On May 22,23 in San Francisco at the lovely Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Kelby Training is going to make history. It’s going to be the first ever Google+ Photographer’s Conference. It’s different from anything in the industry and I’m actually very excited about it. To some of you, it will be a surprise that I am attending. I’m not speaking as I do at most photo conferences. I’m going to learn, just like most everyone else. Here are my reasons.

1. It’s run and organized by Scott Kelby’s team. If you’ve been to Photoshop World or any of their conferences, you already know that their team runs a flawless show. I don’t expect this to be any different.

2. It’s in San Francisco. I happen to think it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I lived there for almost two years and I can safely say that if you were to design an urban park, the Yerba Buena Center area would be the one you’d design. It’s a photographer’s paradise and is very close to all major transit, shopping and some of the best restaurants in the city. (Who wants to come to dinner with me at Tommy Toys? It’s my favorite Chinese restaurant in the world!)

3. The speakers at this conference are second to none. I am happy, lucky and proud to say that I know or am friends with most of them. They are all top people in their fields and all of them have aptly demonstrated that they know how to use Google+ to its best advantage.

4. I know very little about Google+. So I am going to go to this thing and see what I can learn. I’m usually a speaker at most photo conferences, and it will be a luxury to be able to sit back and just take in all the knowledge from some of the brightest minds in our industry.

5. The networking at this event should be primo. I love the fact that it’s a boutique conference. Capping the attendees at 750 is brilliant. The super large photo trade shows have gotten so large these days that you can’t really spend any quality time with anyone. I think the big shows are a dying breed and I’m hoping to meet lots of people at this particular event.

6. There’s lots to do and lots to choose from. In addition to the networking, there are photo walks, live studio and location photo shoots, one-on-one portfolio reviews, panel discussions and photography workshops and more.

7. There is a gallery reception at a local gallery where Kelby and team will be displaying the selected work of conference attendees as prints. A panel of judges will choose the images to be printed and displayed that evening. Lots of time to mingle.

CONCLUSION

I had my initial reservations about Google+ because of its Terms Of Service. A combination of a change in my business model (using Creative Commons) and some slight modifications in their terms, has led me to believe I need to learn all I can about this new, powerful, networking tool and then decide how best to use it in my business. I can’t make an informed decision if I don’t have the facts so I am off to gather them.

You may want to consider making the same move. Registration is only $299 for advance reservations. It’s $349 after April 30. You can get all the details here at – http://gpluspc.com/