherpa's conference later this month.

The vendor area at these conferences are most often the most valuable and most under used resources. Attendees should come prepared with a list of questions and approach vendors with them, but generally it's only a small percentage that have the courage to approach them and pick their brains. They fear it would create some kind of commitment.  Vendors don't expect to close deals at conferences. They are there to build brand recognition and begin relationships, so that in the event you consider a product or service in the space with which they compete, you would think of them. They love to listen to your story and love to tell theirs. The top experts in the field are standing there ready to share free leading-edge knowledge. They want to share ideas and visions and really enjoy hearing about yours. If I had attended this conference to learn about email deliverability issues, for instance, I would probably get all the answers I needed in the vendor area and then would know which of the sessions would be most important for me to attend.

Many of the attendees told me that the sessions at Email Evolution were very interesting and informative. I think that the diversity of speakers and topics offered by DMA affiliations helped. A luncheon speaker from Daily Candy reminded me of a very important lesson in marketing. Treat your customers and prospective customers like friends and two things will happen. They will talk about you and they will actually become good friends. While that was not the focus of the talk, it was what I was reminded of. Follow your passion, have fun with it and then you'll find a way to make money doing it. I had the opportunity to share stories and knowledge with hundreds of people at this conference and since I still remember some of the people I met at conferences last year and tell their stories, I expect the experience will carry on for years. I was enriched.