Way Out Auctions on eBay

Ian Usher came to Australia from England in 2001 with his young bride. They built a house in sunny Perth, found jobs, made several good friends, and led an enviable lifestyle of ease and comfort. Nice going, until their marriage broke up recently.

Today, Usher wanted nothing of the life that they once had. He is offering his job, furnished house complete with spa, car, motorbike, jetski, and friends — all these to the highest bidder in an online auction set to go live on eBay within the month.

“Perfect moment, perfect place, a view of the vast immeasurable shore…love my life?”

Say, what would you bid to take over this life?

The Perth resident told ABC News that all he wants to keep of his life in Perth is his wallet and passport. Well, talk about moving on. You may read more here.

Sounds way over the edge but indeed some weird, wooly auctions have been reported on eBay many times. The philosophy student from Wollongong offered his phone number, friends, six jokes and a training course on his life. An American student offered his soul? Now eBay is said to have ruled this item out, on the basis that “someone trying to sell their soul” is objectionable as “you can’t sell something that’s not actually yours”. Now hold it folks, before you spark a whole philosophical deliberation worthy of the Parthenon.

The normal reaction when you hear reports like these is — how weird! Way out! But guess what’s even more strange? People actually do scour and battle for the purchase of these weird merchandises up for bids. Yes, the madness can go over the edge. Makes you think sometimes, why not ” a used husband for sale”? Or maybe a “mean granny’s cursed amulets can be yours”. Take a walk. How about bidding for “the last shred of my patience”!?

Seriously, now. if bizzare is what you want, we don’t carry such on our site. Some people get the notion though that Conference Bay is to conferences as eBay is to these tangible, at times, weird items up for bids. Indeed, the only similarity is : you name the price you are willing to pay. And that’s where the comparison ends.

Conference Bay is meant to be that only place online where you can get the right seat, for the conference of your choice, at the best price you are willing to pay.

The whole booking and bidding process is conducted online with results within two working days. You would like to find out why, it is getting the raves as the smartest, coolest new way in conference-going.

At eBay, winner takes all. We offer a lot more flexibility when you make a bid with us for your next conference seat. Conference Bay is not an auction where the highest bidder gets the ticket. Based on your bid details, conference organisers can decide to accept or to reject each bid individually.

At Conference Bay, we drive value for our customers, saving them a lot of money off their seat at some of the best conferences worldwide. Our Terms & Conditions state very clearly that the conference organiser who accepts a bid has to treat the bidding customer exactly the same way as regular full paid delegates. Nothing to lose and so much to gain!

Click to see how it works here. Have an awesome conference experience !

The IBM Global CEO Study 2008: Unveiling the Enterprise of the Future

IBM recently launched their Global CEO Study. It is by far the largest study of chief executives ever conducted. We thought it gives insights of the deepest level which reveals a phenomenal increase in the number of global business leaders who see their roles as one that lends itself to addressing and managing change. The study also interestingly highlights how the ability to absorb and manage change is widening the gap between winners and losers in the global economy.

CEOs reported a surprising level of optimism about change as an opportunity to build new competitive advantage. Yet at the same time, CEOs report their ability to effectively manage change is increasing at a far slower pace. Many trends were identified in the study and we recommend it as a brilliant read for CEOs and business leaders. They point specifically to their own customer base as the source of the most important changes they will have to address. The study explores two phenomenons – two new set of customers that have recently evolved: the ‘information omnivore’, and the ‘socially-minded’ customer.

Here they come: the Information Omnivores

The “information omnivore” craves all types of information and often broadcasts its views and expectations worldwide via the Internet. These customers are said to be “swapping passive roles for much deeper involvement. Consumers are becoming “producers,” often creating entertainment and advertising content for their peers, while demanding flexibility and responsiveness from companies with whom they choose to do business.”

The study shows the impact of the information omnivore is driving investment in every major geography. In Europe alone, CEOs indicated they plan a 23 percent investment targeted at these customers over the next three years, a 20 percent jump from the previous three years.

The Rise of the Socially Minded Customer

CEOs are in accord that customer expectations around corporate social responsibility are increasing, and that this will play an important role in differentiating an enterprise in the future. Customers are coalescing around organizations humane concerns – including, but not limited to “green” initiatives — and are increasingly demanding socially-minded products, services, and even supply chains.

The Global CEO Study is conducted on a biannual basis, and provides a benchmark and a blueprint for global business trends. For more information on additional findings from the study, visit www.ibm.com/enterpriseofthefuture.

You may download this study free. Get a PDF copy of this study here.

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang at the Conference Lately: Where Bids Have Fallen Short

It has baffled many how that bid could not be consummated. But it’s all over the news, Yahoo faces the threat of mutiny from shareholders unhappy with the way its board handled a bid offer from Microsoft Corp. that was ultimately withdrawn last month.The software giant withdrew its $47.5 billion bid, the Yahoo board wanted $37 per share, or about $52 billion.

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang in his most recent conference moment at AllThingsD (Photo by AP)

In an effort to engage a crowd of influential web personalities at the The Wall Street Journal’s “D: All Things Digital” conference, Yang stood by his handling of the deal and painted a bright future for the Internet pioneer Yahoo. Speaking to conference goers at AllThingsD Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang repudiated the image being painted of the company he co-founded as “under siege” and announced on the contrary that the company is in for better times as they rally to streamline Yahoo’s offerings and make it more relevant to consumers and to advertisers.

Yang and Yahoo President Susan Decker said the company was reorganizing around four pillars: home page, search, mail and mobile services. “The essence of Yahoo is being defined today,” Yang was quoted “We have to be incredibly relevant to the consumer. We want you to start your day at Yahoo.” Pleading for time in what could be a last ditch effort to turn yahoo around, Yang said “I know people want to see results,” he reportedly said. “But I think we’re starting to show Yahoo can be on this path to being a different entity.”

Yang defended his handling of the failed Microsoft talks, saying he was committed to building value for long-term shareholders even at the expense of short-term gains. He blamed Microsoft for deep-sixing the deal and indicated that regulatory and other concerns played a role. He has said the deal fell apart over price disagreements. Yang said however that he was still waiting for a clearer proposal from Microsoft but was vague about the shape any possible partnership could tak. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Tuesday in his own talk at the conference that the two companies were in “ongoing discussions” about developing a partnership. But more recently, it is final that Yahoo has partnered with Google instead, read about it in this breaking news. Well, Yahoo for all the press it is getting, may indeed be in for better times, you’ll never know. The subject is old and the plot is tired, but can exciting twists still turn up afterall in the Microsoft-Yahoo supposed bid gone bust?

There you have it folks, here on the Conference Bay blog, we are committed to keep you updated on the hottest industry topics with snippets of cool conference moments. Head on to the ConferenceBay site to view our newest offerings. Discover a smart, new way to find, book and save up to 60 % on your next conference seat Check out the coolest, new thing in conference going — an online conference bidding tool that has been getting rave feedbacks from both individual delegates as well as corporations big and small, where you can name the price you are willing to pay for your conference of choice. Head on now, where every bidder can potentially walk away as a winner !

How to Visit Conferences in Leaner Times

“So guys…. tell you what, these are hard times, we need to hole up and stretch the dollar, and therefore we are cutting back on conference cost.”

Sounds familiar? It should. That’s no other than your boss. If your boss says he needs a positive return forevery dollar the company spends this year and that your conference is nowhere justified in achieving that, he is only being smart. And you can bet those lines will be repeated for infinite number of times across the globe to disappointed conference-goers like you. But there is a way to make him reconsider.

We can imagine. You are looking at that brochure of the conference you had meant to go to and we know how tough it can be to get the approval, especially in these leaner times. We, at Conference Bay, offer a solution and dare we say it, pushing on with the company’s optimal training agenda need not suffer from the crunch.

First off, search for that conference you would like to attend. If you check out Conference Bay, we have a database of conferences from over 800 conference organizers worldwide. You have substantial choices.

Study the conference programs, content and design. Then, carefully note the reasons you believe this particular conference will positively impact your company’s operations. If you assess and analyze well, that payback alone should cover for your time and expenses.

Don’t forget the details. Focus on technical presentations at the conference that are of interest to you and outline specifically how the company may find it useful. You may get smart and select conference that carries multiple presentations or “tracts” that can be beneficial to the company.

Take time to get information about the conference’s speakers. Take note of the professional peers you will meet.

Now comes the crux of the matter. How much is the conference fee, consider the hotel rate, what items are included in the conference fee like meals, parking, copies of presentations, travel expenses, and number of conference hours each day?

At Conference Bay, we have been making waves with our smart, new way of finding and booking conferences. Our rapid growth over the last few months has surpassed expectations. We have signed up more than 800 conference organizers to date. We are home to over 500 conferences from all over the world. You have substantial choices. Takes out the hassle of clicking through pages and pages of sites that are not targeted to your needs. We have conferences data based by topic or location.

You may also check out our new offerings through Conference Bay Direct. Booking a conference was never this cool and hassle free! You simply select the conference you want to attend, make your reservation with Conference Bay Direct and we do the rest. You receive a complete overview of your company’s attendance in a single itemized monthly invoice. Alternatively, you may also use our online bidding tool on our website.

Bidding for your next conference seat and saving a significant amount off the actual price will never detract from your conference experience. If you think that getting significant discount means being dumped into crowded theater-style seats trying to take notes on your lap with a steaming coffee cup, think again. We have booked CEOs and top executives who went to save a lot of dollars on their choice conferences and attended them in style. Remember, you will be given treatment like all the rest of the paying delegates.

So go for that conference you have in mind! Modify your method of getting approval by showing how serious you are to impact your company’s performance positively with ideas and networks that you will bring back! 

BlueSky Festival 2008

For the past five years, the BlueSky Festival has attracted hundreds of delegates from the entrepreneurial community to network, talk about new ideas and also to enjoy themselves.

This year, for the event’s fifth anniversary, Conference Bay has the honour of taking in all bookings for this famed event!

Since the whole festival is buta few short weeks away, here’s a brief rundown on what’s going to happen on the 17th and 18th of July 2008: