The two days of X Change are, for me, the most enjoyable and the most tiring of the year. In our second year, the Conference was a little bigger, much smoother, and, for us at Semphonic, every bit as exhilarating. I had so many good conversations that I can hardly keep track.
And, of course, the role, reason and central concept behind X Change is to foster good conversation about web analytics.
Good conversation can come at any time and in any place – sometimes in the most surprising ways and places. But if you can’t always predict when good (or bad) conversations will occur, there is much you can do make your odds better.
What makes good conversation a better bet? I think it’s having people you are both comfortable with and excited by. In designing X Change, we try to make sure of both.
Creating a level of comfort with each other is no trivial task for any Conference. To create the right atmosphere for X Change, we try to eliminate the elements of discordance. That’s why there are no sales presentations at X Change. No pitching. No sponsorships. No over-lunch speakers. No booths. No sales hand-outs. It’s also why we try so hard to bring together a group of true peers. At X Change, we aren’t looking for Junior Analysts and we aren’t looking for C-Levels to attend. We want senior web measurement people because we know they will share similar problems, concerns, and business interests. Without comfort, we are all wearing our business masks – showing only our successes and speaking as if we know everything. But when we grow comfortable with each other, a truer world emerges where we can talk to our problems and struggles.
Comfort is also why we tried so hard to build the right atmosphere. Good food and good wine and good chairs do not produce good conversation but they certainly don't hurt. Reviewing the comments back, most everyone seemed delighted with the Ritz. The service, the food and the pampering made going home almost hard – even for a committed homebody like me. One or two people even noted that perhaps it was too much good food and good comfort. I get that – not that I would take a single biscotti back. X Change isn’t about great rooms or nice pools or even a good massage and an ice-cream sundae. I’m not sure that I’ll put X Change in a five-star hotel every year. But I am committed to making every X Change experience truly special in every respect – because I think that great experiences will bring the best people to the event.
And having the best people is what it’s all about. Comfort can just as easily be soporific, which is where my second element - the excitement - comes in. I believe that anytime you bring together a group of truly talented people, they will create a special kind of excitement. There is a fermentation, an intoxication even, in being surrounded by others deeply interested and highly accomplished in a shared topic or profession. This single idea is really the guiding principle behind X Change – to create a place and a time where we can come together in common ground and let loose our ideas.
That’s what I believe we accomplished.
As I expected, I have a whole set of new topics to think about and new ideas that emerged from my conversations at X Change (plus my usual set of ideas on what to do even better).
But for now, I just want to thank the many, many people involved: the whole Semphonic team (and especially Barbara and Grace) for making everything so smooth and worry-free; Eric Peterson who is never less than a pleasure to work with; our Huddle Leaders – who were diligent, thoughtful, witty and deeply committed; our vendor experts and consultants who consistently buy-in to the soul of the event; and, of course, to all the attendees. In my (brief – I talk much shorter than I write) opening remarks, I made the point that at X Change, the conference is really in the hands of the attendees. The conference is a success or failure based on the conversation and contribution of all the attendees. Thank you all!
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