Here is what is really crazy … when I first heard about this I wrote this blog post back on July 14 of 2009 and it is amazing how "spot-on" this commentary ended up being….

"Being smaller would possibly allow more input from ALL sized sellers, not just those in Diamond or higher tier PowerSeller status. Plus you will possibly get the ear of eBay representative whom you would only see on the stage at an eBay LIVE type of event."

- from my July 14th blog post

Get a feel for what it is like to be on location with eBay. This was an unprecedented event, and I was allowed unprecedented access. You’ve got to WATCH and please pass it along to your eBay buddies, I think every eBay seller and ESPECIALLY smaller sellers should hear what John Donahoe said directly to them. And Griff dropped a nugget or two.

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You like that? Wait till we get to some of the PARTY footage….OMG it gets event better. Stay TUNED!!!

Here are some still shot photos of the event thanks to Karen Locker

OK, my take on this is going to be completely centered around the atmosphere and the vibe I got as I attended it.  Starting early morning on Friday I arrived at the hotel. There was suppose to be a meet and greet from 11 am – 4 pm so I wanted to get there and check it out. The morning moved by slow slow and a handful of us were actually there. So I was there and meet a few buds that I had drinks with the night before.

We sat at the bar and talked then they took off to shop around Atlanta and I went to lunch with Mel who flew over from Dallas to attend the event. After lunch things were starting to pick up. The camera man, Todd called and he was downstairs so now it was time to get to work filming. I had seen  Richard Brewer Hay from eBayInkBlog.com and he told me we had press access to the event. So Todd and I checked in, got our media badges on and went to work. We got all the stuff set up just in time to get some shots inside the venue before people were allowed in.

Now IMMEDIATLY I noticed a somewhat heightened since of security. There were some big dudes running around and they did NOT look like they were “eBay geeks from San Jose”. Nope, I have been around events enough to tell the “hidden” security dressed up in the same gear as employees I smelled something fishy was up. And I was right too, there was cause for the security as the head of eBay CEO John Donahoe was here! He was not on the agenda and no one know he would be here. However not only was John here, Lorrie Norrington President, eBay Marketplaces, Alan Marks Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications and Dinesh Lathi VP of Buyer and Seller Experience were all present. Those are the ones I saw and talked to myself there could have been many others too. That is a lot of “C” levels in one event of 500 people. That tells you how important Atlanta was for eBay.

The room is hip, the stage setup is superb and the aesthetics were very modern. This was a rock star stage ready for some action. Griff host of eBay Radio, author and “Dean of eBay Education” takes the stage and introduces John Donahue and I feel strangely transfixed all of a sudden. Yeah, I actually did.

I don’t think it really hit me until John took the stage. but eBay is back in contact with its seller community on a physical home turf. And this time the crowd was a little different, they were not walking around with antenna hats, face paint and eBay colored dresses. This crowd was here for education, business and networking. The folks I spoke to were mostly newer converts to the world of eBay selling. They were also not angry…which was kind of refreshing. They had agendas, but they mostly wanting to know how to have more success on eBay and not reminisce of yesteryear much.

Everyone from staff to attendees that I spoke too was VERY happy with the event. A close personal friend of mine, who has been doing eBay as a hobby, was extremely inspired and ready to amp up her business. Even the older eBayers that traveled here to participate had a great time mingling and reconnecting with the eBay community. So I guess this one gets an A for effort and it is a good foundation for eBay. As they roll this out to Dallas and Chicago, I suspect that it will actually get even bigger.

Pros: Great atmosphere, the eBay folks were very approachable. The smaller crowd made it much more intimate. Very well organized and events ran on time. Highlight had to be The Aftermath SOLD OUT ProStores party which rocked till the a.m. with the roof top band. The networking what SUPERB. Price was very affordable. Lunch was included.

Cons: Vendors were in short supply, some breakout sessions were sold out (you had to sign up for them), no real content for large volume sellers (I am one, so that is just my beef).

This is just my initial thoughts and I got hours of footage to get out to you guys over the next week, I also had lunch with the CEO too and will recap that, so stay tuned!!!

I do, and that is the announcement that eBay LIVE is DEAD. But wait there’s more! (luv ya Billy, RIP) eBay is now going to begin throwing barbeques I guess based on the eBay developer blog picture, LOL.

According to yesterday’s announcement,  eBay announced plans for a series of smaller events "within a day’s drive for as many sellers and buyers as possible." The new program is called eBay: On Location. eBay: On Location will kick off in Orlando in February, and wrap up in San Jose in August with a 15th anniversary celebration.

Reading the announcement I do get the feeling that eBay is sort of going to throw a LARGE local event in San Jose to mark the 15th year of the platform, while still going about the country doing smaller events. The local events will be more affordable and possibly better attended than a single eBay LIVE event would.

Being smaller would possibly allow more input from ALL sized sellers, not just those in Diamond or higher tier PowerSeller status. Plus you will possibly get the ear of eBay representative whom you would only see on the stage at an eBay LIVE type of event.

So what do you guys think? Is this a good move or a bad move for the folks at eBay? I want to hear what you think about it. Please leave a comment.