Comments on: Conferences, payoffs and advising http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising Digital Lifestyle Aggregation - helping to establish open source infrastructure Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:12:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Noble Poker Room Online Tournaments http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-105680 Noble Poker Room Online Tournaments Sun, 01 Oct 2006 03:56:46 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-105680 <strong>Noble Poker Room Online Tournaments</strong> warder:Neil traffics mayoral ammonium reintroduce priest Coffey Ks Poker Room Online School http://www.thekspokerroomonline.com/ks_poker_room_online_school/ Noble Poker Room Online Tournaments

warder:Neil traffics mayoral ammonium reintroduce priest Coffey Ks Poker Room Online School http://www.thekspokerroomonline.com/ks_poker_room_online_school/

]]> By: Free Poker http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-87108 Free Poker Sun, 27 Aug 2006 13:03:37 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-87108 <strong>Free Poker</strong> electronic?Bantus broadcasting furrier venturer dismayed Free Poker

electronic?Bantus broadcasting furrier venturer dismayed

]]> By: bill consolidation http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-41702 bill consolidation Wed, 24 May 2006 02:10:16 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-41702 <strong>bill consolidation</strong> spanning raptly warping frolic!binds tirelessness fudge sophomores?credit counseling http://credit-counseling.debt-consolidation-agent.com/ bill consolidation

spanning raptly warping frolic!binds tirelessness fudge sophomores?credit counseling http://credit-counseling.debt-consolidation-agent.com/

]]> By: odcsagurdw http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-40767 odcsagurdw Sun, 21 May 2006 16:52:53 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-40767 squoiznbu esaytxxvs ccfmbmrpijy squoiznbu esaytxxvs ccfmbmrpijy

]]> By: Kris http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-32128 Kris Mon, 13 Mar 2006 17:33:20 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-32128 Sponsors are part of most conferences now. It's important to keep them out of the main tent if they don't have the speakers and content to deserve the time. Giving them a 45-minute breakout attendees can go to if they want is always fine. The O'Reilly conference is very inexpensive compared to others like PC Forum and I still think it is one of the best for getting some techology input and networking. I agree they have to work harder on the next one though or they could lose their audience. Sponsors are part of most conferences now. It’s important to keep them out of the main tent if they don’t have the speakers and content to deserve the time. Giving them a 45-minute breakout attendees can go to if they want is always fine.

The O’Reilly conference is very inexpensive compared to others like PC Forum and I still think it is one of the best for getting some techology input and networking. I agree they have to work harder on the next one though or they could lose their audience.

]]> By: Ruminate » Blog Archive » Improving Etech Part I - Conference Sessions and Formats http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-32040 Ruminate » Blog Archive » Improving Etech Part I - Conference Sessions and Formats Fri, 10 Mar 2006 15:00:50 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-32040 [...] Since O’Reilly is OK with whoring out speaking spots (not to put too fine a point on it– I do love O’Reilly and etech, but that kind of thing really bugs me), how about turning a few hours over to lightning sessions with a gong-show style audience-voting mechanism? In fact, this would be preferred for most vendor presentations if I had my way. And, clearly, anyone who was paid for (or rewarded with) a speaking spot should be clearly identified in the program just as vendors and services already are. [...] […] Since O’Reilly is OK with whoring out speaking spots (not to put too fine a point on it– I do love O’Reilly and etech, but that kind of thing really bugs me), how about turning a few hours over to lightning sessions with a gong-show style audience-voting mechanism? In fact, this would be preferred for most vendor presentations if I had my way. And, clearly, anyone who was paid for (or rewarded with) a speaking spot should be clearly identified in the program just as vendors and services already are. […]

]]> By: Marc’s Voice » Blog Archive » Coolio - I get visited by Joel Spolsky and he leaves a comment http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30981 Marc’s Voice » Blog Archive » Coolio - I get visited by Joel Spolsky and he leaves a comment Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:52:24 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30981 [...] Here’s the evidence that Joel was here. [...] […] Here’s the evidence that Joel was here. […]

]]> By: Geodog http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30970 Geodog Wed, 15 Feb 2006 08:55:55 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30970 See you there, Marc. You know you'll be there :-) See you there, Marc. You know you’ll be there :-)

]]> By: Joel Spolsky http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30967 Joel Spolsky Wed, 15 Feb 2006 01:01:56 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30967 Well, I must be ripping them off, because I'm giving a keynote and I didn't pay anything. Also -- tickets are $1000, not $2500. Well, I must be ripping them off, because I’m giving a keynote and I didn’t pay anything.

Also — tickets are $1000, not $2500.

]]> By: Adam Trachtenberg http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30966 Adam Trachtenberg Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:26:39 +0000 http://blog.broadbandmechanics.com/2006/02/conferences-payoffs-and-advising#comment-30966 Huh? eTech tickets are $1095, assuming you don't qualify for one of O'Reilly's many discounts. If you have 3 people from your company, that's 10%, but you can get discounts up to 65%. So, I don't think it's a smart idea to sponsor just to get a deal on tickets. There are a lot of people doing interesting things who speak because they're doing interesting things. There are also some larger companies that pay to speak, but all those talks are in the "Products and Services" (i.e. sponsor) track. So, attendees can clearly opt-out of these sessions if they don't think they're going to be interesting. However, if you're going to pay five figures to market to this audience, you're not very smart if you give a boring sales pitch. What you really need to do is show something of interest, or you're wasting your money. And I say this as someone who convinced my company, eBay, to sponsor eTech. Now, you can quibble about whether O'Reilly should try and make money on their conferences or if they should act as a non-profit, but the fact of the matter is that they're a business and conferences of this size (1000-1500 people) are surprisingly expensive. At the end of the day, if people don't want to come, they don't want to come, and O'Reilly will need to shift the conference to an alternative model. Unless, of course, peoples' clients force them to come. :) Huh? eTech tickets are $1095, assuming you don’t qualify for one of O’Reilly’s many discounts. If you have 3 people from your company, that’s 10%, but you can get discounts up to 65%. So, I don’t think it’s a smart idea to sponsor just to get a deal on tickets.

There are a lot of people doing interesting things who speak because they’re doing interesting things. There are also some larger companies that pay to speak, but all those talks are in the “Products and Services” (i.e. sponsor) track. So, attendees can clearly opt-out of these sessions if they don’t think they’re going to be interesting.

However, if you’re going to pay five figures to market to this audience, you’re not very smart if you give a boring sales pitch. What you really need to do is show something of interest, or you’re wasting your money. And I say this as someone who convinced my company, eBay, to sponsor eTech.

Now, you can quibble about whether O’Reilly should try and make money on their conferences or if they should act as a non-profit, but the fact of the matter is that they’re a business and conferences of this size (1000-1500 people) are surprisingly expensive.

At the end of the day, if people don’t want to come, they don’t want to come, and O’Reilly will need to shift the conference to an alternative model. Unless, of course, peoples’ clients force them to come. :)

]]>