eBay Open 2019 essential attendees guide is here!
With eBay Open 2019 less than a month away, it means it’s time for sellers to start planning. So, how will you make the most of your 3 days at this once-a-year opportunity? Get ready to get up close and personal with eBay executives, employees, and fellow eCommerce entrepreneurs!
How much you’ll get out of your time at eBay Open 2019 depends on how much effort you put into planning.
A few minutes spent planning your eBay Open 2019 day, maximizes your results!
Think now about how to best and most wisely utilize your time. Once you’re actually in Vegas, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the event. With the camaraderie of meeting up with old friends and making new ones, it’s so easy to realize on the last day that you’ve missed important workshops. And you haven’t talked with key eBay teams, and/or didn’t spend enough time in the Expo Hall.
Don’t be THAT attendee! Instead, do your planning now, and build in time for fun and spontaneity along the way.
What to bring to Las Vegas in July?
Here are some success strategies to keep in mind at eBay Open 2019, especially if you’re a first-time attendee:
- Download the eBay Open 2019 App. Typically it’s released a few days before the event. Keep an eye on your emails from eBay Open. The app will have the daily agenda, surprise events and more.
- Pack plenty of business cards. You’ll want them handy to enter vendor raffles and exchange with fellow sellers.
- Yes, it’s VERY hot outside but bring a sweater or hoodie as meeting rooms can be chilly.
- Wear your most comfortable shoes. There is a lot of walking from hotel rooms to the conference.
- Hydrate! Remember, you’re in the desert, so bring along your favorite reusable water bottle Bonus points for yo if it’s eBay branded,
- Take plenty of notes. Many events are taped, but it helps your memory to be a note taker.
Last but not least, have fun!
Back again this year are the super popular Biz Boosts! Want 1-1 time with an eBay Customer Service representative?! Biz Boost offer you that opportunity. Schedule a Biz Boost appointment to discuss your eBay business in detail. Get recommendations for growing and improving it. You should have received an email from eBay’s Biz Boost Appointment Team about this via (regular email, not through My Messages); click on the link in the email and follow its instructions.
The annual eBay Open Unofficial Meet & Greet is the perfect way to kick off your eBay Open conference experience.
Hosted by the Dallas Meet Up groups’s Stephanie Inge with the help of eBetsy, this year’s opener for Open takes place from 7pm-10pm on Monday, July 22, in the Skyfall Lounge, located in Mandalay Bay’s Delano Tower. No tickets are required. Just show up and enjoy mingling with your fellow eBay sellers. eBay staff have been known to attend.
Arriving early before eBay Open officially kicks off on July 23? You can register early for the conference: 12pm-5pm Monday or 8am-12pm Tuesday at the eBay Open desk in the lobby of Mandalay Bay. Regular registration starts at 3pm Tuesday. Additionally, the Expo Hall opens from 5pm-7pm for the eBay Open Welcome Registration. This is your chance to scope out the Expo Hall, so be sure to do your homework well in advance:
Go to eBayOpen.com/Sponsors to see who’s going to be there; then click to “Learn more” about each of them.
Make a note of those that interest you most. You can’t cover them all, so it’s important to pick and choose — preferably ahead of time. It’s well worth to walk the sponsor/vendor area. Vendors offer an array of services that are worth knowing about.
Day One on July 23 begins with the opening of The Expo Hall and Reception!
At the Welcome Reception, you can check with vendors regarding special offers for Open attendees or getting a demonstration of their product. Additionally, you can score T-shirts, collector pins, and other nifty swag. Not to be missed:
- BULQ, purveyors of liquidation goods by the pallet or case, will be offering you a chance to win a $500 BULQ case; just get your eBay Open attendee badge scanned by a BULQ team member and sign up for a BULQ account (if you don’t already have one).
- StreetPricer will be giving live demos of their eBay repricing tool. Repricing tools give eBay sellers an edge. StreetPricer can keep an eye on your eBay listings. It can move prices up and down maximizing your sales and profits! I use this tool and love it. I’ll be on hand (Kathy Terrill -I Love to Be Selling) with the StreetPricer team to give you expert eBay advice.
- Scotch ™/3M is a first time sponsor at eBay Open 2019. Stop by and learn all about their shipping innovation Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping Roll. Here is a recent blog post all about it! My YouTube shows you Scotch™ Flex & Seal Shipping roll in action!
eBay Open 2019 Wednesday and Thursday are chock-full of general sessions, workshops, and seller panels!
Before you head to Vegas, go to to eBayOpen.com/workshops to read up on the various workshops and seller panels to be offered, then prioritize them in order of their importance to you and your business. Note: Some sessions are offered more than once. Take time now to prioritize the session you don’t want to miss. Write down your questions, then check the workshop schedule to see who’s likely to have the answers for you.
Check out the speakers, too, for the general sessions as well as for the workshops and seller panels, at eBayOpen.com/speakers.
Typically the general sessions are headed by senior staff and executives. We’ll hear from eBay CEO Devin Wenig, eBay’s Chief Marking Officer Suzy Deering and more. Often after general session you’ll discover these chief executrices in the halls and reception areas of eBay Open. They are accessible to sellers, so walk up and introduce yourself.
eBay executives and staff love meeting sellers.
Bear in mind as well that in addition to the general sessions and workshops, Open offers pop-up mini-events. They all sound great, but you can only be in so many places at once, so be ruthless about sticking to your priorities: eBay search? Seller Hub? Shipping? Google?
Wednesday gets off to a relatively leisurely start, with breakfast offered from 7:30am-9am. After that it’s full-tilt boogie — with breaks for lunch and a snack — until Happy Hour in the Expo Hall winds down at 6:30pm. Thursday gives you only an hour for breakfast but one additional snack break, wrapping up after a final General Session from 3pm-4pm. At some point, too, eBay will announce the winners of this year’s SHINE Awards. Voting for eBay’s SHINE award begins July 15. be sure to vote!
Then it will be time to get ready for the closing party, 6pm-10pm at Las Vegas’ House of Blues.
Between those 2 days, you could attend a total of 10 workshops/seller panels altogether: 4 on Wednesday, 6 on Thursday. But remember, you also need to allow time for talking with vendors in the Expo Hall as well as for networking with eBay team members, executives, and customer service reps!
