It is almost 1 AM here in Monaco, and I should probably get some sleep, but finally getting around to reflecting a bit more on our Future of Business Media conference in NYC last week. While by all conventional means, the conference was a big success, there are some spots we would have to rethink. One thing I’ll say: We had all the big name speakers anyone could dream of, a big venue, a sold-out list of stellar attendees (80 percent were VP level and above), a great list of sponsors, tons of press, and huge buzz. We poured our hearts out putting this together. Everyone who was there seemed to have enjoyed it, but some people felt the moderation was flat, at least in parts.

And I agree. I think we over-reached a bit. More after the jump…

Logistically, our team delivered brilliantly, but editorially, we only delivered a half-punch. Here’s one reason why: We blanked out, literally. Both Staci and I hit a wall…during the second half of the day, we were walking zombies. Many sleepless nights prior to the conference doesn’t help. Red Bull can only take you so far.

We took on too much, and tried to moderate pretty much everything. We made the cardinal mistake we accuse other media companies of: not being more inclusive. That means letting other industry experts moderate other panels and sessions.

Also, we packed in too many sessions, too much information, in the quest to be the definitive conference in the business media sector. We could have easily cut out one panel session, and the schedule would have been just about right. The big idea is simple then: mix it up, both in terms of the flow and in terms of the people, on stage and off.

In the end, I am grateful to everyone on our team. I am grateful for the time the luminaries in the industry gave us, and attendees who gave us their time and money. I am grateful to the sponsors who put faith in us. As for the on-stage discussion, well, now we know. There is a reason why I am putting myself on the record on this, hard as this is: I want to make sure we don’t forget these lessons. We’re learning, evolving, and trying not to make the same mistakes twice.