I’ll be attending the DMA conference for the 2nd year in a row Oct. 17th-22nd. Last year I was introduced to the event in Las Vegas. I didn’t have a chance  for much pre planning to create a marketing strategy around my attendance last year but I got a good idea on what to expect and how to create opportunities this year. I’m happy to be living in DMA09’s host city aka: America’s Finest City, San Diego!  The San Diego Convention Center located on the beautiful San Diego bayfront is a prime location for large conferences, especially during this time of year. While we’re still enjoying the beautiful sunshine many places are already snowing!?

I’m so excited that everyone at DMA09 will get a glimpse of our gorgeous city! I’m participating in myriad of activities and want to invite you to join me in one way or another. Here’s the inside scoop on some awesome events, sessions and labs I’ll be participating in during the DMA!

1. BusinessOnLine’s Usability Sessions & Labs – Monday October 19th: The Usability sessions will help define user-experience and demonstrate how the user’s perspective should be taken into account when developing all the components of your site – from navigation, to image placement and calls-to-action. All DMA09 Attendees have an opportunity to sit down with a Usability expert for a personalized lab. The lab will give you time to discuss your website usability challenges where we’ll give you a better understanding on items which have the biggest impact on your ROI and tips on how to improve your efforts. Labs run in 15 minute increments from 9:30am to 5:30pm. You’ll get a sense of the caliber BusinessOnLine is able to deliver if you’d like to engage in further services.  Labs will full up quickly so please reach out to me if you’d like to schedule a time.

2. BusinessOnLine’s Social Media Labs– Tuesday October 20th: Social Media Labs run in 15 minute increments from 9:30am to 5:30pm. These labs allow you to discuss your social media situation and ask questions about strategy and measurement. We’ll review your on-site activity: sharing features, blogs, digital assets, and participation, off-site activity: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTub, Integration between platforms and activities. We’ll go over the importance of monitoring and measurement. This entire session is customized to your current social media participation and again will give you a sense of BusinessOnLine’s capabilities in Social Media Optimization. These labs will also fill up quickly, so please contact me if you’d like to participate.

3. Live Tweeting– For the latest event updates, education, inspiration, TweetPhotos and reminders, BusinessOnLine has launched a new Twitter account that will update throughout the event and beyond.

4. Video Blogging (vlogging) – I’ll be collecting a varity of video footage at the event as I continue my success as a vlogger from the ERA’s D2C Convention. I will  interview people who participate in our Usability and Social Media labs, attend the Usability Session, people who are excited to share their experience, those with an interest in Online Marketing and anyone who just loves a few minutes of fame! Please come find me if you’d like to participate in my vlogging ventures. Footage will be showcased on BusinessOnLine’s Facebook, YouTube and more!

5.  BuzzParty– The BuzzParty at the Hard Rock on Sunday night will be sure to kick off a great week! Join the fun by RSVPing to the BuzzParty . For those who aren’t familiar with the Hard Rock, it’s a great venue with friendly staff and a positive vibe. Out of all the locations to go clubbing in San Diego the Hard Rock is one of my favorites. This venue succeeds without egos or pretentiousness which is a rarity in the nightclub scene (I haven’t been there in a while so things may have changed, but I like to give people the benefit of the doubt). Unlike Vegas, you won’t leave smelling like smoke and you’ll actually get back to your hotel at a decent hour giving you a chance to rest and be refreshed for Monday!

6. Private Parties– Monday night I’ll be taking part in hosting a private cocktail reception. I won’t share too much about this event, but it will be a great group! After the cocktail reception I hope to my way to Altitude, my favorite rooftop bar with a gorgeous view of Petco Park. This is yet another semi-private party that’s sure to be filled with great minds. I’m not one to gloat about private events as I strive to share and collaborate as much as possible but if you catch my drift and read my next paragraph, I’m encouraging you to connect with me. There’s a reason for it!

7. Strengthening my Social Networking in Real Life– I’ve already connected with a number of people on Twitter who will be attending the event. (Tweets can be tracked #DMA09). Many of you are fellow marketers and social media enthusiasts like myself. There are also many business professionals and those eager to learn more about my specialty, online marketing! Whatever your reason is for attending, I encourage you to come find me and connect in real life. Let me know how I can help. Aside from discussing marketing you can be sure I will recommend my favorite places to dine, drink and site see in San Diego! San Diego is my hometown and I want to share it with all of you! So please ask me anything about San Diego and treat me like your host!