Aside from a great LeadsCon event the 2nd Annual Poker Tournament @ LeadsCon was equally as great. Granted, I did not win the event or even finish in the money, but we had a group of 100 lead gen players from CEO’s, CMO’s and company founders had a chance to mingle and argue over all-in-calls and bad-beats. Everyone was hooked up with a cool marketing shirt and had a chance to win $500.00 from Leads360.

Below you will find the results of the tournament. The winnings were broken out differently at the end of the tournament, however this was the original breakdown of winnings. So without further adieu I will leave you with the results.

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New for LeadsCon Las Vegas. The Launch Spotlight is a chance for the selected company to leverage the platform of LeadsCon to announce a major release, new venture, major shift in direction, or other newsworthy development. The company’s release should impact not just how they operate their business but have a broader impact for online lead generation and customer acquisition.

Launcher: Tree.com, Doug Lebda, Chairman of the Board & CEO

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One of the major themes for 2010 is disruption. Its impacts can be both good and bad, an enabler for many and the end of business as they know it for others. Of the many disruptive forces impacting the world of online lead generation, none compares to Google’s decision to sell not just clicks but now leads to certain clients, a 180 from their decade old business model. What does Google’s Comparison Ads mean for the existing buyers and sellers of leads? Is it death to the short form as we know it or a catalyst for overall growth?

Moderator: James Cham, Vice President, Bessemer Venture Partners
Panelists: Marc Diana, Founder & CEO, LeadPoint
David Thacker, Associate Partner, Greylock Partners
Owen Raun, RMC Vangaurd.

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I am going to give a shot at live blogging LeadsCon. I am not sure how this is going to turn out or if it will be at understandable, but lets give it a shot. Please accuse the spelling and grammar.

First Session:

What’s in Store for 2010 – Industry Leaders

Despite the lackluster economy, the online lead generation space had no shortages of successes in 2009. From companies going public, to already public companies deciding to shake up the world of online lead generation. To help us look into what the future holds, we have gathered a group of industry leaders, those who have been through good time and bad, to help us all read the lead gen tea leaves.

Moderator: Bruce Eatroff, Partner, Halyard Capital
Panelists: Matt Coffin, Investor, Coffin Capital
Thomas Evans, President & CEO, Bankrate, Inc.
Ronald Pruett, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, MercuryMedia
Ty Taylor, Group President, Experian Interactive

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The time has come and I am looking forward to hopping on a plane Monday night to Las Vegas for LeadsCon.

The event has really shaped up to be THE event for the lead generation industry and this year is expected to see over 1700 lead gen peers and over 600 companies. Additionally, the 2nd Annual Poker Tournament @ LeadsCon is also shaping up to better then last year. Currently we have just over 80 confirmed players and expect to be sold out at the time of the event. We will be allowing people to sign up and pay at the door. The event will start at 9pm, but we will be allowing people to buy in up until 9:30pm. So, if you have dinner meetings this should give you plenty of time chow down your steak at Morton’s and head back to the poker room.

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LeadsCon 2010 is right around the corner! Sign up if you have not already!

Along with LeadsCon we have the 2nd Annual Poker Tournament @ LeadsCon right around the corner too. The poker tournament is going to sell out this year so please sign up soon. (And that is not a sales tactic to get more sign ups, it WILL sell out soon)

The good news is that aside from the 1st place take home of $3,200 you will now have the chance to win $500.00 more, thanks to Leads360! Just announced on their lead management blog they will be holding a raffle for all the attendees at the poker tournament that will give you the chance to win $500. Pretty cool stuff. Frankly, I hope I win!

If you have not already signed up for the tournament, get your act together and sign up today here.

LeadsCon Poker Tournament

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LeadsCon is right around the corner. More specifically it is taking place next month! With that in mind it is now time to officially announce the 2nd Annual LeadCritic Poker Tournament @ LeadsCon.

Last years event was a big success and sold out right before the event. I suspect the event this year will sell out weeks prior to the event, so do not wait until the last minute. This year will have a bigger pot for the winners and 1st place may take home up to $3,200!! Along with the winnings there will be excellent opportunities to network and meet industry peers that you would have never before met. Couple that with poker and free beverages, you are bound to have a good time.

Here are the Details:

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After a taking a week off for the Thanksgiving, which I hope you all enjoyed, I was welcomed back with a very interesting announcement that should peak the curiosity of every person in the lead gen industry.

Today, TargusInfo announced that Dave Wengel, General Manager of their Interactive Markets division will be stepping down. Dave was not only the GM of the Interactive division but also co-founded the idea of real time data verification. This ground breaking service changed the industry forever and for that I consider Dave to be one of the most influential people in our industry.

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Has this year flown by or what?!?!

Crazy to think the year is almost over! Nevertheless, I am excited for 2010. I think the year is going to be huge for the Lead Generation space. The evolution is in full force and my early prediction is that the consumer acquisition processes is going to look a lot different this time next year. I don’t think that is a huge prediction with the recent move by Google. My guess is that their introduction of Comparison Ads is going to light a fire under many of the lead gen companies out there. Who is in position to make the quickest adjustments? I think LendingTree has the best opportunity to provide an answer to Comparison Ads. Their goal of being the hub for all of life’s most important decisions could be achieved by combining many of their portals. I also think companies like Mint could, if they wanted to, enter into the lead gen space like no other company can. Regardless, it is going to be a very interesting 2010.

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There were a few different take aways at LeadsCon for me this year. Of course the networking and new business relationships are the easy take aways to note, but let me take a moment to shed a little light on what else I learned.

The old Field of Dreams quote, “If you build it, they will come” was affirmed by the creation of BillShrink and the ensuing T-Mobile relationship. If it only it was that easy! Lets be honest for a moment, though. You simply cannot step up to bat, face a 90 mile an hour fast ball and hit it out the park with ease. It take a lot of practice and determination. Through that hard work, persistence and striving for perfection the best baseball players in the world put themselves in a position to hit one out of the park when the right pitch comes along. BillShrink put the time in, made a great product and put themselves in a position so that when an opportunity came along they would be able to seize it. The T-Mobile VP of Marketing – his name slips my mind now – even mentioned that he found another site first and didn’t like it and continued his search until he came across BillShrink. I think this should serve as motivation. Motivation to build great products that actually help people, that actually serve a purpose and that actually innovate. If that is done, then opportunities similar to this will come.

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I am currently on the plane flying back from the first LeadsCon East event, third ever LeadsCon, and was reflecting back on the show a bit. Overall, great show and I am very happy I attended the event. I was initially planning on skipping the event, only because it was a single day event and having to fly across the country for one day wasn’t something I was interested in, BUT, I am glad I did. For a lead gen guy its a must attend event. Why? Because it is custom made for you. The content and the contacts you will be introduced to are worth the time and money, ten fold.

I do wish it was a two day event, however understand it was Jay’s first go at hosting an event in NYC. Nonetheless it was great seeing and meeting you all and look forward to the next time!

Later this week I will be going through my notes and recapping some of the note worthy topics from LeadsCon, so keep an eye out.

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Live blogging at LeadsCon:

Crossing the Chasm: The uprecedented Partnership between a lead gen company and one of the worlds premier brands.

During the “American Idol” finale on May 20, T-Mobile ran a campaign unlike any other they have before. Not only did the company bring back Catherine Zeta-Jones, but as part of their “mobile makeover,” they suggested viewers visit an independent third party site. It was the first time the carrier has recommended a third-party website in their campaigns, let alone one that is completely independent, i.e., the Redwood City based online lead generation startup, BillShrink.

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