Search Engine Strategies China
I’m finally back in Manila after 4 days of Search Engine Strategies fun in Nanjing, China. SES was everything I imagined it would be…and more. Here’s my China story.
Pre-Production
My SES China plans started falling into place late February. By then I had learned I was speaking at the conference and I already had the budget for the trip. Everything was ready logistically but me. I was really stressing over the Link Building Strategies panel appointment. When Chris Sherman and Inway Ni informed me I was in, I wasn’t sure if I still wanted to do it. I knew the material, I just didn’t have the Toastmaster skills to tell the story. I contacted people for tips and guys like Todd Malicoat, Michael Gray, John Scott, Barry Schwartz and Mike Grehan were generous enough to give encouragement and throw their $0.02 in.
The Guy Kawasaki and Seth Godin blogs were regular destinations. Almost everybody who’s somebody in SEM had referred the two. With Seth Godin, I was able to pick up tips on how to develop the viral angle. I’m a regular reader and devoured everything from eBooks to his All Marketers Are Liars gig at the ‘Plex. Mr. Godin had the ’sneezers’ concept down pat and I was going to use it for my presentation about linkbaiting. I loved his presentation style and I tried to model my presentation after that: clean, clutter-free slides that tell a story. Plus the shaved head was something I could duplicate easily.
With Guy, it was more about delivering the speech. I had his 11-part How to Get a Standing Ovation post printed and posted in my room. Everything in the presentation had to be deliberate, from the suit down to your posture. I thought I got it down pat, but speaking in front of that big an audience was something I couldn’t really prepare for, well at least not in 3 days.
Two nights before departure, I gathered a few friends over for a mock presentation. I went through my slides and did my thing. Everyone had a blank stare which drove me nuts initally. But I told myself I was going to talk to a different audience, an audience who already had intermediate-level knowledge of SEM, so I didn’t push the panic button just yet.
Getting to the Airport
I’m a terrible packer. I had to ask my sweetie to help me pack (thanks sweetie love you!). I had a mid-sized trolley bag which could fit everything I needed to take with me to Nanjing:
- 2 pairs of suits/shirts/trousers
- 1 pair of jeans
- 3 t-shirts
- 1 sweater
- undergarments/socks
- dress shoes
Normally, I’d just stuff everything in the bag and hope it would lock everything in by itself. It usually works but this time would prove to be an exception. I couldn’t fit my shoes and digital camera in. So Sharm takes everything out and rearranges them and presto, 1 travel bag and 1 laptop bag. The best thing about it was, I still had room for pasalubongs (gifts you bring home with you). Smart girl! ;)
I get on a cab at 5:00 AM and tell the driver to floor it. In my mad rush to the airport, I find out that I left my really thick jacket at home. Not good.
To be continued: Ass Freezing in Nanjing