InnoTech Conference & eMarketing Summit: Day 1

So I am still trying to digest all of the great things from day 1 at the 6th annual InnoTech Conference at the Oregon Convention Center. It's my first real time attending an industry conference. InnoTech is the region's premier business and technology innovation conference and expo, where the leading minds of the industry gather to discuss the latest in our ever-changing tech world.

Parallel to the conference is the 5th annual eMarketing summit led by Kent Lewis, president of Anvil Media, Inc. (@kentlewis). This two-day event is where internet marketing professionals can learn the latest marketing strategies from industry leaders. It's two days of techy, savy, social-media mayhem!

Day one was filled with insightful and informative information on internet marketing strategies. Topics ranged from customer engagement to corporate blogging. Here's a rundown of who's who in the tech world and what they had to say:

• The first session featured Mike Caplan and James Rice (@jamesrice) discussed how to engage customers in a fragmented world. It's all about people having micro-identities and trying to reach them wisely, in long-term relationships. They own your brand.
• Next was Eric Peterson (@erictpeterson). He made the relationship between engaging customers and how to effectively measure success from that.
• The third session featured Rich Rosen, the founder of ROSEN, a global consultancy firm specializing in in transforming marketing and advertising campaigns into cost-effective business models. His session talked about the combination of brand and direct marketing, and how that can lead into successful online presence.
• Next was David Mihm, COO of GetListed.org, who discussed the latest in local search marketing strategies. Key take-away here: GET LISTED!!! Google Local Business Center, Yahoo Local, or even on the Universal Business Listing. These are essential steps to take and drive customers to your business, even if you don't have a website.
• The fifth session featured an all-star blogger panel including Rick Turoczy (@turoczy), Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb (@marshallk), and Josh Bancroft on Intel (@jabancroft). The three held an open discussion about the pros and cons of corporate blogs.
  
• To end the day was tips on implementing a successful online strategy. It was led by Dylan Boyd (@dtboyd) of eROI, Brian Massey (@bmassey) of Conversion Sciences. This was catch-all session that summed up a lot of great tips.
  

These are some really great minds in the world in internet marketing and social media. It was great to hear their thoughts and learn from them. Tomorrow will feature more informative session from the eMarketing summit, plus the full InnoTech exhibit hall and lectures. So much to take in from today, and 3 times as much tomorrow!!! Another full update will follow!