On Friday 5th September I made the long journey (from the west coast of Scotland) up to Fife to attend The Content Marketing Academy 2014. Having been working to promote TCMA for a couple of months I was really excited for the event to finally happen. I was also excited to not only be an organiser but also a delegate and expand my own knowledge of content marketing. Here is my experience of The Content Marketing Academy 2014 and why you should attend TCMA 2015.
The Tangibles
The venue
Having only seen pictures of the venue of their website, I found The TREE Centre to be a great space. It was a really light and open environment, ideal for facilitating both formal and informal discussions among delegates. The breakout areas were great for the workshops and the lecture theatre was comfortable and ideal for the number of delegates in attendance.
The speakers
I had done some research on a couple of the speakers before the event so knew a bit about Zoe Griffin and Kate McQuillan before I met them. Both of their presentations on blogging were inspirational, especially as I am trying to set up my own blog. The surprise of the event for me, speaker wise was Mark Penetleton. He was awesome; really engaging, funny and even got us all singing along to a song about podcasting. All in all, every speaker had something of value to say and I took away at least one important thing from everyone.
The delegates
I got to speak to a few of the delegates, gathering video testimonials from them and they were all excited about the day and complimentary about the whole event. It was clear everyone was eager to learn and get involved in the workshops, as I saw first hand, helping to facilitate the blogging workshop.
The food
The best part of any event is always the food, well in my opinion anyway. The buffet put on by The Tree Centre was fabulous. There was a great selection of food, both savoury and sweet, and all of it was delicious. From bbq chicken sandwiches, to vegetables and humos, to fruit skewers and tray bakes, there was plenty to choose from.
The workbook
To keep us on track throughout the day, we had a workbook that acted as a notebook to allow us to take note on the speakers presentations and gave us talking points for the workshops. I also used my workbook to network with other delegates and find out interesting facts about them. For example did you know Kate McQuillan has a paddling pool for her pet turtle?
The Intangibles
(There may only be one intangible but it is certainly important)
What I learnt
As I mentioned before I learnt something from all the speakers who were at TCMA 2014. From Zoe I learnt that you should spend as much time writing and promoting your blog. From Kate I learnt that consistency really does pay off. From Mark I learnt the 6 P’s of podcasting (Check out whypodcasting.com to find out what they are), as well as the podcasting song. And from Colin Gray I learnt that a podcast can be as simple or as complex and you want it to be.
On the whole
An excellent day where I learnt a lot, met new people, even gained some new skills in video filming.
Why you should attend TCMA 2015
- You will meet new people who are in the same position as you
- You are guarantee to leave knowing something you didn’t at the start of the day
- You will end the day with the inspiration and motivation to get started with your content marketing strategy
Click here to find out why you should attend industry conferences, seminars and events
Your Turn
- If you attended TCMA 2014, what did you think of it?
- If you did not go, first why not? and second has this motivated you to attend next year?
Let us know in the comments section below!
Don’t forget to get your tickets for 2015 now to get 25% off. Click here!
