Wednesday, February 17, 2010
They have a name: Outboarders!
Hat tip to Maria Niles, who pointed me to this NY Times article about the conference phenomenon: Outboarders.
Companies that don't sponsor an event, but instead try to book space near the event and lure people to their space.
"Outboarders" is kind, since I've also heard them called "leeches" or "ambushers".
As BlogHer Conferences have grown this has become an actual issue for us, one I never would have anticipated. I guess because I was never an event planner before, eh?
In a way, it's comforting to know it's a known and apparently increasingly common problem.
In a way, that doesn't make it better at all.
But at least, now, they have a name!
Companies that don't sponsor an event, but instead try to book space near the event and lure people to their space.
"Outboarders" is kind, since I've also heard them called "leeches" or "ambushers".
As BlogHer Conferences have grown this has become an actual issue for us, one I never would have anticipated. I guess because I was never an event planner before, eh?
In a way, it's comforting to know it's a known and apparently increasingly common problem.
In a way, that doesn't make it better at all.
But at least, now, they have a name!
Labels: bloghercon, conferences
// posted by ElisaC @ 6:17 PM 
