Do you want to attend more conferences but do not have the time or budget to travel?
I would recommend attending at least one and this is Conversion World. It is taking place 18-20 April 2016 this year. Conversion World is an online/virtual conference dedicated to Conversion Rate Optimisation and growth. This will be the second edition of the event after a successful run in 2015. Last year there were delegates and speakers from Europe, US and Australia.
As an organizer or Search London, I wanted to find out what it was like organising an online conference such as this one. I interview the founder, Manuel da Costa.
How long have you been in Conversion Optimisation for?
Coming up to 4 years now since I started focussing solely on Conversion Optimisation and growth.
When did you first have the idea of running this conference?
I had the idea about a year and half before I actually started planning it. I sat on it for a while, never too sure if this would be something people wanted to be a part of. Founder’s doubt, you can call it.
How do you attract the speakers?
I have a big network which consists of top CRO experts. For year one, it was reaching out to them and inviting them to be part of it. There isn’t a big barrier for speakers to take part in Conversion World compared to regular conferences ie No travel, no jetlag and minimal time commitment so that makes it easier.
What are the requirements to be a speaker and how do they present?
The conference speakers are selected on an invite only basis. Meaning they are hand picked or they come recommended. The general rule is that they have a talk that is actionable and practical for the attendees. No sales pitches.
For speakers, the attraction was being part of this global event without the usual travel and time commitments. They could be anywhere in the world, hook up their webcam and mic and present to our audience.
Do the speakers need a webcam? do they talk through a presentation or is it more of q&A style format?
Yes. They need a webcam and their slide deck to present. The format varies. Usually it will be a presentation. This year, we are adding panels with multiple speakers and AMAs (Ask me anythings) to make it more varied.