Speaking at industry conferences has been one of the most important parts of building Paul Ryazanov’s career and expanding the reach of MageCloud. Over the years, I have had the privilege of presenting at events like PubCon in Las Vegas, ConversionConference, CloudCon, and the SFIMA-PubCon Summit — sharing practical insights on ecommerce, conversion optimisation, and digital marketing with audiences of practitioners and business owners.
PubCon Las Vegas: Where It Started
PubCon was where many of my most important industry relationships began. I first spoke at PubCon Las Vegas in 2013, where I was part of a session on A/B and multivariate testing alongside other practitioners in the conversion optimisation space. That session led directly to my first interview with Search Engine Journal, where I sat down with Loren Baker to discuss how A/B testing helps business owners spend less and convert more.
I returned to PubCon in 2015 as part of a session that included Rhea Drysdale, Steve Floyd, and Khalid Saleh — all practitioners with deep experience in conversion and search. These events were not just about presenting. They were about learning from other people who were solving the same problems in different ways.
Why Conference Speaking Matters for Ecommerce Leaders
Speaking at conferences does more than raise your profile. It forces you to organise your thinking, test your ideas against a knowledgeable audience, and stay accountable to the advice you give. Every talk I have given has made me better at the work I do for MageCloud clients.
It also creates opportunities that you cannot plan for. My Search Engine Journal interviews, my connections with other speakers, and many of the partnerships that have shaped MageCloud all trace back to relationships that started at events like PubCon.
From Conferences to Podcasts and Mentoring
The speaking work at conferences naturally evolved into podcast appearances and mentoring. Today, I continue to share what I have learned through platforms like GrowthMentor, where I mentor ecommerce founders and agency owners, and through Ecommerce Camp, where I serve as both founder and project coordinator.
The thread that connects all of this — from PubCon stages to one-on-one mentoring calls — is the same: practical, experience-based advice that comes from doing the work ourselves.
Related Reading
Many of the interviews and podcast appearances linked from this blog were direct results of conference speaking:
How A/B Testing Can Help You Spend Less and Convert More — My Interview with Search Engine Journal — recorded at PubCon Las Vegas 2013, covering A/B testing fundamentals for ecommerce.
Tracking User Behaviour for Better Conversions — My Second Interview with Search Engine Journal — also recorded at PubCon, focused on heat mapping, eye tracking, and demographic targeting.
300% Conversion Increase with Iterative Testing — My Conversation with Alex Harris — a deep dive into the iterative testing methodology I have presented at multiple conferences.
Security, Conversion, and Smarter Retail Execution — Retail Is Detail Podcast — my most recent podcast appearance, continuing the conversation about ecommerce execution.
How to Start an Ecommerce Business — Digital Marketing Radio — where the conference speaking experience and practical ecommerce knowledge come together.