IBM ConnectED, the conference formerly known as Lotusphere and Connect, has now opened the registration for the 2015 event.
The “early bird” conference fee is $1,595 and on October 4 it goes up to the full price, $1,795. This is less than Lotusphere/Connect in the past, but the conference is also 20% shorter at 4 days instead of 5. The cost per day is actually less than previous years, if you look at the full price (if I did the math right).
If you read the official IBM announcment for ConnectED 2015 posted by Mat Newman, you will notice a few interesting details.
First of all, the event is shorter than previous years. It starts on Sunday and ends on Wednesday instead of Thursday. On Sunday IBM has scheduled the Leadership Alliance meeting, which previously been held in the late fall in Boston. This is of course much more cost efficient for business partners, esxpecially international ones, who only have to pay one airfare and one hotel cost. But it also means that business partners who are invited to LA have to choose between presenting at the Sunday JumpStart sessions and attend the Leadership Appliance meetings. In the past, Sunday has also been the day for the Business Partner Day, hopefully IBM is not putting that on the same day as well.
Second, the conference will be held only at Walt Disney World Swan, not at both Swan and Dolphin as in previous years. This indicates a somewhat smaller conference. The Swan ballrooms combined can seat about 2700 people, with the other meeting rooms seating an additional almost 1000. So a qualified guess is that the number of participants will be limited to around 3000 or just above, assuming the keynote/OGS will still take place in the Dolphin. However this is not that much less than Lotusphere/Connect in the last few years. The labs and the sessions we all come to love (“Ask the Developers”, “Ask the Product Managers”, “Gurupaloza”) will be back, and I would be very surprised if there will not be a product showcase of some kind. There are also more interactive elements planned, like roundtables.
Third: ConnectED will be more of a technical conference, similar to the developer conferences IBM had back in the 1990’s. It will be bigger than a LUG (Lotus User Group) conference, but have a much more technical agenda than Lotusphere and Connect in the last few years. In my mind, this is a good thing. Perhaps less catering to press/analysts, “suits” (CEO/CFO type managers), project managers and similar non-technical crowds and more to the hard-core developers and admins who actually use the products.
Personally I think this is a good move by IBM. Separate out the non-technical attendees and focus on the technical side, instead of mixing technical and strategic sessions in a big messy conference. I am excited about ConnectED 2015, even if I am suspecting it will be the last conference in Orlando. Some years ago (2006? 2007?) IBM announced that they had renewed the contract for the conference (back then still called Lotusphere) until 2015.
With so many other IBM conferences merging together and taking place in Las Vegas, I would not be surprised if Lotusphere/ConnectED will suffer the same fate in 2016. I hope not, as Dolphin/Swan is a more intimate setting, where people can meet and socialize in the evening (as well as a day or two before the conference). With IBM pretty much taking over “Swolpin” (Swan and Dolphin) during that last week of January, there are very few non-conference people around. That would not be the case in Las Vegas.
No matter what, I will try to again be able to go to Orlando this coming January and see all my friends and learn more about Notes, Domino, Connections and the other products in the ICS stack. Hope to see you there!
IBM has announced the new name for the yearly conference in Orlando, the one most of us know (and still call) Lotusphere. For the last two years it was named Connect, and for 2015 IBM again changes the name, this time to ConnectED. The conference will be more technical than the last few years, according to IBM:
In 2015, IBM Connect will transform into an even more in-depth technical event,
“IBM ConnectED” that provides the deep “nuts and bolts” technical experience that is so important to our long-standing technical community.Specifically designed for technologists of all levels, including CIOs, IT managers and practitioners, this new event will offer deep-dive technical sessions, demos, labs and roundtables, access to IBM technical experts, and more.
The IBM ConnectED 2015 website.
I also want to share what John Head wrote about his thoughts from the IBM Digital Experience conference.
About 700 people here, and 85% of the sessions are technical. (…) The best conference keynote I have seen in years. I hope that IBM reviews the feedback for the session and applies it to future ones. I know, the Connect OGS’s have had to speak to the press and analysts that are there – and there is no press or analysts here. But what a stark difference. And in the best of ways.
I hope IBM take a good look at the ConnectED Opening General Session and make some changes, now when the conference will cater more to the technical crowd. And if the ConnectED planners read this, please have the party at the new Harry Potter Diagon Alley park this year. :-)
After not hearing the alarm this morning and therefore missing my original flight from DFW to MCO (Orlando International), I got booked on the next flight. I was in the air just a couple of hours late, and arrived at Dolphin in time for BALD at Big River on the Boardwalk. Had a great time connecting with friends after a year of not seeing many of them. Of course I got a hug from Mat Newman, meaning that IBM Connect started for real.
Låter I was going to hit ESPN, but due to changes there, the traditional party did not take place there. Instead I went back to Big River with a few friends for dinner, before I went to bed early.
[ujicountdown id=”Countdown to Connect 2014″ expire=”2014/01/26 08:00″ hide = “true”]
It looks like the evenings next week week will be a little bit chilly. So it might be a good idea to bring something warm to wear for the Tuesday party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Hope to see you in Orlando!
The sessions at Lotusphere/Connect are focusing more and more on XPages each year. I don’t think there are really any sessions about classic Notes development this year. Currently I am not able to use XPages at work, due to the client environment we run (Lotus Notes 8.5.2 Basic in Citrix), but the sessions are still great (see video below) and I am learning new things every year. Hopefully we will soon switch the client to IBM Notes 9.0 so I can use all this knowledge to build some really cool and useful applikations for our users.
[embedyt]http://youtu.be/0ViUTfAzoTo[/embedyt]
I am also going to some admin-related sessions, this is an area I am trying to get more knowledgeable in, after our network/Domino administrator left in 2012.
A frequently comparison is that going to Lotusphere is like trying to drink from a fire hose. There is so much info that you can’t take it all in. You will soak up a lot of good and useful information, and if there are things you don’t understand, you can ask the speakers after the sessions, or even later in the week, as you surely will see them around in the hallways, at other sessions. You can also ask questions to the Best Practices speaker at Gurupaloza (Thursday 10am) and the IBM developers at Ask the Developers (Thursday 1.30pm) sessions. The latter is often tongue-in-cheek called Beat the Developers. If you have less technical questions, for example about the future direction of a product or if a particular feature is planned for a future release, don’t miss the Ask the Product Managers (Thursday 11.15am).
Talking about those sessions, here is a friendly reminder: keep the right questions in the right sessions. Every year there is someone who asks questions about future directions of products at Gurupaloza or asks about a particular problem/function in the Product manager session. Doing this irritates the rest of the audience, and causes someone else not to get the time to ask his/her question. Also, if you have a very specific technical question, don’t bring that to these sessions, go see the developers in the lab instead during the week. Nobody is interested in the printing problem one user at your office is having with one specific type of printer… That is a support question.
The most important rule however, is one question per user. If you have two questions, go to the back of the line and wait for your turn. Don’t try to hog the microphone.
Wednesday morning. In exactly 3 days I will arrive in Orlando, after a short flight from Dallas. My preparations for the trip are almost done, I just have to charge up some batteries for cameras, dig out some spare USB cables and purchase a few last-minute items.
So what is it that is so exciting about Lotusphere (now Connect)? How do you explain it to someone who never been there? In the past, several members of the community have brought their significant other to Orlando, at least for a few days in the beginning or end, so they could get an idea what it all is about. But how do you express it in words?
Play the game!
All the social event and impromptu meetings are a large part of what Lotusphere been to me for the last 7 or 8 years, when I started getting more involved in the community. I wish I would not have waited that long, I have made many good friends over the years, as the community is very welcoming of new people. So I will repeat what I already said before, go out, be social, meet people. Don’t sit in your room at night, then you miss at least half (if not more) of the Lotsuphere/Connect experience!
And don’t miss playing the game Journey to Dolphindor! Click on the game card to the right for more info.
With the name change to Connect in 2013, the welcome reception/pool party changed somewhat. Instead of taking place at the pools/beach area between Swan and Dolphin, it started inside in the showcase area (Atlantic hall), and then moved outside for food, drinks and entertainment.
From what it looks like on the Connect 2014 website, and based on Chris Miller’s blog post, it sounds like the traditional poolside party is no more. The Connect website also only mention snacks and beverages.
However, according to IBM, the website is not clear enough at the moment (they say it will be fixed/updated). The poolside party will still take place, according to IBM. The showcase reception starts at 6.30pm and goes on until 8pm. The poolside party starts at at 7.30 and goes on to 9.30. This is longer than previous years, allowing the exhibitors to attent the party as well.
Lotusphere 2010 Sunday Party
Lotusphere 2010 Sunday Party
In exactly 3 weeks, thousands of us will be sitting in the Northern Hemisphere ballroom at the Dolphin hotel in Orlando. We have already been involved in some social activities on Saturday with soccer, BALD and ESPN, followed by a full day of jumpstart and master class sessions on Sunday. Sunday evening there was the big welcome reception on the beach between Swan and Dolphin.
Some of us may have continued to Kimonos afterwards, or perhaps to Jelly Rolls dueling piano bar on the Boardwalk. Or perhaps we have been hanging out with friends somewhere, catching up on what happened since last year, smoking a cigar and having another drink.
But now it is Monday morning. You probably got up early and headed to breakfast, so you could get to the OGS early and get a good seat. For the last 10 years or so, breakfast have been in the Pacific hall, but in 2013, that area was used for the Conference. Instead a big dining tent was erected in the parking lot in front of the Pacific hall, reminding us old-timers about Lotusphere in the late 90’s, before the Pacific hall was built, back when all meals were in dining tents. I suspect we will see that dining tent again this year.
This all brings us to food and drink. As a 16-time attendee to Lotusphere, take my word for it: don’t skip breakfast. Different days have different breakfast items to offer. Some mornings there will be scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages. Other days there will be fruit, bagels and pastries. There is always cereal, milk, yogurt and orange juice, as well as muffins. If nothing else, grab a muffin and an orange juice or two. Perhaps a cup of coffee or tea to wake you up. But if you don’t eat breakfast, you will not have the energy you need for the first part of the day. Lotusphere is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. You will do a lot of walking, and sit in dark conference rooms, drinking from the proverbial firehose of knowledge. You need all the energy you have to keep up.
Lunch is usually a buffet, except Thursday, when it is a boxed lunch. Don’t miss the famous pretzel cookie in the box! The lunch offers two or three different types of meat, several sides as well as a couple of salads and bread. Small individual deserts are available on the tables, together with ice tea and water. Historically, the lunches have been Italian, Mexican and American, and after all these years, I don’t see that changing.
In the morning and afternoon, there are coffee breaks, where you in addition to coffee and tea also can find bottled water and soda. In the afternoon break you can often find some snacks, like soft pretzels, ice cream bars, cookies or pastry. Bottled water is available all day now, but I still suggest that you stick a few bottles in your backpack when you can. I usually grab a couple of cans of caffeinated soda as well. They usually come in handy during lunch or during the morning sessions the next day when I need to wake up… If you stay at Swan or Dolphin, you get a resort package, which includes “high-speed” internet access as well as a couple of bottles of water each day. I still make sure I have plenty of water in my room, for when I get thirsty at night. It is very important to stay hydrated. Drink as much water as you can. In the past I have also been bringing Crystal Light powder to flavor the water, and this year I intend to do the same. Stick a few individual packages in your backpack or badge holder for easy access.
Dinner is usually up to you, but don’t fear. Monday you have the showcase reception, as well as some vendor or national dinners or receptions. UK Night has been taking place Monday evening as well. You can often get invitations to dinners if you talk to your account reps of your vendors. The classic Wednesday party has been moved to Tuesday this year, to give the attendees of Kenexa World a chance to go. Their part of the conference is shorter, and ends already Tuesday. There will be food and drinks at the park, which this year is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I am sure many of the vendors who traditionally had their receptions on Tuesday will move them to Wednesday instead. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you may score a free dinner, keeping the bean counters in accounting back at the office happy.
So to recap: drink plenty of water, don’t skip meals (especially not breakfast) and take advantage of the free dinners that often are available through your vendors.
One more tip. Since the alcohol consumption at Lotusphere/Connect tend to be somewhat high, make sure you know your limits. Have a beer or a drink each night for the two to three weeks leading up to the conference to increase your tolerance. You may want to increase this to two drinks the last week before you head to Orlando.
Oh, and don’t try to out-drink any Scandinavians or attendees from the UK or Ireland… You will lose. :-)
Previous articles about Connect 2014
Connect 2014 – Plan your schedule!
We already talked about how to prepare for Connect by getting everything together, like batteries, chargers, comfortable shoes and questions for the IBM developers. But you also should plan ahead for the sessions. You will spend hours listening to experts from IBM as well as from business partners from all around the world. There are always several sessions at the same time, sometimes making it hard to choose. There are also the longer Show n’ Tell sessions, sometimes overlapping other sessions you might want to attend. So picking the right ones, at the right times, is crucial to get the full benefit of the conference.
Previous years some popular sessions have been repeated during the week. They are listed as R1 and R2 in the pocket agenda, making it easy to tell that they are repeating sessions. Hopefully this will be done this year as well. In the past, Ben Langhinrichs used to create an online session database, and Gab and Tim Davis built a smartphone app you could download. This is no more, but hopefully IBM will offers some of that functionality through the conference website. With the focus at IBM on mobile technologies, one would hope that IBM would have developed a conference app using their own tools. But I would not hold my breath on the last one…
Back to planning. What I do is that a couple of weeks before the conference, I go to the conference website and look at the list of sessions. I print the ones I am interested in (there is usually a way to print them with the session abstract), then mark them from 1 to 3, with 1 being the most important to attend, and 3 meaning “if I have time”.
Worst Practices 2013 with Paul Mooney and Bill Buchan
Next I try to puzzle together my schedule, using the tools on the conference website. The last few years there has been a scheduling tool, letting you select your sessions to build a personalized agenda, which I print. I bring that printout, together with the session printouts, in a folder to Connect. After I get my badge and pocket agenda, I take a pen and mark all the sessions I plan to attend in the pocket agenda as well. This way I have that information at my fingertips. You could of course download all the information into the calendar in your smartphone, but sometimes an old-fashioned analog solution is the fastest and easiest. And it works even after the battery died and I forgot the portable charger in my room… :-)
Mat Newman at Connect 2013
As a developer, I usually focus on the AD (Application Development), BP (Best Practices), SHOW (Show ‘n Tell) and JMP (Jumpstart and Master Class) tracks. Sometimes I pop over to the ID (Infrastructure) track for a session or two. New this year is the Innovators and Thought Leaders track, and I will absolutely take a closer look at the sessions in that track and see if I can find something that would benefit me or my organization.
Jane McGonigal at Connect 2013
Finally, don’t forget to visit the Showcase Exhibit. Not only can you pick up some cool give-aways, but you will also find information about all kinds of third-party tools and products, and meet business partners that could help you and your company. Some of the tools I use daily today I originally found at the showcase, like NoteMan from Martin Scott and the Teamstudio Notes Tools. I try to hit the showcase several times, it is easy to get stuck there talking to the vendors. So plan accordingly! For the last few years the afternoon coffee breaks have been in the showcase area, use this to your advantage and schedule some time in conjuction to them to visit the vendors.