Fluid Creativity visited the second day Technology for Marketing & Advertising (TFM&A) expo yesterday. Hosted at Earl’s Court in London, TFM&A is “the UK’s largest integrated marketing solutions event… with leading industry thinking in the FREE education programme, up-to-the-minute industry knowledge and demonstrations of clever technologies and solutions from industry suppliers and countless networking opportunities”… so worth checking out, even though it meant joining the other long distance commuters for the always-fun 2 hour train journey from Manchester to London at 7 am.

The show itself was an interesting mix of speeches from some respected industry figures and exhibitors from all walks of online (and some offline) marketing. There was also a healthy smattering of easy-on-the-eye models, who appeared to have been hired to attract attention to some particular exhibitors. It looked like it was working. There were over 200 exhibitors, and walking round it was clear who had made the effort to stand out from the crowd. A few stands were adorned with the exhibitor’s livery and branding to the point that you could barely tell make out what the stand would have looked like before they started. Others seemed to consist of a vinyl banner and a single representative sitting at a table, typing into their laptop and trying their best to avoid making eye contact with anyone. We’re hoping to display at an expo or two next year, and we know which we’ll be taking inspiration from!

The speakers themselves certainly seemed to know their onions, and we all took a few interesting tidbits away to chew over, but as ever at these events, there’s simply never enough time to go into as much detail as is required for the subjects that are covered. It’s just not possible to give a comprehensive masterclass in link building, for example, in half an hour without missing some vital information. While these seminars are very useful for business owners looking to improve their understanding of the elements of online marketing, they are certainly no replacement for experience. That said, given the half hour time limit most speakers were held to, they did a very good overall job of condensing the required information down – and hopefully raising awareness that there are simply no easy answers or quick fixes when it comes to your online business.

So bring on next year, I say. If you see a light green stand with some very attractive people stood beside, don’t be afraid to come and say hello to us!