California, here I come!

This week, we had more than two feet of snow fall in one day. And it's snowing again this evening. I am well aware that I live in New England, where a snowy winter is de rigeur, and since it's only January, we're still at the very beginning of what's likely to be a long, cold winter. However, a ray of sunshine has entered my frozen world: I just registered for the 2011 AIM Conference, which is being held in sunny California at the beginning of May.

I went to the AIM Conference for the first time last year, and it was excellent. Though the trip from the east coast to the west is a long one, I got so much out of the sessions and made some great contacts, too. This year's conference promises to be outstanding as well, with early agenda items including the below (as of January 15):

• What Happened to My Leads? (Actual) Sales Phone Calls Gone Wrong
• A New Product/Company Competition – New Companies Vie for “Best New Product or Service of the Year” judged by investors and the audience.
• Social Shopping - Why is Groupon Worth $3 Billion? Do Peer Recommendations Matter That Much?

I didn't have to negotiate attendance, since my company and manager are very pro-education and networking (lucky me!), but if you need some tips to persuade a "deal boy without a clue," I highly suggest watching this video, courtesy of Stephen Lefkovits, Executive Producer of AIM and principal of Joshua Tree Internet Media, LLC and Joshua Tree Consulting.






Yep, we marketers have a pretty good sense of humor, which is one of the reasons that this conference ranks so high on my list of must attend events. If your plans take you to California, please look me up: I'll be the girl smiling blissfully in the sun, and eagerly networking with my peers. May can't come fast enough!