10 Reason Why I Hate Marketing Events

1. Paying to be in the audience or on stage
   Event sponsorship packages always include a key-speaker opportunity. Practically, some speakers pay money to talk about their company or products. On the other hand, the audience buys tickets for listening to qualified speakers. I prefer not to pay cash for corporate shit.

2. More than %80 percent of the content is bullshit
   The same speakers join the events and share the same speech or presentation most of the time. Other speakers often share the same stories about the same people: “One day, Steve Jobs or Elon Musk or Bill Gates…” If the speaker does not fit these two profiles, I’m sure he will find a way to talk about trending bullshit like metaverse, NFT, year of mobility, etc.

3. Networking
   “Networking” is a magical word in the business world somewhat overrated. You go to these events to sell something. The people who want to sell something to you are also there for you. Don’t you think this is “fake”? It is not a relationship; it is just a business card.

4. Superficial content and eating carob
   Twenty or thirty minutes is not enough time for talking details about an issue. Additionally, the audience’s knowledge is not at the same level. Because of these obstacles, nearly all of the talks must be superficial. After a whole day spent in the event, you don’t learn any knowledge. You are fortunate if you have some ideas. One day in the event is like eating carob. You have to gnaw the whole carob they to get some sweetness.

5. No interactivity
   Talks are designed for one-way communication. Nobody loves extra question time. Every speaker has limited time, and time pressure kills interaction. There is no comment section, so you can not learn something from the audience.

6. Synchronous
   If you are fortunate to find a session worth listening to, I’m sure there is always another session worth hearing in another room. You have to be synchronized with all the events’ calendars. You can not pass one or two sessions. You have to wait for every session starting time. You can not listen to anybody with 2X speed. Real-life is not Youtube.

7. The day after the event
   If your company paid for your ticket, your boss is waiting to ask you, “How was the event? What did you learn? Are you ready to share with colleagues? Is it possible to prepare a presentation for the event summary?”

8. Stories & Manipulation vs. Data & Boredom
   The best speakers are great storytellers. Never forget that if someone is telling a story, it’s basically manipulation. Stories are comments about facts. Stories are always subjective and hide some information from you to mislead you to a “fictional truth.” If there is a data-driven presentation, I am sure you will sleep. The best way to learn something from data is to analyze, research, and dig for more. You can not explore anything in a twenty-minute presentation.

9. There is always a power struggle.
   You can not meet anybody whose company is near bankruptcy in these marketing events. On the other hand, the people who attend the event are always happy with their job, salary, or position. They always talk about how they are occupied, a hero for their company, and spending their salary check. They always try to influence you with their suspicious success stories. I like happy people, but I don’t buy fake smiles.

10. You are killing forests
    Sponsored companies are ready to give you bags full of corporate paper stuff. There are always brochures waiting for you to throw into the garbage on your seat. I believe there are better advertisement methodsto promote your company.