marketing360 or something like that

i have some posts which i still have to write (covering my weekend events), but in the mean time i need to express my frustrations after attending yesterday's Marketing360. Although Bogdana has already written an excellent post covering pretty much my very own thoughts and feelings. I had two main causes for sadness.

First, since i consider myself to be a beginner, i would have liked to find out at least one thing i did not know. That didn't happen. Except, maybe, for the fact that Itsy Bitsy was Felix Tataru's idea (actually, his presentation was one of the very few i really appreciated).

Second, despite the fact that the event was called "marketing360", the overwhelming majority of the speakers seemed to ignore without any hesitations the concept or implications of this "360". Well, i thought that if they chose to ignore this, maybe they might want to develop some really interesting, catchy presentations, you know, as in have at least one very tiny spark, suggest at least a little evolution in mentality and in means and methods. Unfortunately, at times i was just asking myself whether those guys could bear for quite some time someone just as dull and common as they seemed to be trying hard to convince the audience they are. I don't doubt their value or achievements or whatever, but each time i tried to put myself in their shoes and i think i would have liked to be at least a little different. I mean actually touch my audience with something more than the same old dull theories i have been listening to forever and so on. Or it's just my very demanding youth, doubled by my utter lust for finding out new, exciting things. However, a simple summary of Jon Steel's book really doesn't qualify as a presentation on my scale. Nor does starting the presentation with a strong highlight of the big differences between a "strategic planner" and an "account planner", but ending the same presentation speaking exclusively of "strategic planners", when actually referring to "account planners", according to the difference already mentioned. My passion for rigour was extremely hurt.

I really do not mean to be rude, but the thing is that i need to and want to learn from experienced, bright people and from this point of view, i wasn't satisfied at all. Plus, the flops in the event's organization were killing me. There were however, some case studies i really liked and listened to with some enthusiasm, such as the Itsy Bitsy thingy, and Antibiotice by Grapefruit.

The best thing by far was meeting Bogdana in the flesh. First, cause curiosity was killing me. Second, because she gave me the highly reassuring feeling that i am after all speaking the same language with somebody. So, thank you, Bogdana!