BEA Bloggers Conference 2015

At the end of May, I went to the BEA Bloggers conference in NYC.  It was my first time attending this conference and I was sure I would learn and experience the wisdom of a large slate of expertise. In addition, I was really looking forward to spending some time in NYC. However, I must be getting old. When I worked in the NYC area, a business meeting in Manhattan was different than a trip to a Mets game. In the 13 years I have been away things have changed quite a bit.  I could be off base thinking the book blogger community is not mainstream New York, but the book blogging world is definitely a very casual group. The casual attire is not a problem per se but it seems to reflect a casual state of mind, to me anyway. I found the bloggers conference speakers included some smart folks who blogged about books, were engaging and knew what they were talking about, and some casually oriented folks who also blogged about books.  The quality of the sessions at the conference varied greatly. I found many of the presenters and panelists were not “with the program”. It is interesting that a “professional communicator” would agree to appear before a hundred or so people and be so unprepared. Unorganized thoughts, too far from the microphone, too soft a voice were just a few very common complaints.  Yes, many of the sessions were panel discussions, but the questions and topics were scripted! There were no surprises. There were some presenters, who knew why they were there, and how to present their topics, and it showed. I came almost 1,000 miles, paid for an expensive hotel room, and paid to go to the conference. I came with an open mind ready to listen. I might pass up this conference next time around.