l. to r., Norrington, Donahoe and Crawford
Atlanta was definitely the "hot spot" March 19 and 20, as eBay kicked off its eBay On-Location conference series, being held in strategic locations across the United States.
Adopting the motto, "You're in Business," eBay reached out—quite literally—to local sellers ready to take their online careers to the next level. Small-business owners were embraced by eBay staff members as they entered the doors of the Omni Hotel at the CNN Center. At registration, every staff member grinned from ear to ear, and you could feel the positive energy fill your soul.
Jim Griffith, aka Uncle Griff, conducted on-the-spot interviews with attendees. When he asked, "Why are you here?" my first reaction was to say, "To see you Griff!" I adore this man and the work he does as an advocate for eBay members. Griff is the go-to guy for all your eBay solutions, and seeing his charming face only enhances the experience when attending eBay functions.
The registration tables were set up to keep a fast-paced momentum as each person checked in. We were given messenger bags with eBay's logo on the front. Goodies inside included a few "eBayanna" mementos. After checking in, I could feel the electricity in the air as I entered the grand ballroom, which was decorated for the occasion in the classic eBay color scheme of red, blue, yellow and green. My heart raced with excitement while my brain absorbed the fun-loving energy inside the ballroom. I was awestruck. For me, the experience of being at eBay events feels like being a child on Christmas morning.
I especially enjoyed meeting sellers who were new to eBay. Listening to their stories inspired me
The evening was a very comfortable few hours of social networking at its best! Mingling with fellow sellers, buyers and eBay staff, I was proud to be among the speakers featured on a "speed networking panel." I was able to make some fantastic connections, meet new people and invite them to our up-close-and-personal "Meet and Greet" networking event hosted by VirtualOnlineLearning.com. The evening was a huge success! (And a special thanks to Auctiva for the fantastic donation of door-prizes and hand-outs).
The conference started early on Saturday, with 7:30 a.m. registration and ticket pick-up for the break-out sessions. Speakers were in the grand ballroom while sessions were held in side rooms with limited space. However, eBay made it easy to attend all the sessions. They were scheduled so that if you missed an early session, you could catch it later in the day.
Topics included:
- Strategies to Grow Your Business
- New to eBay Stores?
- The Art of Customer Attraction
- eBay Seller Tool Demos
- 3 Top-Rated Sellers Speak out on a Panel
- The Power of Productivity
- 10 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success
- Know Your Numbers
- I just Tweetered on Facespace
- Shipping Questions and Answers
There were a few short networking breaks throughout the day, and a nice long lunch break. Several different styles of boxed lunches and beverages were provided which included something for everyone, from spicy to a vegan salad lunch, and coffee, tea and soft drinks.
I especially enjoyed meeting sellers who were new to eBay. Listening to their trials and tribulations of getting started was an inspiration to me. I loved being able to reach out to them and offer my 13 years of experience as an eBay seller.
John Donahoe, eBay's president and CEO; and Lorrie Norrington, president of Marketplace Operations; went above and beyond to make everyone feel welcome and to listen with open ears to all concerns, comments and suggestions.
I can highly recommend to all of you reading this article, if you have been thinking about selling on eBay, or learning more about eBay, this is the event to attend! Check out upcoming eBay On-Location events at the following locations:
- Dallas — May 7-8
- Chicago — July 9-10
- San Jose, CA — Sept. 1-2
Visit eBay's OnLocation Events site to learn more.
Danna Crawford, CEO of
PowerSellingMom, Inc., has been a successful
eBay seller since 1997. In 2008, she received eBay's Community Hall of Fame award, as well as the Golden Ribbon Community Seller Award from eBay Giving Works. As an eBay Certified Education Specialist, she teaches at the community college and university levels, and frequently speaks on topics such as how to make money blogging, writing eBooks and more. Crawford can be heard every Friday night on her Internet radio show,
PowerSellingMomRadio, and in weekly webinars at
VirtualOnlineLearning.com.
Opinions expressed here may not be shared by Auctiva Corp. and/or its principals.
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