For two and a half days, our intrepid conference attendees, Charlie Scott and Mary Edwards, mingled among the crowds of potential partners and clients in the desert sun and neon halls of beautiful Las Vegas. Here are some takeaways from their extraordinary journey.
First things first! It doesn’t matter where you are: Orlando, Maine, Vegas, Seattle. Delco people will always find other Delco people. Maybe it’s the unmistakable accent. A whispered “go birds” picked up on the wind. Or a deep-rooted, subconscious hoagie magnetism. Whatever the reason, Mary and Charlie ran into some friends from the Benepath group of Newtown Square on their very first day at LeadsCon 2024. Not a bad way to kick things off!
What is LeadsCon?
The annual gathering of big players in the lead generation and performance marketing space, LeadsCon allows movers and shakers to show off their latest thoughts and tech (and maybe snag some, well, leads).
It’s a growth-minded group, and unsurprisingly, most folks are looking to team up on the next big thing. And with everyone from compliance consultants and programmers to agencies like Quattro in attendance, there’s plenty of room for collaboration. And plenty of eager salespeople angling to make it happen. Case in point? The brick-sized stack of business cards our attendees brought home as a souvenir.
But it isn’t all just hustle and handshakes. With hours of panel discussions and programming, the conference was also an opportunity to hear about the latest news in the world of lead generation. From broad discussions on market trends to intriguing new tech demos, these presentations gave their speakers a chance to win over the crowd. And the most interesting among them were about a certain, unignorable development.
AI AI AI
It was hard to start a conversation with anyone without hearing the official buzzword of our times: AI. For some, it represents a pivotal key to a new era of lead aggregation and expansion. For others, overblown marketing speak from an increasingly hungry (and idea-deprived) tech sector. But no matter where an individual’s beliefs fell on the spectrum, the overarching vibe of the conference was that things were changing — and fast.
There was talk of using machine learning as a way to spice up the art of warm calling. And a frightening glimpse into how it might be used to simplify fraud. But in general, most companies seemed poised to use AI as a more iterative innovation — integrating it into existing systems and speeding up automated processes.
…most companies seemed poised to use AI as a more iterative innovation — integrating it into existing systems and speeding up automated processes.
Strip away the glitzy sheen, and artificial intelligence seems to be just another means to improve efficiency where it can.
Viva Las Vegas
Quattro was in a very unique position at LeadsCon — right in the middle of it all. On one side, we got to meet dozens of new partners with whom we can deepen, strengthen, or enhance our agency offerings. On the other, we were able to spend time with existing and potential clients who are in leads-focused businesses, bonding over champagne towers and Tuesday tacos.
And looking down on the strip from a faux-Parisian hotel, it’s a good place to be. Right between new friends and old allies, between dutiful traditions and cutting-edge opportunities. We were happy to attend, shake hands, accumulate cards, and see what all the spherical hype was about (“The outside was just as cool as the inside,” says Mary). Still, it was impossible to deny, among all the flashing lights, high hopes, and false promises, the future is closer than we think. And we’re looking forward to attending.
The rundown:
Most memorable conference booths
- PX – Marble “lead funnel” track city (despite the confusing inclusion of gumballs)
- Madrivo – Conversion claw game (Charlie snatched an Amazon gift card!)
- OTTO’s – Well-positioned with a reusable tote (a must for all the swag)
Most coveted conference swag
- Revmo – Plush flying super monkey
- Genius Monkey – Balsa wood catapult set
- Squeeze – Yellow hoodie
Most often used ice breakers
- Did you see the eclipse?
- Do you have UConn winning or Purdue?
- What do you do?
Stay tuned for more tales from the Quattroad as we journey far and wide to conferences around the country. Hope to see you out there!