VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Scott Pollak]

Okay folks, help me out here.

I admit right up front I'm a skeptic of annual conventions, seminars, etc.

In February Faffcon will hold its second conference right in my own backyard in Atlanta. I know some of you went to the first one and probably loved it, and some are already planning on attending the second. And no, it's not a great deal of money, especially if you live here in Atlanta and don't need lodging or airfare.

Still, it IS money to be spent. And honestly, other than the great camaraderie (which is a given) and the wonderful socializing, what does one gain from these types of things? When I was in the corporate world, AND the broadcasting world, I went to plenty of these and had not the corporations been footing the bill, I'm not sure I would have been anxious to plop down the fees to attend.

Can those of you who have attended Faffcon, and I suppose things like Voice 2010 and the previous ones, tell me what you got of substance for your bucks beyond the rubbing of shoulders?

I apologize if I come across here as a curmudgeon. That's not my intention. I'd love to socialize with the wonderful v/o community, but I can practically do that for free. From a practical business perspective, what have you come away with from these types of things that has paid dividends in your voiceover career?
_________________
Scott R. Pollak
Clients include Pandora, NPR Atlanta, Wells Fargo, Cisco, Humana, Publix, UPS, AT&T, HP, Xerox and more.

www.voicebyscott.com

[bobsouer]

Scott,

I've been to all 3 of the VOICE conferences and enjoyed all of them. I've attended 15 straight Dan O'Day Summit conferences and have benefited from and enjoyed all of them. Faffcon is profoundly different because the agenda is set by those who are there, because the only "experts" are those of us there willing to lead a conversation or ask a question, and because the focus is on the practical and substantive.

We are all blind to some of the ideas and possibilities and insights that are around us because we don't know what we're missing. Sitting in a circle of your peers talking about the questions that are important to you will open your eyes to see what you don't know you are missing.

What sets Faffcon apart isn't the fun we have hanging out together. That's present at all of them. Faffcon is about working professionals candidly sharing lessons and insights with their peers.
_________________
Be well,
Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
The second nicest guy in voiceover.
+1-724-613-2749
Source Connect, phone patch, pony express

[Lee Gordon]

[Scott Pollak]

[Pam]

[Lee Gordon]

[Philip Banks]

Voice2010 for me made financial and professional sense but that was more as a result of choosing the conference as a meeting point than the conference itself. If one sidesteps the "Woots", for most it is a waste of time and money. It helps VOs because they feel like they're doing something about their careers, more often than not ...they're not.

Faffcon - To meet friends, if I have the money sloshing around, I'll spend it. Faffcon is a place to do that. Investment in MY career? ....Be clear about that MY career. I doubt it. Why? For me, it carries a $5,000 price tag.

[Bruce]

If someone held a shotgun to my head, let's say a Sennheiser MKH416, and said "guesstimate how much money you've made from the Faffcon you went to in September?", I'd have to say about $3,000 so far. That comes partially from fees I've gotten through leads, referrals, and also direct hirings by fellow Faffers, plus the money saving ideas and marketing ideas I gained there. Those are gifts that I believe will keep on giving.

I'd also say I gained warm, new acquaintanceships with 25 people I didn't know and 25 stronger friendships with the people I did know. I'd call that priceless.

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[Lizden]

I got a kick in the A$$.
One that I sorely needed (no pun intended).
That has absolutely kicked it up a notch for me.
Between that, the rubbing of the proverbial shoulders and the freely sharing of ideas from those that I respect, it was totally worth it FOR ME.

I would suggest though, that if you DO decide to go, that your attitude be one of "OK I'm here, I'm open to ideas & hope that I can offer something to someone else in the process as well" as opposed to one of arms crossed over your chest and "OK, I'm here, this BETTER be worth it or I'm gonna be pissed!"

But of course YMMV.
_________________
Liz de Nesnera O.A.V. ~ Livin' The VO Dream!
English/French Bilingual VO w/ ISDN
HireLiz.com / liz@hireliz.com

[Scott Pollak]

Liz, I'm sure I'll attend since it is right here and the cost will be minimal to me.

While I admitted up front that I am a skeptic of these types of things, I really am NOT a curmudgeon who would carry in that kind of attitude such as you suggested. I am, however, a realist who has been to a ton of these types of things and believe in researching virtually any kind of 'purchase', whether it's a car, .mp3 player, microphone, or seminar. The feedback I've gotten here has helped immensely and has pretty much convinced me it WOULD be worth my while.

And, the feedback from Pam above confirmed my suspicion that - for me, at least - Voice would NOT be worth the rather large sum of money entailed to attend.
_________________
Scott R. Pollak
Clients include Pandora, NPR Atlanta, Wells Fargo, Cisco, Humana, Publix, UPS, AT&T, HP, Xerox and more.

www.voicebyscott.com

[Lizden]

YAY!
I look forward to meeting you there!

Oh and BTW....

[CC Heim]

For me, I recapped my cost in snacks alone! Amy had a nice selection of snack items set up in the main room.

Indulgence. Yeah, I haz it.

[DougVox]

Scott,

I understand your skepticism completely. The biggest challenge for unconferences may be in setting expectations for their participants. (At an unconference, you're not an 'attendee,' you're a participant.)

Before you've been to one, it’s hard to understand their loose, improvisational nature. (But that's a huge part of what makes them so valuable.) And the lack of managed direction can be a little uncomfortable, especially if you’ve been to a lot of traditional conferences.

The unconference can also be a little raw and unpolished, because participants speak about topics they’re passionate about, not ones in which they are necessarily established experts. But this loose structure, and the challenge of finding your place in it, is part of the fun. Much like traditional conferences, when you have a free minute, you can walk up to other people, ask them what new technology/ideas/business practices they're in love with, what projects they’re working on, or how they might solve a particularly sticky problem. UNlike traditional conferences, these quick exchanges will turn into an entire session, leaving everyone in attendance with a whole new set of arrows in their quiver. Arrows they didn't even know that they needed.

Looking at unconferences simply from the perspective of "What's my ROI?...What's in it for me?," might be our natural reaction, but that runs counter to the concept. Unconferences are about sharing, not about receiving. (Of course, everyone who attends will receive a TON of valuable information, but that can only happen if everyone who attends is willing to bring something to the table.

Admittedly, Unconferences aren't for everyone. There's a very Zen undertone to the structure of these events. In fact, most unconferences are governed by four principles of Zen-like simplicity:

• Whenever it starts is the right time. Whenever it is over, it is over.

• The people who come are the right people.

• Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened.

• If you are not learning or contributing, it is your responsibility to find someplace where you are.

You simply have to trust that the day will be exactly what it's supposed to be, and that you will get all of the information that you need. And true to form, the kinds of people who are willing to share openly, and are open to whatever the day may bring, tend to be:

A) the kind of people who pay for and attend unconferences, and

the kind of people who get the most information and enjoyment out of them.

Unconferences are magic. And there's no way to put a price on that.

PS. After reading all of that, if anyone still feels skeptical about whether or not an unconference is right for them, it probably isn't.

S. I'll see you there.
_________________
Doug Turkel (tur-KELL)
Voiceover UNnouncer®
UNnouncer.com

[Bailey]

Probably a little off topic, but... are any of the travel expenses connected with Faffcon & Voice considered as write offs?
_________________
"Bailey"
a.k.a. Jim Sutton
Retired... Every day is Saturday, except Sunday.
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AOVA Graduate 02/2004 ;
"Be a Voice, not an Echo."

[Philip Banks]

Coming soon Faffcon in Amsterdam!