Having now attended two VO Atlantas, I am pleased to say that I believe this one was better than the last one. Better organized, better programmed and, not that they can control this aspect (and it’s completely subjective on my part) but their seemed to be a better mix of people.

For me, the most impressive part of the programming was the list of producers, performers and agents organized by MaryLynn Wissner (pictured) of Voices Voicecasting.  The talented folks, including Lori Alan, Scott Parkin, Jeff Howell, J.J. Jergens, Vince Lebica, Thom Pinto and Cissy Jones, were insightful, honest and (as I was fortunate to find out) fun to hang out with.

MaryLynn was working with me on coaching and my commercial demo when during one of my sessions she went over the list of people she had brought together for VO Atlanta. That sealed the deal for me.

I won’t give you a blow by blow of what I learned because you don’t care – you go to conferences to learn what YOU want to learn, you don’t need to know what I needed to learn.

Bottom line – I enjoyed it.

Anything I’d change? Well…

The one problem I had with the conference was the fact that when the schedule was published on line, it did not have details on each presentation published with the time and date. In other words, you could read about the topic title, the who, and the when but NOT the what.

A conference producer needs to demand of its presenters and a presenter needs to provide well in advance of his/her presentation an informative general overview of what they will be speaking about or what a panel will be talking about. People making a buying decision – like whether or not to attend a voiceover conference – need information. That didn’t happen the way it should with VO Atlanta.

And that’s it. That’s my complaint.

Now sit back and realize all the effort, time and details that go into planning such a massive event and you’ll realize that my complaint (singular) is valid but small compared to the big picture.

Now you’re going to ask me if YOU should go to VO Atlanta next year. You’ll have to wait and see.

A good conference this year or a bad conference six years ago doesn’t matter. It’s all about the programming.

It’s the programming, when compared to what you need to learn to build your business, that should guide whether or not you attend any conference.

Being seen, or just getting away or just hanging with your VO buds is nice — but it’s not a good business plan.

Put it on your calendar, maybe store some cash away for the expenses, then look over the program when it comes out. You’ll know then whether the smart move for you is to pull the trigger or walk away. Only you will know. Only you matter when it comes to that decision.

Maybe I’ll see you there.

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