At the beginning of October, George Roberts (our Head of Sales) took on Vegas to attend the Elite Sellers Group event on behalf of Clear Ads. In order to gain entry to the US, George had an idyllic stop in Antigua where he soaked up the views and scenery before hopping on a flight to Nevada to catch up with Amazon sellers and agencies alike. Contrary to popular belief, and the title, what happens in Vegas doesn’t actually have to stay there, we will dive deep into the details of the event in this blog…
Pre-Event
Before the event began, under COVID travel restrictions, George stayed in Antigua for 2 weeks. Here he engrossed himself in the limited activities that were still safe to participate in due to the pandemic, including water sport activities like sailing, paddle boarding and kayaking. He also relished a trip around the island, learning about the history of Antigua and driving through the rainforest. Just to make everyone a little more jealous, he recounted his enjoyment of swimming with turtles and fish whilst snorkeling. The only downside came when a certain stingray detected he was having too much fun and politely gifted him a bruise down his leg – how can you blame it when George was practically hugging the poor thing (shown in the picture below).
George also managed to work between all the amazing activities, sitting on his balcony while analyzing Amazon accounts – what more could a man ask for?
Arriving in Vegas
The peacefulness surrounding Antigua didn’t last long and after a second long flight, George touched down at the airport in Vegas, where the chaos began. His first priority after landing was grabbing a peck of fast food before heading to bed.
The Event – Day One
Day one of the event saw Amazon mayhem. George was picked up in the limo sent for him from the hotel and taken to the event (clearly playing it cool in the picture below).
He was fortunate to meet so many influential people in the Amazon space from the get go, recalling great conversations with Baldwin Thai, Tim Jordan, Destaney Wishon, Dima Kubrak, Kory Alden and many more.
Listening to some key players talk about niche aspects of Amazon advertising and selling, George brought many impactful insights back to the UK office to share with the Clear Ads team. Further to this, he also delivered an amazing presentation on Amazon DSP, specifically how to use the platform to engage with distinct target audiences that engage with your brand.
Finishing a long, yet inspiring day of conversations at 6pm, George journeyed back to the hotel to get suited and booted for the evening antics. This included attending Gordon Ramsey’s Steakhouse which left a lasting impression on George’s Vegas campaign (pardon the pun) as being the ‘biggest steak he had ever eaten’. Following the meal of a lifetime, and I’m sure a couple of undone buttons, George headed out with Tim, Tommy and Destaney to seize the night. Who knows what could have transpired with this bunch…
Day Two
Day two saw a full day of presentations with a side of hangover. George told me about all the great content delivered on the day, for example: how to expand your brand, tips on ranking, logistical issues and working with affiliates.
After this, he headed to another venue that had been rented out for the event. Featuring a bar in the house, pool table, ping pong and an abundance of food to eat, you can imagine just how good the night was. In spite of this, the fun wasn’t over yet as the group then moved to the club Omnia where the Elite Sellers Group enjoyed private tables and a lot of alcohol, surprising I know!
Leaving Las Vegas
Despite leaving the club at 4am, George reluctantly boarded the return flight to London at 6:30am. By some kind of a miracle, also known as timezones, George arrived back in England at 7am, with plenty of amazing memories and a bucket of Amazon insights to share. Thank you to Howard Thai for organising the event and including Clear Ads, see you all next year hopefully.
