Power Digital Trip to the Customer Engagement World Conference in New York City

I recently had a great time in New York City for the Customer Engagement World (CEW) Conference with one of my business partners Nick Slettengren. We were honored to have the opportunity to speak at the conference regarding the intersection of Branding and Digital Lead Generation, more notably how the two work hand in hand now more than ever before. We had a blast presenting with our good friend Les Kollegian (link) from Jacob Tyler Creative. Throughout the week we networked with and talked shop with some very intelligent and influential marketers.

Our week in NYC consisted of different eye-opening aspects. We met some great, upcoming companies as well as were introduced to some very useful technology. Not to mention, we had an absolute blast enjoying all that NYC has to offer. One thing that really stuck out to me was New York’s fast pace lifestyle relative to the relaxed culture that exists in Southern California. I think this is due in large part to the density of the city, close proximity of businesses, multiple marketing conferences that the city hosted, and the fact that people are always taking advantage of what the city has to offer including late nights socializing and strolling around. The great planning on our end couldn’t have hurt either. We were non-stop GO, GO, GO and really had an incredibly productive week for such a short trip (Tuesday – Friday).

3 Cool Technologies I was Introduced to at the Show:

1. TrapIt – I see this content discovery tool having great applications for social media and outreach content development.
2. HashTag Ads – This is a pretty cool new Ad Network using influential social posters to push product and service campaigns to their following.
3. The World’s Smallest Hotel Room – All right, I’m joking here. But really, it was crazy looking back and thinking about how much that they pack into a tiny hotel room. The hotel where we stayed was very swanky and cutting edge.

Top things I enjoyed about NYC as a City:

1. Amazing restaurants and bars everywhere – We probably hit about 30 of them on Tuesday night. Or at least it feels that way!
2. NYC bagels living up to their reputation – I can honestly say the 3 bagels I ate in NYC were the 3 best bagels I have ever had in my life. Check out this photo of a classic NYC deli that we frequented.
3. You can Uber everywhere in the city in around 15 minutes or so – You should see my credit card statement. I think we spent $500 in transportation but it was such an easy way to get around and a great way to see the city.
4. Old buildings and history that we don’t have on the West Coast – Every time I venture east this is a key takeaway, but once again the amount of personality that the city has is next to none.
5. Catching up with old friends – We had the opportunity to meet up with industry friends, high school pals and numerous Arizona Wildcats that I haven’t seen in years.
6. Making some great new business contacts with some strategic partners and new clients located in NYC – There is so much business and opportunity out there in NYC. It was an eye opener.

One thing I realized this week was that New York is an incredible market for business. A market that has tons of potential for what we do at Power Digital (Internet Lead Generation aka online commerce, live chat sessions, form fills or phone calls). I am excited to invest more time growing our business in that market and can see the potential for a stronger presence in NYC sometime in the future. Maybe an office is in order if we can find a star employee / partner to run the shop out there.

Thanks for the great time and experience NYC. Cheers to the city and all the great people I met. Until next time!