Convergence Preview
Just watched the Matt G. videos on the Convergence web site and wasn't particularly impressed. It is supposed to be like one of those bad 50's classroom movies (come back zinc!). And it succeeds in being just as bad. Don't waste your bandwidth.
Here is my guide to Convergence:
1. Find out where the parties are each night. This is the key to really enjoying yourself at Convergence. Ask your partner. If they have been to more than one Convergence, they will know who hosts the best parties and will have already have received invitations.
2. Work out beforehand what you want to see and who you want to talk to. If you don't have a calendar, there is so much going on that you will definitely look back and realize you missed something you really wanted to find out more about.
3. If there are sessions that you have to see and can't miss, make sure you get there early. If you get there after the session is already full, you won't get in. Leave the session before it earlier if you have to.
4. Pace yourself at the Expo. The first day of the Expo is always packed and you won't get to see everything you want to see. If you go on the second or third day, there are always less people and you get to speak to the vendors in a lot more detail. The same applies if you go during lunch.
5. Unless you need to catch up on some sleep, don't bother going to the Doug Burgum general session. It might be about the Civil War, 18th century inventions, or something else that happened at least 200 years ago. It will be vaguely tied back to software at the end, but most of it will be rambling.
6. Sign up for Rio. It's the easiest way to organize a meeting with someone ay Convergence and you won't be able to get yourself a meeting table if you haven't signed up.
That's all I have for now. I'll be writing a Convergence review after the event. I'd like to say that I would be blogging during the event, but I know that I will be starting each day at 8:00AM and going to bed well past midnight every day, so there won't be much time. If you want to catch up with me any time at Convergence, I will be manning the eOne booth as well as the SmartList Builder booth in the Microsoft pavilion.
Here is my guide to Convergence:
1. Find out where the parties are each night. This is the key to really enjoying yourself at Convergence. Ask your partner. If they have been to more than one Convergence, they will know who hosts the best parties and will have already have received invitations.
2. Work out beforehand what you want to see and who you want to talk to. If you don't have a calendar, there is so much going on that you will definitely look back and realize you missed something you really wanted to find out more about.
3. If there are sessions that you have to see and can't miss, make sure you get there early. If you get there after the session is already full, you won't get in. Leave the session before it earlier if you have to.
4. Pace yourself at the Expo. The first day of the Expo is always packed and you won't get to see everything you want to see. If you go on the second or third day, there are always less people and you get to speak to the vendors in a lot more detail. The same applies if you go during lunch.
5. Unless you need to catch up on some sleep, don't bother going to the Doug Burgum general session. It might be about the Civil War, 18th century inventions, or something else that happened at least 200 years ago. It will be vaguely tied back to software at the end, but most of it will be rambling.
6. Sign up for Rio. It's the easiest way to organize a meeting with someone ay Convergence and you won't be able to get yourself a meeting table if you haven't signed up.
That's all I have for now. I'll be writing a Convergence review after the event. I'd like to say that I would be blogging during the event, but I know that I will be starting each day at 8:00AM and going to bed well past midnight every day, so there won't be much time. If you want to catch up with me any time at Convergence, I will be manning the eOne booth as well as the SmartList Builder booth in the Microsoft pavilion.
posted by Andrew Brown at
11:59 AM
1 Comments:
Andrew has some of it right, but I differ on some points.
You gotta love Matt G! Matt G's video isn't his best, but is cheeky and humorous. It's a great asset for first-timers of Convergence to get an overview of what to expect. I'd encourage anyone new to Convergence to watch it.
Parties are THE thing. THE Spot is being hosted Sunday night at Eddie Deen's ranch by some favorite ISVs. Check out www.thespot2006.com for info. There is a party every night, often several, so if you don't see any listings just start asking people randomly. Word of mouth spreads quickly.
After parties the Expo is the best place to meet people and talk about real things. You can spend the entire Expo-open time there and still not see it all. If you really want to postively impact your business, see what new products and servcies are being offered.
Doug Burgum shouldn't be missed. It's entertaining and fun. Jeff Raikes is worth passing. Bill Gates is unforutnately dry, but its surreal to see "the man".
By
Mark Rockwell, at 6:50 AM
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