Live from the DMA!

Well, we made it here to Chicago. And, yes, it IS kinda windy, but nice weather overall. The town is full of direct marketers here to attend the annual DMA conference.

We started the conference on Sunday night with a night of party-hopping. Our mission was to ask other attendees why they decided to attend the conference--what they were hoping to get out of the show. And while it's still early, here are the initial themes of what we learned:

• What are the newest direct marketing data sources and technologies available to us? As the year comes to a close, many are looking at their budgets for next year and trying to determine the best ways to spend them. Since profitability goals have only increased (no shock there, right?), those dollars need to be spent on what will help increase the ROI of each campaign. Many are looking at ways to increase the efficiency of their marketing databases, as well. This conference will showcase all of the latest and greatest out there-- that's for certain!
• Who can I network with that I can learn from? We ran into a zillion direct marketers who were seeking others in their same position so that they could learn from them. There were some great conversations going on in the parties we attended -- people were sharing what was working -- and what wasn't -- in their businesses. This is a great place to get new ideas to make your business more successful.
• People LOVE the parties! Well, I guess that sort of goes without saying, right?

We'll keep you posted as we learn more today. If you're here in Chicago, we hope to see you in the Exhibit Hall! And many thanks to Acxiom and Merkle for putting on such a great show last night!