HOW's It Going? The Egotist Reports On The 2010 HOW Conference.

When a design conference as big as HOW lands in your backyard, you'd be a dummy not to attend. And last time we checked, we're not dummies. Well, we don't think so anyway. So, we put a posse together and checked out what some describe as the hot design event of the year.

First up, location. There aren't a lot of choices for something this big. We had figured HOW would have been held in a cool hotel, maybe the Curtis for its inherent design sensibilities, but something told us practicality and the sheer scale of the conference ruled that out. So, instead we were given the Colorado Convention Center, adorned as always by the enormous blue bear. With enough space to easily accommodate thousands of designers, writers, illustrators, production artists and more, it did the job nicely. Sure, it has something of a sterile feel, but hey, everyone was there for the speakers anyway. Oh, and the free t-shirts and snacks.

As usual, the HOW Conference splits each day into breakout sessions. You check the schedule, choose your topic and strap in. For Monday, we picked out four sessions that looked the most appealing, interesting and, hopefully, rewarding.

The day kicked off with industry legend Gail Anderson. No doubt you know her from her work on Rolling Stone, her books on typography, and her latest venture designing posters for the big Broadway shows. Her topic – "You Are What You Keep."

Here we could give you a 400-word dissertation on the 75-minute presentation Gail delivered, but there's no point. Although interesting and often whimsical, there were no huge revelations. Basically, the stuff you surrounded yourself with, and loved, as a child has paved the way for the designer you are today. Gail showed us pages of doodles on school sketch books, and the corresponding work she produced some twenty years later. She showed us collections of bottle tops, matchbooks and Michael Jackson scrap books (the Rolling Stone cover she eventually designed years later was something of a letdown for Gail, ironic considering the enormous build-up it had). And she let us in on the "secret" that everything you keep reflects who you are as a creative.

But it was hardly a surprise, most of us already know how our past molds our present and our future. For those who had seen Gail speak at the AIGA in New York a few years earlier, this was something of an anticlimax. No real insights into working methodologies here, it was more like a quick glimpse through the keyhole of Gail Anderson. Saying that, on a pure entertainment level it was a good way to kick off the day, and it certainly made us think about our own collections and how they are impacting us daily.

The next session was quite the opposite. Hosted by Tony Mikes of Second Wind, this was eye-opening in so many respects. Tony seemed unassuming, almost shy, at the front of the auditorium. That all changed when the lights dimmed, as Tony lurched forward like a kiddie ride that had just been fed a quarter. The topic here was one close to the heart and soul of The Denver Egotist – "Is Your Agency Interesting?" And man, did he prove how boring and tedious most agencies are today. The agency website was the example he was using, as it is the gateway to every agency these days. And, as a veteran ad guy (he was around in the days of the real Don Draper), he skillfully, and with great gusto, ripped apart our preconceptions of what makes a great agency, and what breaks most of them; two idols he held aloft – TBWA\Chiat\Day and Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. Before you start saying "big shock" he used them as examples of small agencies that carved a path by being interesting. They started small, say 20 people or so. But they made themselves different. They didn't repeat the mantra of every other agency around, they planted a flag firmly in the ground and said "this is us, love us or hate us, you cannot ignore us." They are now two of the biggest agencies in the world, and they don't have to sacrifice creativity to do it.

Think of your own agency for a second, starting with the website. What makes it interesting? Why would anyone outside of your own agency care? What is different about it? Why would new prospects come running to you? This was the meat of the session, when Tony described the old way of "outbound" agency self-promotion going away, and "inbound" self-promotion becoming king. In short, you create your own content. You blog, you tweet, you become subject matter experts on something, you become very specific about your own brand and your own goals, and you never stop creating content.

This content is what will ultimately bring new prospects coming your way. They will hunt you out, you will not have to chase them. Tony's speech ran over, lasting a full 90 minutes. We didn't hear anyone complaining though. Everyone was hanging on every word, as he listed his list of ways to make your own agency more interesting. We will stop there and encourage you to check out www.secondwindonline.com because it would take us way too long to repeat the lecture here. All we can say is, spot on, Tony.

The lunch break gave us time to peruse all the vendor stalls, stock up on paper supplies and tees, and grab a bite that was priced like the beers at a Filmore concert. $14 for a Pepsi and a burrito? Ouch.

The first session of the afternoon was the one we had circled as being the "must see" lecture of the day. Sam Harrison (Google him) presented "How To Sell Your Ideas To Bosses, Clients and Other Decision Makers." Sam talked about many aspects of the presentation process, all of them essentials as far as we were concerned. He started with something we have all said after an idea, a great idea, has bit the dust; "They Just Don't Get It." We've all said it. But it turns us into victims, and it also lays the blame fairly at our own feet. If they don't get it, is that their fault, or ours? Well, it's ours. It's our job, our role, to not only come up with great ideas but to sell them as well. And once you have made this paradigm shift, everything else Sam says becomes crystal clear.

One of the most eye-opening revelations was that of the Buyer Bench. If this were a bench outside of Starbucks, it would have five people on it. And if we were to ask them about a new flavor of coffee, they would represent the five types of decision makers. There are those that are unaware, those that aware of it, those that understand it, those that accept it, and finally, those that are getting off the bench to buy it.

Why does this matter? Because, you cannot sell an idea to anyone unless you know where they are in this line-up. There's no point waxing lyrical on the benefits of tweeting or social media if your key decision maker never even turns on a computer. You need to know what they know, and then act upon it.

Other great sales tips included asking lots of questions to your decision maker, getting to know their business, familiarizing yourself with their private-lives (seriously) and understanding what makes them tick, not just as clients but as people.

When it came to sound bites, we took away enough for a small book. Here are some of the favorites:

"Don't just be yourself in a presentation. Be the BEST version of yourself."

"Selling an idea isn't rocket science, it's 'rapport' science."

"Ask every client in an initial meeting 'What Have I Forgotten To Ask You?'"

Sam rounded out the presentation with his FIVE SECRETS to a better presentation, which he basically gleaned from Sir Winston Churchill.

1: Have a theme.

2: Have a strong start: use a story, question, fact, quote, list objectives or go with straight talk.

3: Use simple language.

4: Paint pictures (check out any Martin Luther King speech for examples).

5: Add drama.

In the end, Sam wrapped up with an unforgettable line that we'll carry with us from now on. "Selling is simply a transfer of enthusiasm, from you to the decision maker." Here, here.

The final session of the day came from our acquaintances at American Copywriter. John January and Tug McTigue presented "Everything I Needed To Know About Advertising I Learned From Star Wars." And boy, it was a relief to end the day on something a little more lighthearted than the previous two sessions.

John and Tug were not saying anything new here, at least, not to us. But they were packaging it a little differently, in a way that could help people more closely envisage their future in the business by using something as iconic as The Force.

With examples spanning Yoda, Han Solo, Leia, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, The Death Star, Darth Vader, and, well, the annoying Muppets also known as Ewoks, this fun session (that was dreamed up during a drunken Star Wars marathon) didn't exactly have any eye-popping revelations, but it did paint some very interesting and long-lasting pictures for us.

The day ended with a few free drinks courtesy of Threadless, and some advanced paper-folding techniques. All-in-all, a good day in our fair city.