I'm baaaack... for my second time at Search Engine Strategies Toronto, that is. SES Toronto is one of my favorite conferences, not least because I don't feel self-conscious saying aboot and eh during a presentation. It's a smaller conference, which means you get access to some of the top search marketing practitioners in the field without having to wade through throngs of people to ask a question. The quality is also great; these are speakers which have spoken at international conferences and bring the same level of insight and search marketing motivation they would if it were a big conference.
Programmed by one of the industry's most intelligent and insightful minds, Andrew Goodman (who is a - ptew, ptew - Habs fan for those of you who would immediately scream fangirl), SES Toronto kicks off on Monday, June 8th with a keynote from Tara Hunt. Ms Hunt's Whuffie Factor, which gets props from Wikipedia's founder Jimmy Wales, discusses how to raise social capital in online communities and translate social capital to real, tangible profit.
My session, Internationalizing Your Campaigns and Sites, immediately follows the first keynote. I'll be speaking about pitfalls and ways around them for English-speaking markets. In a world that is seeing a sharp decline in sales and market confidence, it's not about the timing of expanding south of the border (or across one of the ponds) but how you choose to package your product to seemingly similar audiences.
I'm especially looking forward to the Geek Track (aside from my own session, which is in suit-and-tie corporateville). The Ins and Outs of Twitter and the Extreme Site Clinic look like great lineups - rockstars abound.
Aside from the conference, I get to take a trip to my hometown. I've been lucky so far this year; several trips back home have allowed me to stock up on all the Canadian essentials - Kraft Dinner, Swiss Chalet Sauce and Maple Oatmeal (and see my family as well). There are some great restaurants and sightseeing opportunities within spitting distance of the Sheraton Centre Toronto, where the conference is being held. I know the exchange rate isn't wonderful anymore, but the Hudson's Bay Company store within the Bay itself is great for Canadiana, and the Eaton Centre is just across the road.
If you plan on attending SES Toronto, drop your Twitter name in the comments and let's connect. See you in the T-Dot!
