eBay in Person in Miami

This past Thursday I attended eBay in Person in Miami. I had a great time but it wasn't as "useful" for me as it could have been. I think it was very beneficial for sellers who are just starting out though. I'm sure that it would be very difficult to host an event like this and have it actually benefit sellers of multiple levels. I think it was probably best for the seller who is already selling but not at the poweseller level. The very green beginners seemed lost and people like myself were bored.
I rarely go down to Miami (I live in the next county North) so I mapquested how to get there. The travel time said 28 minutes. The event started at 9AM so I figured that estimate was way off and was right, it took me 1 hour 17 minutes. I managed to get there without getting lost trying to get out of the parking garage! I took the stairs instead of the elevator and ended up on a street where I couldn't even see the building I was supposed to be in. How embarrassing.
They had coffee and pastries and all the eBay people were there mingling. eBay does a wonderful job of showcasing the friendliest people on their staff. Either that company is the most fantastic place to work with all those positive people, or they just leave all the bad apples back at the office.
There were three sessions. Shipping, DSRs and Search Standings. Ok, so they had better names than that, but I'm just too lazy to go dig out my flyer to find out the exact name. Sorry.
Shipping was pretty basic but I think may have reached some folks. The nice thing was that they had Q & A and had a representative from the USPS and UPS on hand. Apparently the USPS will be introducing a new flat rate box. A smaller one this time, but they haven't decided on a price yet.
The things they talked about in the DSRs session seemed like common sense to me, but most everyone I talked to felt like that one helped them the most. I can sum it all up by saying "think like a buyer". I disagree with them about the "free shipping" to increase DSRs though. For some silly reason, I don't think it helps.
The findings session was the one that was probably most useful to me. They did a great job breaking down and explaining how their best match algorithm works. I feel like I've got a better grasp on it now.
They served lunch and appetizers at the end. The thing was set up very nicely and I met quite a few very interesting people. At the opening intro they identified all the Education Specialists, all three of us, so this gave folks an opportunity to approach us with questions. I found this to be nice because usually I'm pretty shy so having people approach me helped break the ice.
Overall, I thought the event was fun and I'll definitely participate again.