The Leaders in Technology Dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 11, 2012, in the Lafite Ballroom at The Wynn. This invitation-only event honors the top technologists, entrepreneurs and policymakers instrumental in furthering technology innovation.

“John Donahoe is an innovative leader whose admirable drive and entrepreneurship has contributed to eBay’s global business success,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “We are thrilled to have John keynote the 2012 CES LIT dinner and look forward to hearing his vision for how technology is changing the future of global commerce.”

I attended my first CES in 1998 and it remains one of my favorite trade shows. I joined the RedLaser / eBay Mobile team there earlier this year:

Notes From The Road: eBay Ink at CES 2011
RedLaser Partner Video from CES 2011
Notes From The Road: eBay Ink at CES 2011 Part 2
Notes From The Road: eBay Ink at CES 2011 Part 3

In the meantime, check out the CEA blog and follow along on Twitter @intlCES.

Cheers!
RBH

Enjoy!

Cheers,
RBH

I get in tomorrow morning at 10:30am and will be in town until Noon on Friday and can’t wait to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Please, let’s catch up and chat ecommerce, eBay, (and maybe share a beer or two). This year, we’re very excited that @eBay_Andy will be officially representing eBay Ink with me so we can bring you twice the videos, photos and coverage!

Whether or not you’re attending, here are some key Twitter handles to follow over the next few days – if you’re not already:

@ebay
@ebayinkblog
@ebay_andy

Also, be sure to follow the hashtag #ebayol for all discussion coming out of this week’s events. We’ll also be uploading video to our eBay Ink YouTube channel and photos to our eBay Ink Flickr feed.

In addition to the daytime seminars and educational sessions, there will also be the official opening reception at the Chateau Beer Gardens in the Paris Hotel; Wednesday, April 13, 8 – 11pm. eBay Ink is one of the official sponsors of this event so appropriately it’s at a “beer garden.” Please RSVP to the event.

Finally, for those of you around on Thursday night, there will be our usual Super Secret Beer Tweetup for eBayOL attendees. Be sure to follow @ebayinkblog on Twitter to find out where and when.

Cheers!
RBH

Atlanta

Dallas

Chicago

San Jose

I’ve talked about it a lot here on Ink over the years but this is one of the most rewarding jobs I could ever have and that’s because I have the good fortune to be able to travel and meet people face-to-face that use eBay every day to buy, sell or both. I tried to sum this up in a post immediately following the fourth and final eBay: On Location of 2010 with “What’s in an eBay Feedback score…?”

Well, I get to do it again this year because eBay: On Location is back. The first one kicks off in Las Vegas on April 13 & 14. In addition to the many stage presentations, break-out sessions, networking opportunities and guest speakers, I’m hoping to rally our eBay Ink Social Media Sellers that are in attendance for a panel at an after-party craft beer tweetup on the night of the 14th. Look for more info on that closer to the date. In the meantime, check out all the info and take advantage of early bird registration at http://ebayonlocation.com.

Cheers,
RBH

Main stage presentations include the following:
1. Getting the Most Out of eBay: On Location
From selecting the most appropriate courses for you to ideas that will help you maximize your networking opportunities, this course will help you make sure you get the greatest benefit from your time at eBay: On Location.

2. Extreme Listing Makeovers
This engaging course will teach you how to create titles, descriptions, pictures, and designs that will attract buyers. You’ll learn the ideas that work for successful sellers and we’ll have some fun showing you ‘before’ and ‘after’ listings that have undergone dramatic makeovers.

3. eBay: An Evolving Marketplace
Find out about the latest news, trends, and innovations relating to selling on eBay and learn how to apply these strategies and techniques to build your own sales.

4. Selling 101
Learn to maximize your effectiveness as an eBay Seller. This class will walk you through the steps to get started selling and how to get top-dollar for your eBay items.

5. What Do I Sell on eBay?
Want to know how to get great products you can sell on eBay? Learn the many avenues for obtaining the products buyers want, and find out about the latest trends in sourcing.

6. Best Practices for Building Your eBay Business
Come to this powerful course to learn the best practices to grow your eBay business by streamlining operations, marketing yourself successfully, avoiding common pitfalls, and getting ahead of your competition.

7. Marketing Strategies and Synergies
Get an overview of the some of the ways eBay will be driving visitors to the site in 2011 and learn the best practices and key tactics you can use to bring those shoppers to your listings.

8. What Buyers Want
We’ll explore what buyers are looking for, from the right level of detail in your listings to the customer service you provide during and after the sale, to learn what you can do to position yourself for strong sales and satisfied, repeat buyers.

9. Know Your Numbers
Your success as a seller depends on your ability to manage your business. This class will teach you how to measure your business so you can manage it and adapt to change as necessary.

10. Advanced eBay Business Planning
Join us to learn the ins and outs of running a successful eBay business, including creating a business plan, managing budgets and tracking expenses, and being prepared to scale and grow your operations effectively.

11. Innovative Seller Secrets
Back by popular demand! Griff will moderate a panel of sellers as they share their experiences and tips for finding innovative ways to source inventory, selling efficiently and effectively, and delivering great customer service.

12. Pricing, Payments & Shipping
How you set up your listing is key to your success. In this class you’ll learn how to select the best selling format for your item, set pricing, accept electronic payments with PayPal, and pack and ship your item professionally for a great customer experience.

I had originally planned on heading down to the conference so I could “micro-blog” using the eBay Ink Twitter feed but unfortunately I don’t think I’m going to be able to make it this time around. With my wife so close to her due date I just don’t feel comfortable being more than a short driving distance from her over the next few weeks.

However, it does seem like they have a full agenda and I believe Todd Lutwak, Sr. Director of Seller Development at eBay and Marsha Collier, author of eBay for Dummies are keynote speakers at next week’s event. Also, it looks like there will be a Twitter feed from the event anyway at http://twitter.com/rocketplace.

If anyone is able to go and is interested in writing an event summary to go up on here for eBay Ink readers, please shoot me an email at ebayink@ebay.com">ebayink@ebay.com. At the very least, if you do attend and write about it, please shoot me a link to your blog so I can highlight here on Ink. I’m bummed that I won’t be able to report first-hand.

Cheers,
RBH