Smarter than me – Enterprise 2.0
June 14, 2010
I cover technology events. I write about the gadgets and the tech that people use daily. I’m even a correspondent for outlets that require a technology reporter in the field when they can’t afford to send a staffer across the country or even across the ocean. So right now I’m in a session at Enterprise 2.0 in Boston and I’m realizing how dumb I really am.
The reason I say I MIGHT be dumb about Enterprise technology is because the session I’m attending is pretty empty. See the photo. This session – An Introduction to Cloud Computing – has a mere nine people in it not counting me.
I’m here because this is one of the three sessions going on right now that I thought I had a pretty good handle on. I didn’t want to start my day over my head and stymied. I also wanted to hit the ground running with a topic I know something about. But it seems that only a couple people are in that same boat with me.
What’s that mean? I’m taking it to mean one of two things…
• The conference just started and nobody is here yet
• An intro to Cloud Computing isn’t needed – especially at a conference that talks about enterprise technology at a much deeper level
It could also be that the other sessions going on right now are too targeted and specific to be of use to the conference attendees. Which brings me to a larger point – and maybe a rant. Why wouldn’t you, when running a conference, figure out the needs of your attendees a lot more carefully before renting out a venue and putting on sessions that leave hundreds of seats empty?
This is purely a philosophical question because in reality a conference organizer is racing the clock when they put on an event. Unless the event is SXSW or CES, you can’t be too certain how many people will attend and you must make educated guesses at what topics to cover.
But that’s a digression. Looking at a list of sessions over the rest of the week, there is some cool stuff happening here.
Would you be interested in attending? What stands out to you?
