Wikipedia defines thought leaders as
…an entity that is recognized by peers for having innovative ideas. Thought leaders often publish articles and blog posts on trends and topics influencing an industry.
Many people want to be engaged in the thought leadership taking place in New Media. But what do you need to know to participate in this game. Does it mean you are conversant about multiple New Media platforms and can talk trends. Or is it enough to have a well developed expertise over one aspect of New Media. The New Media Expo is engaged in the business of thought leadership and their conference always opens a window to the current culture and thought leadership in the New Media arena.
Kulture
Not quite one month has passed since I wrote about having attended the New Media Expo 2013 in Las Vegas where blogging, web tv/video, and podcasting were the focus. This conference is not necessarily a “feel good” conference in the sense of smaller conferences that have engagement as one of their main objectives.
I have gone 3 times in the past and often felt lost. This year was the first time the conference appointed attendee ambassadors to specifically interact with attendees to help make their experience more rewarding. A podcast on the NMX website notified attendees that the ambassadors would be around. I thought this was a nice touch. So I was on the look-out for them. I had an interaction with both Farnoosh Brock and Bret Bumeter ll.m. and planted a friendship seed that I hope will grow over time.
I would describe NMX as extremely focused on delivering results – results as defined by a male — and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s just a more market-driven conference in its thrust than say a smaller conference. While time was built in to make connections, the conference did not spend an inordinate amount of time ensuring that this took place. This was the attendee’s responsibility. I have become better at making this work for me.
I would add there are always more male than women attendees. For the most part, (my opinion again) these males seem to be highly focused on each other in a business way, either because they have already collaborated with each other, hold each other in high regard, and/or have decided specifically how they are going to make money together. They come to work. And I like that, especially now that I get it.
Thought Leadership
The conference was split into the Business Next section and the Regular Registration section. Business Next offered an all access pass that included meals and opportunities to interact with super stars while the Regular Registration at $398 was value packed, but no frills. The difference between the two, other than the $798 fee, was that Business Next was more forward thinking. Attendees were more experienced and more about the business of New Media than about mastering best practices relative to New Media. In other words, many people were focused on learning the ropes at the beginner and intermediate levels. Participants in Business Next had a degree of fluency in New Media that allowed them to focus on the extraneous concerns of managing New Media projects, managers and looking into the future.
For example, in the Business Next sessions, discussions about inventing the future with presenters like Robert Tercek, went into the specifics of what comes after television. I was not in Business Next sessions so I cannot give you firsthand recap; but I now know that people ( I have never heard of), like Gian Fulgoni, Gilliam Weston, Shani Higgins of Technorati Media, Dana White of United Wrestlers Federation, Chris Hardwick of Nerdist Industries and Stan Slap are in the forefront of those who earn a living in social media.
There are others who make a good living as well. Many ran sessions in the Regular registration panels that as I said offered nuts and bolts at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. These panel presenters work with other small business people rather than the Ford corporations of the world or Shaquille O’Neal. Topics included:
- How does one add photography into your marketing mix
- Four Concrete Steps to get 1,000,000 visitors to your blog
- How to Create new content and think outside the box when podcasting.
- What about Media Money: Five Action Plans for profiting from your blog, podcast or web/TV show.
A few of these presenters I’d heard of before like Amy Porterfield, Gary Arndt, Chris Ducker, and C.C. Chapman. But most were not familiar to me.
This is one of the things I like most about the New Media Expo. Going to New Media Expo is a chance for me to up my game. It’s like playing tennis with a better player than yourself. It’s like learning a new language. At NMX, I am able to practice and improve. While I enjoyed most of the sessions I attended, it was clear that many panelists were marketing an upcoming event or an existing book. I think that’s fair. More business.
Conferences are places to conduct business and make friends, but business first at NMX. I don’t think that thought leadership is limited to the leaders identified at this conference. It’s just one definition of what these words might mean. Overall, NMX is a conference where I’d say you are guaranteed to learn more about new media than you knew before. And if you work hard, it is also a place to become part of a community for new media professionals.
Photo credit Winston Salem
Brett Bumeter says
Thanks for the mentioning me. 🙂 I just watched Chris Ducker’s presentation today from NMXU. It was super helpful and also worked well with Jonathan Shankman’s own presentation at New Media Expo. Both covered different but important aspects of getting help from virtual assistants.
BTW It was great meeting you at the show!
boomrwiz says
Thanks Brett. I will try working with a VA this year. There’s no way I can grow without help. And the pleasure was all mine.