I have attended both conferences, and I can tell you there any many
similarities, and many differences. Of course, being President of COMMON, I
*Might* be slightly biased in that direction. Therefore, I will just
high-light some things.
You will certainly learn at both conferences, there is no question about
that. You will have some of the best IBM speakers presenting at both
conferences, COMMON also has the industry experts presenting as well.
Therefore, I think you do get more variety of speakers at COMMON. At COMMON
you have the IBM speakers and the industry experts, so it's not just IBM's
perspective.
I think COMMON has a much larger Vendor Expo, and we try to give you plenty
of opportunity to visit the expo. The vendor expo is another great place
for learning, as many of the vendors have some very smart IBM i people in
their shops, so talking with them is always enlightening. One thing is the
IBM conference has 90 minute sessions (As does iSeries Dev Con), and COMMON
has 75 minutes. I think neither one really has it right, as I believe there
should be an "hour" of 90 minute sessions, and other "hours" of 75 minute
sessions, as some topics require more some require less time to be covered.
I think some of the other conferences feed you better than COMMON, but I am
not attending a conference to eat, I can do that quite well on my own :)
Every conference "feeds" differently, some offer Lunch & Breakfast, some do
it during nighttime receptions, others might feed you all the time. I don't
worry about that this too much.
I think that COMMON has the most networking opportunities of any and all
conferences. Networking isn't a bad thing, and in today's world, I believe
there is a great benefit to networking. Networking isn't always about
getting a job, but learning about other people, what they do, what they
know, and what they are doing. You will use these connections in your life,
in your job, in your career.
There are also other great conferences that are offered, System I Developer
with Jon, Susan, and Paul, Bob Cozzi has RPG World, and WIS Pubs has iSeries
Dev Con. These are more niche conferences, but with excellent speakers and
content. Plus some of the local user groups offer one day events, but those
I wouldn't compare to the subject matter. Then there are also a few virtual
conferences out there, but I don't think you can compare a virtual
conference to a in-person conference.
This is the opinion of myself, not that of COMMON.
Pete
Pete Massiello
iTech Solutions
http://www.itechsol.com
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-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Ketzes, Larry
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 1:21 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: RE: IBM Power Systems Technical University?
David,
I have not been to any of the IBM conferences in quite a few years.
As someone who I know also attends COMMON, can you compare the conference
on:
1) Technical Content
2) Speakers
3) Cost
4) Length of conference
5) Vendor presence
5) Overall preference
Thanks, Larry
-----Original Message-----
From: midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:midrange-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Gibbs
Sent: Monday, October 11, 2010 12:28 PM
To: Midrange Systems Technical Discussion
Subject: IBM Power Systems Technical University?
Anyone going to the IBM Power Systems Technical University conference in
Vegas next week?
Due to some scheduling conflicts, it turns out I'll be going this time
(first time).
If you are going, stop by the MKS booth in the vendor area and say hi. I'll
have midrange.com buttons and a few ball caps with me.
david
midrange.com
