I’m back from Bob Puddy’s Bristol event and feeling exhausted – it really takes it out of you when you are up ’til late each night then waking up first thing to get to the first presentation.

From 5 o’clock on Thursday evening until late last night it was pretty much a non-stop marathon of drinking, laughing, networking and learning. 

Bob again managed to attract a good range of marketers from the newcomer to the very experienced and it was great to see everyone in the bar each night, speakers and attendees.

Having access to all the speakers in an informal atmosphere was a welcome change – the last seminar I went to was disappointing when the speakers didn’t venture into the bar in the evenings. I got the feeling that the vast majority of them left the venue (a hotel in Heathrow) 1 hour after finishing their pitch on the stage.

Not in Bristol…

I witnessed one speaker buying trays full of shots then distributing them amongst all the attendees in the smoking area. The other speakers were a permanent fixture at the bar each evening and very approachable. I get the feeling that Bob makes sure he books people that he knows enjoy a drink or two!

Anyway, it’s becoming common to see the same core group of UK marketers at each of these seminars and it’s always good for gossip hunting!

In fact, from the insider gossip I heard, it is obvious that the vast majority of internet marketers are psychopaths. There’s no other explanation. 

“Cage Fighting” springs to mind! (Anyone at Bristol will know what I mean by that…)

A full review will follow in due time, just give me a few days to recover from the overdose of Cobra.

Photo above is a quick shot I did of my notes using my mobile phone.

I’ve a load of notes to go over now, I always find it’s very important to get cracking with the new ideas and techniques asap, whilst you are still enthused…

Word to the wise: Be there next year, you won’t regret it

Just over a week left until the LFMpire event starts so if you were sitting on the fence about attending, it is time to make a decision.

For more background info, see the previous post:

Robert Puddy’s LFMpire Seminar, Bristol, May 2009

My advice would be to just do it – clear your diary, book the ticket, book the hotel, jump on a train and get down to Bristol.

Come and join us on the Thursday night in the hotel bar and get involved.

What you’ll find when you get to the bar are 80+ UK based internet marketers eager to network, looking to find new business contacts and excitedly talking about the business (often giving away their best tips too, once they’ve had a couple of drinks).

At the last seminar organised by Robert Puddy (the Britpack Live Seminar in Coventry) the bar was packed each night and attendees saw the results of deals done at that seminar for months afterwards.

These events are focused on helping you in your business. They are a different kettle of fish to the numerous ‘pitchfest’ seminars where the idea is to get you in a seat from 9 ’til 6 over 3 days and show you a procession of different sales pitches.

The first ‘Puddy’ event I went to yielded over 40 pages of notes that I still refer to now. I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said that it added 5 figures to my profits that year. All for a small investment of a couple of hundred dollars for the ticket and then beer money and hotel costs. A small price to pay for some excellent knowledge.

Sincerely, I can’t really recommend these events enough. Before I attended my first one I was very apprehensive about the idea of attending seminars. However, I took a chance and travelled to Birmingham in 2006 and it was a superb three days.

I now have lots of contacts in the industry and meet up monthly with several other marketers in a mastermind. I’m not promising you’ll have the same experience as me but I’m willing to bet you’ll have a great time if you attend.

8 days to make up your mind:

[Link removed – site no longer live]

And if you do decide to attend, make sure you come and find me at the bar. I’ll buy you your first drink and introduce you to some very successful marketers. And who knows where that could lead you…

Robert Puddy has now confirmed that he will be holding a special 3 day workshop/seminar in Bristol in May.

The seminar will run from Friday the 8th until Sunday the 10th May in a hotel close to the University of West England in Bristol.

In addition to the “workshop” portion of the event there will also be an optional VIP dinner on the Thursday night. This dinner will provide attendees with an opportunity to network with several expert internet marketers in a relaxed atmosphere.

Robert held a similar dinner at his Coventry seminar in 2007 and it was a massive hit.

From what I can gather the whole weekend will be dedicated to showing attendees how to drive traffic to their websites and also how to create successful membership sites.

In his own words Robert promises that he and his team will:

“…give you everything we can to help you drive hordes of traffic to any site you create…”

Speakers confirmed so far are Robert, Paulie Sabol, Donna Fox and Soren Jordansen.

Special room rates are available in the hotel with a bed and breakfast price from £55 per night.

Also, Robert is offering a special discount for those who act on this early – just $197 a ticket for the entire 3-day workshop.

I attended Robert’s seminars in 2006 and 2007 and they were superb networking events as well as excellent learning experiences. Unfortunately Robert did not run a UK seminar last year so I am very much looking forward to this event.

This event is highly recommended and you can find out more at:

[Link removed – site no longer live]

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about attending an internet marketing seminar and not sure whether to go or not, my advice would be to just do it.

Seriously – this is going to be an excellent learning experience PLUS you will meet people who can help you advance your business. And it’s likely you’ll meet them in the hotel bar whilst enjoying a beer. Robert always makes a point of asking every attendee and speaker to gather in the hotel bar after each day’s presentations. It means that the whole weekend turns into a non-stop networking event where lots of business deals and joint venture deals are formed.

Before I went to my first seminar I was nervous and apprehensive but as soon as I got there I knew it was going to be superb. Now I never miss these events.

Do yourself and your business a favour and seriously consider the great opportunity Robert is offering here:

[Link removed – site no longer live]

ADDITION 30/03/09: Robert has just posted a new video explaining the benefits of attending this event:

 

This weekend just gone I spent down in Heathrow at the Focus Marketing UK Seminar which was organised by Pat Lovell and Sean Roach.

I had a great weekend, despite a couple of low points – what kind of hotel closes their bar at 1am?

I’ve just added a full review of the seminar – warts and all – to the main website and you can read it here:

Review of Focus Marketing Seminars UK Event, Heathrow, October 2008

I can’t say it enough – these seminars are superb for meeting other people who are in the same position as you.

There was no indication whether Pat and Sean will be back in the UK anytime soon but you can keep up to date with the latest UK IM seminars at the following website:

[Link removed – site no longer online]

Were you at the seminar in Heathrow? What did you think?

I’d love to hear from other attendees, feel free to leave your comments below…

Read through a few posts on this blog and you will soon discover that I like to attend a couple of internet marketing seminars a year.

I really enjoy getting away for a few days to a hotel and mixing with other marketers.

Although me and countless other marketers take seminar attendance in our stride, we were new to it once and can fully understand why some people find it daunting and are put off.

A lot of it may be down to misconceptions i.e. “it’s just a big pitchfest with no real information or benefits to ME” or just the fact that it’s scary to turn up to an event not knowing anyone else who will be there.

Read on to discover what kind of people you’ll meet and what to expect at your first internet marketing seminar (and please note, this is based on my experiences of attending small gatherings of 50-100 attendees NOT huge 500+ conferences).

Smaller gatherings of the type organised by Robert Puddy and Steve Foley are perfect as you have a good chance of speaking to everyone who attends – including the speakers.

Here’s a selection of the people I have been lucky enough to have met at a seminar, maybe you recognise one or two of them yourself?

1. The Weirdo

This is the fella you will speak to once and then avoid for the rest of the weekend.

He’s the guy (or gal) who wants you in his MLM and will stop at nothing to convince you that MLMing is the way to go.

Advice: Say “oh, yes, MLM is wonderful! In fact, I’m already in that program, isn’t it great?” Immediately he will lose interest and you’re out of danger.

Do not, under any circumstances, say “MLM is a load of tosh” or you risk being lectured to for 2 hours on the benefits of building a downline. You have been warned.

2. The Drunk

The drunk forgets he is at a business meeting, has a few too many on the Saturday night and then threatens the barman and a random hotel guest when they look at him funny. He’s very remorseful on the Sunday during the first presentation but the damage is done. By all means have a few drinks, but don’t get steaming drunk and do something you may regret.

3. The Over-enthusiastic JV Man

Show the slightest bit of interest in promoting this fella’s product and he’s your friend for life. He’s also the one who continually emails you after the event putting pressure on your to promote to your list. And he’s not just doing it to you, everybody else who expressed an interest in JVing with him is getting hounded too. Advice: If you are looking to JV with others, select one or two potential partners towards the end of the event and NOT on the first night after you’ve got a little tipsy!

4. The Smokers

The smokers have all the fun. Stood outside the fire doors for long periods they chat, forge friendships and get all of the latest news and gossip. Even if you don’t smoke, be like a smoker. Fresh air is good for you so go outside occasionally and stand with them – you’ll be surprised by the sheer amount of information you pick up.

5. The Clueless Newbie

Full of questions and not afraid to ask, this is the one attendee that even the speakers avoid. If you’re a kind, generous and patient soul you can befriend them and field their questions all weekend. Otherwise, pretend to be just as clueless and they’ll wander off.

6. Your New Mastermind Group

I meet with 8 other marketers once a month and have been doing so for the last two years – our mastermind group surged ahead after we got together following a seminar. I know of two other mastermind groups in the UK that were formed out of seminar attendees and no doubt there will be more. If you want help, advice and motivation on a regular basis then the relationships you forge at weekend events can benefit you for years to come.

7. The Arrogant Speaker

This is the one speaker who jets in at 10.30am, speaks at 11am then leaves the building at 1pm. All of the other speakers stick around and mix with the attendees but not this one. Once his pitch has finished and he has banked some money, he is off.

8. Mr “Know-It-All”

Get stuck talking to this attendee and you’ll spend the next half hour thinking of excuses to get away. Mr KIA talks a good game but you soon realise he is just spouting the usual “expert advice” that he read last week in the latest over-hyped Clickbank best-seller. Nothing new here.

Of course, he mentions his product several times in the conversation (you’ve never heard of him or the product) and when you finally do get away, 2 hours later, he slides you his card which features his cheesy picture and his website address in big letters. Of course, you’ll make sure you buy his product the moment you get home!

9. The Surprisingly-Nice-In-Person Marketer

I’ll hold my hand up and admit that I’ve made some assumptions in the past that proved to be very wrong.

Whilst booking to attend a seminar I thought “oh no, not that speaker, don’t like him at all”. Then, when face to face with the person they turn out to be really friendly, knowledgeable and keen to share.

My advice would be to go to an event with an open mind, don’t presume somebody will be an idiot – let them prove it when you meet them!

10. Your New Best Friend?

I’ve only been to a total of 4 events over the past two years, all in the UK but at each one I’ve met other marketers who I keep in touch with and look forward to seeing at the next event.

Be yourself, be friendly and approachable and listen to the people you meet and maybe you’ll forge some life-long friendships. At the very least you’ll have some friends to meet up with next time you attend a seminar and people who can potentially help you in your business.

A few further tips:

Dress comfortably – you won’t have to attend wearing a suit. Some people do but I’ve always found jeans and a t-shirt or shirt to be perfectly fine.

Take some spending money for drinks/food etc – you can usually add everything to your hotel tab but often it is nice to go out in the evening to the nearest restaurant.

Don’t feel you have to buy any of the speakers’ offers. I’ve never spent anything on “back of the room” items at a seminar and for that I’m probably a seminar organiser’s nightmare attendee – I take up space and don’t get my credit card out. If something really resonates with me I will probably buy it but so far I’ve never been tempted. And all of the seminars I’ve attended would probably be labelled “pitchfests”.

Don’t expect to get very much sleep. Networking can continue long into the night and at one particular event a well-known marketer was still at the bar as the attendees were coming down for breakfast.

Try to get to the hotel the night before the seminar starts so if it is due to begin on Friday at 9am, arrive on the Thursday night and go down to the bar. You’ll find a few early arrivals “networking”. This also has the added benefit of helping you arrive for registration relaxed and refreshed on the first morning.

Although attending an off-line event can be daunting, you’ll soon get into the swing of things once you have been to your first seminar.

The next one I’ll be attending is the Focus Marketing Seminar in October see Internet Marketing Seminars in the UK for more details.

Do you recognise any of the above people? Are you planning on attending a seminar soon? Feel free to leave a comment about your experiences at internet marketing events or any questions you may have.