I've got a lot going on today, so instead of preparing an ultra, uber-long and thoughtful post... I figured I could get away with just doing a quick recap of this week's eComXpo conference and exhibit hall.

The show started off on Tuesday morning and went non-stop until late Thursday night. During that time attendees could visit with over 450 exhibitors, watch over 40 keynote and panel presentations, and network with over a whopping 7,000 attendees... which by the way is an incredible turn-out for any conference, virtual or non-virtual.

Team All Web and I took turns manning our booth, which to be honest, was a bit of fun. I enjoyed chatting with the many different people who dropped by, even if they weren't at all interested in our services. There are tons of people who are very passionate about what it is they do, and I enjoyed hearing many of their stories.

If I had to choose a favorite and least favorite aspect of the show I'd say the following:

My favorite part of the entire show is the fact that there is no need for travel. There's no need to wake up early to board a plane, no need to stay away in a hotel, no need to miss work, no need to miss after-work activities, and most importantly no way that I could loose my wallet, license, credit card, and phone and have to worry about being stranded in a far-away state... again!

My least favorite part of the entire show was how virtual people tend to ignore you A LOT more than if they were right there in front of you. I'm not sure how many times I would initiate a chat with a booth guest, and simply be ignored. It was frustrating! And I am in no way a pushy sales-person type either... I was merely interested in what these people did on the net and whether or not they were enjoying the show.

Overall, I think the show was a success, at least as far as we're concerned. We were able to attain several solid leads, in addition to a whole spreadsheet of contacts we can now solicit... and you thought we were giving away a free iPod with no-strings attached. Sorry guys, but that's the nature of the biz. If you didn't get a chance to attend, eComXpo will be putting on another conference in March. Admission will most likely be free (as was the case this time), and I'm fairly certain that All Web has already made plans to exhibit again. I'm certainly looking forward to it.