As in 2008, this year’s Luxury Interactive Conference was mostly enlightening, often fun, and at times a bit “out-there.” But then, that’s the nature of industry confabs.

Last June I was a speaker here, alongside my then-client in front of a pretty big breakout room filled to capacity with 200+ of the glossily groomed. It was one of two simultaneous presentations, and from all reports the other room was much bigger than ours, but just as full. This time around it was a pretty different story.

We’re all familiar with the economy’s effect on our and every other business on the planet. At the Luxury Interactive Conference, this reality took shape in lower attendance (to be expected), fewer speakers, a smaller venue, and only one main ballroom for all presentations on the docket.

This is not to say, however, that the conference wasn’t a success. How could that be? Well for starters, a completely new ambiance filled the air — everyone, whether on stage or in the audience, genuinely looked to help each other through this trying time. The standard feeling of competition, even among agency personnel looking to fatten up their new-biz pipelines and appointment books, was relatively absent. No thinly veiled corporate espionage could be detected. No goofy adult version of the high school clique; just a bunch of people looking to each other for help on how to get through this.

(more…)