I was here over the weekend.
Also here:
But most of all, I was here:
TBEX Europe ’10: the European chapter of this year’s Travel Bloggers’ Exchange conference. My first time in Scandinavia to boot. So pretty. So pretty, so cool, and so clean. Four and a half days of networking, workshops, panels, talks from notables in the industry, omg i love your blog you look just like your avatar! and – whee! – hangovers. Writers like to party – who knew? Madness. Glee.
A big topic at TBEX: SEO. A.K.A. Blogger Creativity Death. That scourge of the industry which none of us can avoid. Top Ten lists laden with Google-friendly keywords get hits; Top Ten lists are what sell. So much for your narratives, your purple prose. I think I get the idea. Here, some TBEX Top lists of my own:
Top Ten Questions Heard at TBEX
- What’s your name?
- What’s the name you write under?
- Who do you write for?
- Where are you from?
- Where are you based?
- Where are you staying?
- When are you leaving?
- Do you have a business card*?
- Which workshop are you going to?
- Are you going to the thing with the free alcohol later**?
*NO
**yes
Top Ten I Eat My Pigeon at TBEX Fails
- I didn’t have business cards of my own because mine didn’t come in on time.
- Seriously, they were going to be so cute.
- Darn you, moo.com.
- Worst. Hostel. Ever.
- Slammed my finger in a door on the first day.
- Lost my hat and scarf while in a drunken stupor
- The Little Mermaid statue is in China for the Shanghai Expo
- Beth Whitman, Sally, Nick Rowlands, Mike Sowden, and my co-workers at tripwolf weren’t there.
- Brought the wrong shoes; was in constant pain
- Did I mention that my business cards didn’t come in on time?
Top Ten Things I Drank and Ate in Copenhagen
-
Raw oysters with lingonberry marmalade -
New Danish Cuisine; beef stew and mashed potatoes -
The best bread in Denmark, from Meyers – the best bakery in Denmark -
Cherry Heering -
23 Kroner Medisterpolse with spicy, relish-y ketchup and a bun -
flødeboller – marzipan, meringue-like cream, and chocolate. -
Danish vinegar tasting – no joke, it rocked. -
A nonalcoholic cocktail so pretty, two people asked to try it - Fisk Danish liqueur. Two shots. Not cold anymore.
-
My first sushi in months. Can I get a whut-whut?!
That’s SEO, right? RIGHT?
In sum: Explored a new city, met lots of fun people and learned loads but by far, the best thing was feeling like part of a community – which goes a long way for a writer who yearns to feel “legit.” Thank you, TBEX community, for giving this hungry gal a big fat slice of cake.
Next time, ‘Pigeon.
For 2 reasons.
1) It would be cool to do.
2) I’m incredibly jealous of your fun.
Well, mainly 2) right now, I’ll admit.
*sulks*
But you’re going to TBEX ’11 in Vancouver! Way to keep rubbing it in, Mike.
Sounds like you had a great time. I love my MOO cards!
I’m Canadian, so that is probably a reason I should be going to Vancouver. Instead, I’d like to go just to meet people. Now I need to dust off all of those lists, and get them posted. MOOOOOOOOOOOOOO………….(I feel silly today!) You go me thinking about my MOO cards. I need some more.
I, too, shall have my moo cards – better late than never. They will be mine. Oh, yes. They will be mine.
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TBEX Europe '10 Top Ten Lists « I Eat My Pigeon…
Here at World Spinner we are debating the same thing……
A fun weekend, wasn’t it 🙂
Didn’t meet you… I don’t think. Next time…
Darnit! Were you there? I can’t remember seeing you (I’d have recognized you from your avatar). I was the one running around in a red cardigan and whining about my business cards. I did one of the cocktail demonstrations at the opening ceremonies and in the marketing workshop, asked about using pseudonyms… bueller? bueller? i’m sorry we didn’t get to connect. Next time indeed!
Your list made me laugh so much. However it is true you generally get much more traffic to a travel blog with a top ten list than a well crafted piece of narrative writing.
Awesome write up mate, I like that you lost your beanie in a drunken stupor! Some great shots of the food also, especially the chocolates at Green Square, man they were good.
… my beanie. 🙁
I’m so with you on those flødeboller things. They are quite possibly the most amazing thing I’ve ever eaten.
They were soooooooo awesome. And I hear there are even more delicious kinds out there!
Don’t want to rub salt in the wound but I also love moo cards. I’m Canadian too so going to Vancouver, you must come!
I might have to come just to pass out my super cute moo cards!
Oooh, you said it now.
See you there, then. 🙂
Aw, pigeon, sorry I couldn’t make it – not sure they let bloggers as lazy as me in, though! Thanks for the sweet shout out.
I would say I’m surprised you lost your hat and scarf… but I’m not. I remember you losing a post some time around TBEX, too ; )
I had a great one yesterday but it didn’t make it past the evil-idea phase. But that’s what you get for tweeting about hot showers.
Great Top 10s. Way to be a contrarian or “mainstream rebel” or something. Wonderful meeting you, what, a week ago? It all seems so far away now. Anyway, you’d better be at Vancouver. That’s not a threat but it kinda sorta is.
It is worth noting that this is, by far, the highest amount of comments I’ve ever had on a post. Top Ten Lists? They weren’t kidding, y’all.
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Top Ten Lists: you know they make ten kinds of sense. (TM).
Hmm… guessing today is a Red Light Day, Mike… 😀
That was an imposter.
I *never* stoop to humour.
1. Love my moo cards too – love to look at all my photos & remember where I was when I took them
2. Those chocs were fluffy nonsense except for the marzipan (love marzipan)
3. I was too busy videoing all the other bloggers (including you)to get many of those oysters
4. Glad you liked my slide on the multimedia strategy – you can find the PDF of my image presentation here http://www.mybloggingjourney.com/reports/
5. Not sure I can get that excited about vinegar but the rose flavour was cool
6. The cherry heering cocktail made me splutter
7. Next time stay at Avenue Hotel – so cool
8. Missed out on the canal tour – shucks, next time
9. Did you see any naughty stuffgoing on in Christiana?
10. Phew I made it to 10!
I really enjoyed your post & photos — I would have loved to go to TBEX in Copenhagen. By the way, my business cards are from Zazzle.com and I love them.
Just published my TBEX diary – too much burning the midnight oil + some extra videos from the conference
http://www.heatheronhertravels.com/burning-the-midnight-oil-my-tbex-copenhagen-diary/
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