The 2002 London Pub Conference

There is a lot of talk about the "New Economy" these days, as if the new information and communication technology related industries were operating under different rules that old fashioned businesses. They don't. They have to earn money like any brick and mortar company.

Still, if you look at the growth of a brand new branch like the search engine marketing industry, there are differences. The search engine marketing industry focuses on Web based services. It therefore makes sense to use the Web as the main tool for information and networking.

Most search engine optimizers work in small companies, often one-man firms or family based enterprises. To avoid becoming isolated atoms in a sea of Internet marketing, they stay in touch with search engine developments by visiting SEO related Web sites like Pandia, and by taking part in online discussions on Web-based discussion boards.

Webmaster World has slowly built up a reputation as the most important discussion forum for SEO professionals. It is amazing to see how willing these people are to disclose their secrets and share their experience.

It is also interesting to see how people hiding behind cryptic call names develop personal relationships on the Net, in spite of the fact that they may live on different sides of the globe and are in fact in many cases fierce competitors.

It has to be said, however, that online communication cannot fully replace face to face conversation. Even in a virtual economy there is something comforting about a friendly smile and a strong handshake.

Last year Mike Mackin asked fellow debattants at Webmaster World if anyone could meet him in London for a beer. This led to the first London Pub Conference at the Cittie of Yorke pub in London's legal district in July 2002, followed by the Irvine Bar Conference in California this winter.

The concept is highly innovative. The idea is to drop all the speeches and presentations of a regular conference and go straight to what matters most: the networking. With a stack of business cards in one hand and a beer in the other people walk around finding new friends and business partners and get access to juicy secrets from the search engine industry. And yes, many of the search engines are present.

This year's Pub Conference was -- if possible -- even more popular than the previous with 240 participants from all continents (with the possible exception of Antarctica).

We met representatives from search engine companies like Yahoo!, Fast, Overture, Inktomi and Google, and met salesmen promoting search engine services and software. GoToast, AgentWebRanking and Search Engine Commando spring to mind.

Many of these companies were also sponsors of the event, guaranteeing free drinks and food. This, of course, made some of the participants a little bit worried. How are you to justify taking part in a day long party vis a vis your boss? Pandia can assure you that it made perfect business sense.

Many moderators from Webmaster World took part in the preparation of this event. Most of the credit goes, however, to Webmaster World leader Brett Tabke. He and his friends are already preparing the next Pub Conference which will take place in a major city on the American East Coast, probably in April 2003.

Pub Conference home page.
More photos collected by Brett Tabke
Webmaster World summary

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