I don’t go to Las Vegas willingly every year for 3 days, but I know I can learn a lot when I attend BlogWorld and The New Social Media Conference. Here are the top 7 things I learned:

1. In a world where many people will step over you to get ahead, the attendees at Blogworld will stop and sit down to help you. Got a question?  No problem, someone is there to help.  Lost?  We will go back to explain it again.  I am always amazed how everyone is willing to help me no matter who they are.  This is one of the most supportive conferences around.

2. People don’t spread “meh”!  Scott Stratten in his opening keynote said the simple way to get traffic and traction is to write awesome stuff.  People don’t spread crap.  Blog only as frequently as you can and still have great content.

3. You are always marketing! Tweeters and cameras are everywhere.  No matter where you are or what you are doing, you are building (or hurting) your brand.  Be mindful, careful and have fun.  People are talking!

4. There is a difference between being popular and being influential. Brian Solis talked about how Lady Gaga is popular but Bono is influential (he can get people to take action).  Stop worrying about the number of friends and followers you have and think about how you can get them to take action.

5. We can learn a lot about business from examining the model of the Las Vegas Nightclub.  Limit access, form lines and sell everything the customer finds of value.

6. It’s all about how you tell the story.  Mark Burnett, the creator of Survivor and The Apprentice says that it is all about storytelling.  In any business, you need to tell a clear story and constantly give your prospects and clients anchoring moments.

7. Stop planning, and just let it happen to you.  I am a big planner by nature, scheduling all the sessions I want to attend.  But as soon as you start to meet people, you need to let it all go.  This conference is all about meeting people IRL (In Real Life).  There is a lot of learning that goes on between people as much as listening at sessions.  When you meet people, stop, listen and learn.

What did you learn?