This is about conferencing. Not the web based virtual kind, and not the video kind, but about the forerunner. The kind of conferencing that everything digital tries to replicate, but can not ever duplicate. At the same time this post is about the use of all the tools we need to confer with others, in real time both physically and virtually.
You see, the winds of change are clearly upon us and the microcosm we call the conference industry is at a point of change. While many look at the high profile conferences and trade shows with envy and desire, it is the upstart events like MuniWireless and O'Reilly's eTel that have once again shown me that "being there" not only, who is there, that really matters. But exhibits and speaking from the stage are only part of the recipe for success for those who have to participate or support those who do. Success comes from managing change around these events. How you operate, what you carry and how you plan is even more important than just deciding what booths you want to visit, or which speakers you want to hear.
The changes are coming in human behavior, and the conference organizers who see the changes and adapt to them will win. So will the attendees who drop "old school" approaches and begin to see that Conference 2.0 life is very much different than it was in Conferencing 1.0.
It's the impromptu hallway demos, stand up meetings, late night face to face dialogue over drinks and early morning coffee breaks that are all sandwiched around the plethora of demos, briefings, on stage performances and panels (both participating and viewing) that make Conference 2.0 life not "me too, but me different".
What used to be a sedate corner table dinner, over drinks and a cigar is now a steady stream of in the open, roll up your sleeves, sit on the floor, impromptu discussions that seem to happen at will, sometimes even out numbering what's going on inside the conference session rooms. Hotel based conference venues are not ready for this new very "un-conference" approach either as chairs get moved around, tables moved and the power outlet becomes the "Power position," all the while, people spend lots of time in the bar, but not drinking much. Late night dining choices have become key, and the power breakfast of the past has become less commonplace as mornings are for email, phone calls and yes, telling your loved ones far away you still care. Large scale venues like convention centers are even less prepared, as they have even fewer chairs and tables, and finding power is never easy, so battery life is another important take-a-way from all this.
How can I say this you ask? From experience. Since the first of the year for me it has been CES, DEMO, a missed appearance due to airline issues with Jet Blue at Internet Telephony, eTel and most recently MuniWireless, with the result being significant increases in "face time" with clients, members of the media and the bloggerati.
All this "conference life" activity has proven that getting out of the office and still being able to get work done can happen. I'm actually finding the higher levels of personal interaction intrinsically important to taking the virtual relationships to a much deeper level, and as a result I'm also seeing greater opportunities for many early stage companies than ever before. What's more, taking a line from pal and SightSpeed CEO Peter Csathy, "I'm drinking my own kool aid" and making sure the apps, services and devices my agency represents and what I blog about is really doing what they promise.
Given the disparate nature of people, and recognizing that everyone can't be at the same place all the time has meant that the calendar, and my sports background philosophy of keeping the game time the same once the appointment is set has become the rule. Calls have to start and end on time. Meetings need to run as scheduled. Most of all it means that when I'm on site that sitting in the lobby, press room or speakers lounge creates opportunities on the fly and is key to making things happen, all the while multi-tasking away with email, voice mail and writing. It also means being able to escape to write, blog and yes even rest.
For panelists and moderators, speakers and interviewees "conference life" mandates social interaction with panel members before and after the "gig." Here at MuniWireless I dined each night with panel members, walked the venue and even sat with them in some sessions. We exchanged tips on software, viewpoints on the market and industry, and basically got to know each other better. For some it was the first "face to face" time we were ever together. For others it was a reconnection and a chance to catch up on business or blogging matters. It was also a way to lay out our performance script, as my moderated panels are not PowerPoint powered, but live, on the fly, no-holds barred sessions that get to the meat of the matter.
The result, my panel was again critically acclaimed, called the best of the breakouts and like in prep school, being asked back is the highest form of flattery, I was again asked to "perform" in Boston at the next MuniWireless event in June.
So what's next?
The arduous, not every mortal can do it, schedule of first quarter conferences will take yet another positive turn in about ten days when VON hits San Jose starting March 19th. There I'm on two panels there Peripheral Visionaries and the requisite Blogger Panel.
At VON, clients Fonav, GrandCentral, Nokia, SightSpeed, TruPhone and VoEX will be either speaking or exhibiting (and sometimes both) and I'll be busy with briefings, meetings and more as "conference life" and the Jeff Pulver fed "VON Blur" seems to take on a life of it's own.
This then leaves CTIA this month, and while I really wanted to be at Telco 2.0's Industry Brainstorm in London, it will have to be some other time for me but I know that Martin Geddes and mates will make this a great show.
And then, there's April........
How do you survive Conference 2.0 Life, in a first lifer's world? By gearing up.
Gearing up for all this has truly taken on a new meaning. It has meant a far greater use of VoIP (Gizmo, TruPhone and Skype), SightSpeed and IM, as well as the usual hotel hassles with blocked ports, sub-par bandwidth and disrupted sleep patterns, all of which has resulted in nocturnal posting hours. Being prepared for lousy cell phone reception sure helps and validates the need for VoIP and MobileVoIP like MobileStick will offer in many ways.
Being able to "negotiate" now also has a double meaning, as not only does your laptop need to negotiate the IP connection, many times the negotiation gets verbal when your ports are blocked and only a Mac address registration will get you around issues related to NAT and port forwarding in some hotels.
WiFi at airports is a blessing and the Sprint EvDO Rev A modem an added plus when conference bandwidth starts to bog down or goes non-existant. My travel routers from Linksys and Asus have provided a bed based, in room respite from sitting in a chair at a desk, and my Zyxel WiFi detector an absolute necessity. Accounts with Boingo and T-Mobile are as important as toothpaste and shaving cream and an HQ Network Access pass when I need an office anywhere is a must.
Never before has the words we end the KenRadio.com World Technology RoundUp ever carried more truth, as the conference 2.0 world and the tools we use really do help me "stay...connected."
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