Gel 2003 Attendee Comments

"Absolutely amazing in its inspiration, generation of new perspective, and sheer momentum of energy."

"Thank you for an outstanding conference. This was far and away the best professional conference I have ever attended. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"'Good' isn't good enough to describe the experience. It unleashed creativity, posed questions for discovery, and made me think about how I experience life in a whole new way."

"Enjoyed GEL tremendously... a phenomenal life experience. GEL 2003 will always be burned in my mind because of New York City in the spring, Ze Frank, Jim Kunstler, the 5K contest, Amazon, The Trachtenburgs, Professor Jackson, the Rev. Bauman, the lawyer turned NYC photographer, the AOL guy. You are to be congratulated."

"I've attended many conferences, but nothing like this. A brilliant gumbo of user experiences, masterly presented."

"Really well done. Nice mix of speakers, good timing (limiting speakers to 15-25 minutes each), well-timed breaks, elegantly catered, and professionally presented. High quality all around."

"I left the GEL conference with so many ideas and so excited that I thought I was going to explode. What is the point of attending any other conference ever again? I'll be at GEL 2004."

"GEL was one of the best conferences I've ever attended: varied, interesting, engaging, friendly, great venue & speakers... it's certainly given everyone a lot to think about."

"Thanks for a wonderful conference."

"Kudos on an exceptionally well-run and valuable event. I would rank GEL 2003 as one of the top two conferences I've attended in the past six years; and I am a relatively active visitor to such events. The breadth and acuity of the speakers/artists were very impressive, the agenda was timely, and the immediate setting, particularly in its connection to the larger theme of New York as a form of experience, was inspiring."

"I enjoyed the eclectic, refresing, disarmingly non-corporate experience of GEL. Thank you!"

"Thanks so much for GEL. Everyone from my team had a great time and learned a lot. All of the speakers were wonderful, smart and engaging. GEL was a refreshing alternative to the standard industry conference; I went to the [some marketing conference] and GEL blew it away. :-)"

"As a rule I avoid and despise conferences, but I thoroughly enjoyed Good Experience Live."
- Rosecrans Baldwin, Editor-in-chief, The Morning News

"One of the best events I've attended."

"The conference was not at all what I expected, but that is not a bad thing. I was expecting a whole lot of 'how to' stuff on making a website a better place to be. Granted that was in there, but I was pleasantly surprised that there was so much more. Thank you for a 'more-than-good-experience.'"

"I always use my own personal rating system when I attend conferences such as these (I'm an AIGA member) and the system is this: was I inspired to do great things? The answer is an absolute yes, indeed."

"The Gel conference could not have been much better."

"Before attending GEL I was seriously considering shifting my career path from marketing to experience design. After GEL I'm convinced it is something I must pursue. The common thread I noticed across all speakers was how their individual contributions in defining good experiences can positively impact how we all work, live and are entertained. For me, experience design is not only a way contribute to the success of my organization, but also a way to contribute something positive to the world I live in."

"I found the GEL conference to be an unusually thoughtful, creative and stimulating environment, an unexpected treat at a professional conference. I felt enriched by the speakers and the interesting array of attendees. As an executive search consultant (by day) and actress/producer (the rest ofthe time) I found GEL to be relevant professionally and personally."

"What a fabulous conference ... definitely one of the best I've ever been to."

"Entertaining, inspiring, wry, and partly mind-bending."

"The day exceeded my expectations, and the execution was so smooth that no one would know it was the Gel debut."

"This is my first day back in the office and everyone knows I'm in a great mood because of GEL and the experiences I had there!"

"Someday I'd like to inspire others as much as the Gel conference inspired me."

"Great conference. The themes came through clearly, the speaker selection was great, and there were plenty of good ideas to improve customer experiences to go around."

"...this was a remarkable success for Mark Hurst and for Good Experience, along with the attendees. I'll definitely be back next year, and if my only quibbles were about network connectivity and having a place to set my drink, I'd think it's obvious that I'd recommend to others that they attend as well."
-Anil Dash

Absolutely the best conference to stir your creative thoughts about what a good customer experience should be... go to GEL!! Lasting thoughts and opinions that will stick with you.

Photos of Gel attendees (thanks again to Preclick for coming!)

Heath Row's transcripts - scroll down the page about halfway - or click these: Mark Hurst,
Ken Jackson, Elizabeth Peaslee, Stewart Butterfield, Gillian Zoe Segal, Rick Robinson,
Pam Lewis, Ze Frank, Trachtenburgs, Sam Brown, James Howard Kunstler, Maryam Mohit, Andrew Zolli, Marissa Mayer, Stephen Bauman (thanks, Heath!)

Review from Meet-the-Makers' Brian Alvey: "Fantastic event... my recommendation?
Go directly to GEL."

Anil Dash's review (and speaker summaries) of Gel: "Imagine a professional conference that doesn't just fully engage you and challenge your mind, but was even able to touch you on an emotional level. Well done."

Stewart Butterfield's initial review: "Really fantastic... Both the speakers and the audience were intelligent, diverse, interesting and engaging and I had a lot of great conversations on the breaks and before and after the event itself."

Joshua Seiden: "The conference, without explicitly stating a thesis, delivered a compelling definition of good experience."

Jeff Gates' review of Gel: "This was a very good experience indeed."

Caterina Fake: "The venue was really awesome... excellent roster of speakers... a really interesting crowd."

Steve Hoffman: "Great... influencing my business and personal thinking."