#SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ Giveaway!
Events

#SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ Giveaway!

6th August 2014

seoktoberfest-logoThere are plenty of SEO events that are hailed as the must attend events of the year, however, there is one SEO event that has attained legendary elite status and a very controversial reputation.

Now in it’s 7th year, SEOktoberfest a has an entrance fee that is more than the cost of a car or the rent on a small flat for a year and there is a waiting list of over 100 people. Every year there is only one place released to potential new attendees on the waiting list but with little or no dropout from previous attendees – it is pretty damned hard to get in.

Given the rumours of secret content not to be found anywhere else publicly and a strap-line of “Don’t Blog, Don’t Tweet, Don’t Tell”  I HAD to find out what all the fuss was about so last year I decided to check it out and see if it really was everything it is made out to be and maybe to dispel some of the more controversial myths surrounding the event (my account below)

This year they are giving YOU the chance to join them for the price of a blog post so if SEO, elite and controversial are three of your favourite words – read on to find out how to enter.

What the Hell is SEOktoberfest Anyway?

1379957_10151664626880911_695928815_nThe event itself as the name suggests, runs alongside the actual Oktoberfest Festival in Munich so although the entrance fee is steep (€5000!!) – the price includes: A 3 Day advanced SEO Conference, impossible-to-get-as-a-tourist tickets to main tents, full traditional dress,  food and drink, networking with the SEO elite, and entrance to the Charity BBQ Social event.

If the price gives you a coronary you’ve obviously never tried to get a cut price hotel or tickets during Oktoberfest, if you have then you might start to understand that actually it’s pretty great value and in all cases, attendees say it is the best money they have ever spent.

Having had the privilege to hang out with the attendees for just one of the 3 days, I have to agree.

So how can you get there? It is too late to sign up to the event but it is not too late to get your piece of the action by bidding on the SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ

seoktoberfest-bbqThe SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ

The SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ a Charity Auction with only 50 tickets available.

Tickets are on a first come first served basis and participants have to bid against each other to gain a ticket. Bidding is against the clock and you need to maintain eligibility by bidding high enough to remain on the leaderboard. Bids must be within 5 Euros of each other so towards the end of the deadline you have to bid higher to remain in the running for a place.

Having attended, The BBQ is most definitely one of the highlights of the SEO calendar. I met some incredible people, and amazing minds and learned more in 5 minutes than I have in most SEO events and happy to report made some great friends that I hope to see again this year.

Having raised an impressive  €100k+ in charity in the last few years, SEOktoberfest donates 100% of all BBQ Proceedings to the following charities.

The Charities

1) Amazonica – which wants to preserve the rainforest for all humanity by developing innovative solutions together with the indigenous peoples of the Amazon to help with survival, education and in order to protect their lives and homes.

seoktoberfest-van
Münchner Tafel benefiting from SEOktoberfest Fundraising

2) Münchner Tafel – every day MT is collecting food from supermarkets and restaurants and organises a “free supermarket” at 25 different locations throughout the week for people in need. MT serves over 18.000 munich people – over 100 tons of groceries each week! SEOktoberfest have already helped finance two desperately needed refrigerated trucks for MT  – the new refrigerated truck was just introduced last week.

This year it is hoped to raise over €50k and break all previous records. SO GET BIDDING!!

How Do You Get To Go To The Event for FREE?

If you’re not feeling generous and want to chance it by hoping the Gods are on your side… this year the SEOktoberfest Charity BBQ is giving away a ticket to one lucky winner. All you have to do is write a blog post about the event to be considered for the ticket prize draw.

Simple!

The winner will be drawn on the 8th August so you have 2 days to get writing…

Alternatively – if you are looking for a great cause to support this year – there can be only one winner so ensure your place by bidding for a ticket anyway!

Why Should You Go?

  1. Good Causes
  2. Elite Networking
  3. Great People / New Friends
  4. Industry Secrets & Access to the ‘Super Secret Black Hat Shed’
  5. Your own Mini SEOktoberfest conference
  6. Stunning Secret Location with top Class 5* Catering
  7. Your Own SEOktoberfest Tankard with everything you want to eat and drink
  8. All transport to and from the event
  9. The privileged position of hanging out with the greatest SEO minds on the planet
  10. That warm fuzzy feeling inside from donating to charity combined with the smug sense of self satisfaction from being included at an elite SEO event where you get to hang out with not just World Class SEO’s but Business and Industry leaders from companies such as Airbnb, Disney, Expedia, Tripadvisor, eBay, CBS, Bing and many many more!

To Bid visit: http://seoktoberfest.net/bbq_eng.html

A Personal Word about the Event

marcus-tandlerLast year I wanted to write a piece on the hidden charity work that many well known SEO’s undertake but don’t shout about. However, I was encouraged not to. I suspect due to the modesty of the SEOktoberfest host not wanting to take the limelight in that way.

I think that not enough SEO’s get credit for the great work they do outside of the SEO business so whether they like it or not they’re getting a mention!

The event is organised by none other than Marcus Tandler – well known in European SEO Circles and seen often on the UK/Global circuit this year. Marcus plays a large part in SMX Munich also organised by his partner Becci and Rising Media, as well as a number of other SEO and charity events. Marcus doesn’t just raise money he is also actively involved in the charities and has visited the Amazon several times to see the results of the good work, and drives one of the MT trucks to help distribute food to those in need.

Loving your work Marcus – we salute you 🙂

So having attended what do I think?

Due to the early incarnation of SEOktoberfest, the event has received a fair amount of industry criticism that I have not seen for any other event. Not really understanding why one event over other areas of SEO and marketing seemed to be taking the brunt of it – (hello affiliate conferences and igaming circles), I decided I should go, then judge for myself.

What I found was an incredibly well organised, well established SEO event designed for bright minds to openly discuss advanced tactics and stategies. The fact that just happens to run alongside an event that is known for beer swilling, busty barmaids and a whole load of other shenanigans may have given early incarnations a bad rap for merely using the same PR tactics that plenty of other household names use to get attention.

There is a reason why SEO’s pay a lot of money every year to be included and that reason is not boobs and alcohol! Contrary to popular belief it is actually optional to dress up and drink German beer like there is no tomorrow so any trouble you get into IS YOUR OWN FAULT…

I enjoyed the company and the event so much, that I will happily hand over my charity cash every year to join in.  Even the cut down conference day that is included at the BBQ social  is enough to illustrate why this is a must apply for event. The content is second to none and there is a fantastic atmosphere and willingness to share in an open environment (Don’t Blog, Dont tweet, Don’t tell)…

On a personal note – Marcus has always been a generous and welcoming host and someone that I consider to have become a great industry friend – even more so since attending this event. So please – biased as this may come across – don’t judge unless you have been to the event and experienced for yourself both SEOktoberfest and Oktoberfest and take it up with me offline if you have a point to make that does not consider the above!

I would still love to run an article on SEO fundraisers so if you have a story or know of any good work – let us know so we can include them (Patrick Price, Im looking at YOU!)

Photos From Last Years Event

I you don’t believe me I have plenty of proof. Here are just a few thumbnails of last years event. See all of the event photos from SEOktoberfest 2013

bastian-grimm-evert-veldhuijzen-jackie-hole

seoktoberfest-bbq-photos

Tags

Written By
Jackie Hole is an Award Winning Search Marketing consultant specialising in Paid Search, Conversion Improvement and Organic Search / SEO for the USA, Canada and European markets. Starting out in Multimedia & Interface Design, Jackie has over 15 years experience in online marketing and was recently awarded European Search Personality...
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.