5 things that surprised me at AMA’s Mplanet
1. Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. At a time when many CEOs are haughty and disconnected from business reality, Mulcahy appeared not only connected but insightful and straight-forward. Her keynote was a definite highlight of the show.
2. Marketers feel as lonely as the Maytag repairman. Attendees were hungry to talk to other marketers to share ideas, problems, solutions and to just talk. Many work in smaller marketing departments and feel isolated in their places of work, so they are anxious to bond.
3. Mplanet as a stop on the road to the Super Bowl. More than one attendee told me his or her next stop would be Tampa for the Super Bowl and marketing activities their companies had planned there. The big game being only an hour and a half drive from Orlando likely contributed to the good Mplanet turn-out.
4. The emphasis on innovation. Rather than tell marketers to get conservative in this bad economy, speaker after speaker said this is the time to be bold and try new things; nice to hear. You can read more about that in Marketing News’ post-Mplanet coverage in an upcoming issue.
5. All the beef. I’m not talking only about keynote speeches here, but also the food served during Mplanet lunches and evening receptions. I’ve never seen so much top sirloin and beef tenderloin offered at a conference. I’m wondering if the hotel’s chef shops at Costco, known for its good tenderloin prices. There also were mini-éclairs, another Costco staple.
