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SearchFest 2010 took place on Tuesday, March 9th, at the Governor Hotel in downtown Portland Oregon. The event was put on by the Search Engine Marketing Professionals of Portland (SEMpdx).

The Governor Hotel was fantastic, I loved the old style architecture, the classic Jake’s Grill on the first floor, and the full-sized Starbucks in the lobby. I made Monday a very productive day, utilizing the hotel’s free WiFi, and sitting nearby the fireplace in a comfortable lobby setting.

I took far less photographs than I had anticipated, mostly because I was focused on soaking up new knowledge from some of my favorite people in search, but partly also because of the large sized rooms, and my comfort sitting in the back. I did manage to take around a dozen photos, but you likely wouldn’t be able to recognize the people in them, since I found my lens pointing more to the architecture. Here are six photographs I particularly liked.

SearchFest 2010 Keynote Speaker: Stefan Weitz, Director of Bing

This was one of the first photos I took. Stefan Weitz, Director of Bing, delivered the morning keynote inside a huge ballroom located on the fourth floor. From the outside the hotel didn’t even appear that it could house a room this large. Throughout the day I found myself daydreaming about the spectacular events that must have taken place in this room during the past century. Its history now includes SearchFest 2010.

John Andrews of Upper Left Placement

The above photo was taken during a presentation by Seattle SEO John Andrews of Upper Left Placement. If you didn’t get a chance to hear his talk, see if you can get a copy of his PowerPoint presentation, and maybe invite him out for some fine wine and a meal the next time you see him. John’s presentation alone was worth the trip I made to Portland from Los Angeles.

In the photograph, you may notice there are animals adorning the upper parts of the walls, near the ceiling. They appeared to be some sort of lion or jaguar and I love how their tails were encircled.

Marty Weintraub of aimClear Search Marketing

I like this pic I took of Marty Weintraub (aimclear on twitter) because it 1) shows Marty in his “always working” posture, and 2) shows the second floor hallway in the Gov. Hotel. It’s an image of modern day man, working with the latest tools and technology, surrounded by architecture of a century ago.

Jordan Kasteler of Search and Social (aka Man with MacBook)

It was difficult for me to capture the sheer size of the room, I would have brought along a wide-angle lens had I realized there’d been such an opportunity. The above photo, contrasting Jordan Kasteler of Search and Social to a ginormous pillar, provides a look at how high the ceilings really were. Jordan was speaking on the Tools & Competitive Intelligence track.

Man of Fidelity – Neil Patel

You likely can’t see it in this 500 pixel wide photograph (larger version can be viewed here), but the walls inside the ballroom were engraved with inscriptions, featuring key words like Charity and Fidelity. As Neil Patel (neilpatel on twitter) was approaching the stage to speak, I took this photo, showing how small we are in comparison to the principles we work to uphold.

2nd Floor Hallway – Governor Hotel – Portland Oregon

Lastly, a photograph of the 2nd floor hallway inside the Gov. Hotel. Most of us were busy moving about to the different session rooms throughout the day, and we may not have had a chance to pause and soak in the beauty of this fine hotel. This is probably my favorite picture from this set, makes me want to go back and shoot more photos with a wide-angle lens. Perhaps I’ll get my chance with SearchFest 2011.

If you’ve never heard of it, PubCon is a four-day search marketing conference that features leading-edge education and networking in over 90 sessions and some 200 expert speakers on social media, affiliate marketing, search, SEO and SEM.

My PubCon badge arrived in the mail yesterday. It’s nice to have it in advance and avoid the lines at registration. It’s not an ordinary conference badge either (this thing could double as a mini survival kit). As I like to be prepared for 4 days on the conference floor in Vegas (3 days and one day in the bar), I put together a list of what I consider to be 5 essentials those attending PubCon may want to consider carrying in their badge packages.

6 pouch PubCon badge with key essentials

The photo above shows the front of the PubCon 2009 badge along with some key essentials. If you take a look at your conference badge holder you’ll notice it has six different compartments. One of the front compartments even has a zipper and there’s Velcro to help keep items in place.

I experimented putting various items in the front pouch like my iPhone 3G which fit snugly within the zippered enclosure. I don’t know that I’d recommend keeping your mobile electronics in your badge pouch as it could put an unnecessary strain on your neck. OK, here’s my five essentials for those attending PubCon 2009 in Las Vegas…

Back of pouch with business cards and pens

1) Business Cards — There’s a nice slot in the back pouch to hold plenty of your business cards. I was able to fit 30 of mine in there with no problem. You can never have too many business cards when attending an event like PubCon as there’s numerous networking opportunities.

2) Pen / Marker — Also on the back of the badge is a slot for two pens, pencils or other writing devices. Bring along a good pen (I like my Dos Equis XX pen since it lights up – can come in handy in Vegas) and maybe even a magic marker or some other writing device. History has shown it’s really good to have something like a Sharpie on hand, especially if somebody gives you one of those glossy business cards that you can’t write on with an ordinary pen. Best to be prepared.

3) USB Stick — This one is especially important if you’re speaking at PubCon. You never know what could go wrong, so it’s great to have a backup of your PowerPoint presentation on a USB memory card, tucked away in your conference pouch.

4) Gum — It’s Vegas, I suspect there will be lots of caffeine in the morning, and lots of alcohol in the evening, with plenty of conversation in between. It would do well to have plenty of gum handy (or mints if you prefer) and if you keep it in your conference pouch it won’t get all sticky like it does when you keep it in your pocket.

5) Vitamins — This suggestion may not seem to fit, but for the same reasons mentioned above (caffeine/alcohol and long days/nights), I found it can be helpful to increase the dosage on your regular daily intake of vitamins. Pack enough for your week in Vegas and keep them daily in your conference pouch. I think everyone in attendance will appreciate everyone else being in the best of health, while we all hang out in Vegas.

Business Cards from people attending PubCon

Aside from the five essentials, there are many other valuable uses for your PubCon conference badge holder. The slot right behind your name tag is perfect for placement of business cards you receive from others. This way, if you’ve had a few drinks while networking, you’ll have a strategy down… your cards in the back and cards from others in the front.

You may have noticed in the top photograph that there is cash shown inside the pouch. There’s plenty of room for cash (and the zippered enclosure makes things even better) but it didn’t make my top five list. Vegas is definitely a place to have plenty of dollar bills handy, especially if you’re taking cabs around town, and having people carry bags for you. So maybe, some extra dollar bills inside your conference pouch isn’t a bad idea.

Did I leave anything off the list that should be an essential? See you in Las Vegas!