If you’re linked to me on Facebook or MySpace, you probably know that I attended the 129th annual Imaging USA conference & expo in Phoenix, Arizona this past weekend. This was my first time in going to this conference, and I had a few items on my agenda which I felt were worthy of the travel expenses:
First, I needed a chance to talk with various vendors, namely print & fulfillment companies. I plan on offering high quality products, not just pretty pictures, to my clients after all. Second, I wanted the opportunity to talk to some fellow photographers and see what they were doing and how they ran their businesses. Third, I wanted to attend some of the seminars they offered to possibly learn a few things about getting started.
All of my Twitter friends know what a jacked up day I had my first day there! I had thought that my hotel was near a rail station so I could avoid renting a car for those three days – the rail ran from the airport to the hotel (supposedly) and to the convention center, providing full access to everything I needed. How wrong I was! My hotel (stoopid Econolodge!) was no where near a rail stop – I would have had to take a bus or walk two miles to the nearest stop. I would have been spending most of my time in transit either way! So I broke down and spent the morning of my first day taking a shuttle back to the airport and renting a car. Lesson learned: Either spend a little more to get a decent hotel (and avoid the torture-device-as-a-bed) so you’ll actually be conveniently located, or plan on renting a car from the start. ‘Nuff said.
Back to my points for going… the expo was absolutely huge, with too many vendors to visit in one day. Such a difference from previous (non-photography related) expos I’ve attended. Many print and album companies to choose from, but with few really offering much in the way of unique materials. Beautiful products, don’t get me wrong, but many of them looked like the booth I just left 5 minutes ago. However, I learned a lot about what products there were out there and will now have a better idea when I look at mere pictures in a catalog.
I hate to say this, but the networking sucked. I know I’m not the most approachable or easiest to talk to, but most people just seemed either stuck up or simply too caught up in their own business to really care about interacting with other photographers… unless they were “famous” that is. Hell, the friendliest guy I met was a guy who admitted up front that he was not the artistic type, just a school portrait/team photographer. An outcast among outcasts. Are we artistic types really that stuck up?
The seminars were both informative and disappointing. Informative because they made me realize that I was pretty much on target with the goals I’ve made and the steps I’m taking to fulfill those goals. Disappointing in that most of the people talking at these seminars were saying virtually the same thing. After the first one, I only kept hearing the same advice over and over. Find your niche, branding is key, don’t under-sell yourself, yadda yadda yadda.
The key note speaker on Monday was Anne Geddes. Although I’ve never been a fan of her work (it’s too cutesy for my taste), I did develop a higher respect for her and her vision in spite of her shortcomings as a public speaker. Hell, I doubt if I would have been that dynamic talking about my work in front of thousands of people. But you’d think she’s had a little more practice at it than I.
Aside from the so-so seminars and my first-day transportation issues, I had a good time at Imaging USA. I saw some great products, met some really cool people like Joe Buissink and Bob Davis, and even picked up a little early birthday present for myself which I will be reviewing in the next week.
Tags: Arizona, Imaging USA, Reviews, travel
