The Value of Industry Conferences

I just returned from a national conference for the newspaper industry. It was a mind-expanding experience to see and hear what my "colleagues" are doing across the country. The sessions were insightful and ran the gamut from big "Rah, Rah" sessions to discussion about the details of putting out a newspaper every day... or, in our case at Southwest, every week.

It's not the kind of thing I would enjoy doing every day. Which is probably why I don't work for an industry association like the Newspaper Association of America (NAA) who put on the conference. I much more enjoy making an impact on a smaller scale.

My job experience has run the gamut from my first "real" job working for an interior designer to my current job in marketing and research for Southwest Newspapers. I've done research work for consumer products companies like P&G, RJ Reynolds, Dracket, American Studios (the photographers for Wal-Mart stores), and a multitude of other large corporations. I've done marketing research for media companies -- newspapers ranging in size from The New York Times to the Jordan Independent, television and radio stations -- and for businesses that advertise with them ranging from international retailers to the single-store mom-and-pop.

I've worked at companies with retail store fronts - my extended-family's restaurant in Ohio, a veterinary office, a fabric/crafts store. I've run a machine at a plastics manufacturer and pumped gas at my father's service station. And, I've worked at corporate headquarters designing and influencing the market-data programs and procedures for many subsidiaries.

But, enough about me. That's not what this forum is about.

When I stop to think about where my real passion is... what really makes me tick... what others think I'm good at... it almost always has to do with "helping the little guy." How to help small business succeed. Where seemingly the smallest detail can make the biggest impact.

That's what this forum is about. It's, simply stated, meant to be a forum for bringing questions and answers, or at least advice, together. For those people who, quite frankly, can't attend national conferences for their industry. Not because they don't want to, but because doing so would have a direct impact on the bottom line far exceeding the cost of the conference... because their business would be closed while they're away.

I feel compelled to say that my conference attendance was paid for not by me, or by Southwest, but by the national association. Otherwise, most likely, I wouldn't have been able to attend, as we at Southwest have to weigh our decisions about such expenditures (in both time and money) very carefully as well.

Anyways... how do you feel about attendance at conferences for your industry type? Do you go? Are they beneficial and valuable? Are they out of reach for you and your company? What kinds of session topics would entice you to attend, if any?

This forum is for you. What topics would you like to see discussed here?