I have some history with ConvergeSouth. In 2005, I decided that tiling my backsplash was a little more important (for domestic peace and tranquility). But, in 2006 I attended and found 8 Things from ConvergeSouth to write about.
But, this year was a very different experience. Much like I did back in 2006, I was early. Early enough to help put out the namebadges. If they weren’t in perfect order it’s because they were set up twice. Once without the tablecloths and the second time with tablecloths that our generous host NC A&T provided.
But, the experience was much more than that… an incredible crew performed magical feats of logistics, obtaining sponsors, creating/updating a web site, travel arrangements, tracking down speakers, creating fliers, podcasts and so much more. And, I was a part of all this… who would guess that the relatively minor contributions made ( in comparison to others) would be so appreciated. If helping out as a volunteer wasn’t enough, I had the opportunity to share a session with Tammy Colson in which we had to quite quickly substitute for a presenter that couldn’t make it at the last moment.
The keynote session was spectacular. What an opportunity to hear from a leading SEO. Brent covered the basics well and moved on up to some advanced topics that I really appreciated. You’d have to fly to a much larger conference and pay a lot more for the kind of information Brent shared with us.
So, in a small amount of time I went from volunteer and attendee to volunteer, attendee and presenter. This Converge was different (and better)… I didn’t spill any coffee.