Conferences 2012 and Beyond
What do I do for a living? I travel to community conferences, of course. In 2012 I spent 44 days going to 10 different conferences – err, wait, that is I would love to earn a living that way, but of course I have to work like everybody else. Nevertheless, having my own company I can be flexible as to how and where I spend my time off. Apart from being with my family there is little else more compelling than meeting my peers, talking to thought leaders in the industry and hanging out with overall great guys. In 2012 I have been doing that a lot. I spent a whopping 44 days travelling. I went to 10 different conferences, 3 in the US and another 7 in Europe. And I presented at 7 of them.
Conferences can be grouped into two main categories: the big, commercial events and the smaller community get-togethers. The former are typically very well organized, but driven by marketing. The latter are sometimes a bit chaotic, but content is unfiltered. I like both variants as they each have their pros and cons. The big conferences are only fun, though, if you are either part of a group or well-connected in the community.
In 2013 I will continue to interact with the IT community as much as possible. The introduction of my new product uberAgent for Splunk, planned for late Q1, will make all this even more exiting: in May I will be an event sponsor for the first time, at E2EVC in Copenhagen. See you there!
