eMetrics Review
Of everyone at the conference I am probably the least qualified to write a review. I arrived at eMetrics at 2PM on Wednesday and left at 11am on Thursday. That said, here is my review:
My 21 hours at eMetrics was enough to assure me that the state of web analytics in the US is strong. I know that my team is busy (contractors!), but I was keen to read the vibe on the practitioners and vendors.
No doubt this conference trailed the last one (in San Fran) in terms of raw enthusiasm. The industry was exploding within a healthy economy at that point (or at least we thought it was healthy). It was hard to imagine what could slow the web analytics rocket and participants were practically giddy. That WAW with 400+ people in that club in San Fran was unbelievable.
This one was more sober. The industry feels like it has matured over the last 6-months, through this period of high anxiety. We are all taking each other’s pulse because we read about 7,000 layoffs at Amex and 25% of ford employees losing their jobs and, and, and…
There was buzz about Webtrends turning in a record quarter. Go Webtrends!?!
There was the ever growing author’s club making the rounds, including Tim Ash with his new book on optimization. Free signed copies! Thank you Tim.
We had Jim Sterne, looking more and more like the statesman of the web analytics nation, making the rounds and making the whole thing go. Sterne for President!
We had Eric Peterson running the WAW, presenting and being Eric Peterson
I finally got to chat with June Dershowitz (good luck!), Justin Cutroni, Elizabeth Robillard, Jen Day, Matt Bailey, Claudia P and a dozen others IN PERSON.
There were the agencies, the vendors and the practitioners - all drinking the same coffee and taking each other’s pulse.
At the end of the day, it looks like everybody is still busy. Companies are still hiring web analysts, vendors are still selling products and services and the web analytics ecosystem seems to be thriving.
There is a lot of new talent coming into the space. Areas of expertise are being formed and people are developing specialties within the space and branding / positioning themselves and their companies in those areas. Acquisitions, product launches, major product enhancements (GA), convergence with BI data, mobile analytics, testing, BTargeting… all under way. Good stuff - evolutionary.
My 21 hours were very well spent. Thank you all.
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