Outreach Technology

Zendcon is over, so like every year I like to look back at what worked and what I think could be improved for next year.  This year was a very different experience for me because Garrison didn’t get to go, so I was on my own.  I think it made me reach out more and talk to more people who I wouldn’t normally talk with.  I made it a point to sit down at a few tables where I knew no one and talk to people.  It was cool getting to know other folks in the community, not just the “famous” ones

I also tweeted a lot during the conference (#2!) which helped connect me with a host of new followers.  I found myself following the twitter page more than hanging out in the IRC chat room this time.  That is just a great source of information at a conference like this.  Everything from networking to finding what was for dinner was coordinated through twitter.  Good times.

Anyway, on to my review:

What Was Great

Conference Venue – The location was absolutely great.  We were in the middle of downtown San Jose within walking distance to just about everything.  And if you wanted to go elsewhere, there was a lightrail stop right outside the hotel.  The convention center in San Jose seemed to fit our group better than the one in Santa Clara last year, but sometimes it felt too big.

Lunch – The food at the convention center was really good.  Fancy pants all the way.

Wireless Internet – The wifi didn’t go down a single time.  It was rock solid and pretty fast.  The only slowdowns were when lots of people were on it during a keynote or large session.

People – I met more people this time than at any previous ZendCon.  In a lot of ways, twitter was responsible.  I got to put some faces with some twitter folks which was really great.  Also, shout out to Keith Casey, who is the ultimate networking guy.  I’m pretty sure he knows everyone, so if there is someone you want to meet or find, talk to Keith.

Conference Hotel – Free wifi, nice rooms, close to everything, very clean.  Overall it was a really nice place and provided a good lobby for people to gather and hang out after the sessions were over.

Uncon Sessions – Keith Casey did a great job (again) with the Uncon.  I found myself wandering over there more often this year than last.  2 of my favorite sessions (one on PHP Community, one on relating to developers/management) were uncon sessions.  Uncons are really a great idea that I hope Zend keeps up.

Staffing the Zend Booth with Real-word ZFers – This was a great idea that I am not sure was planned or not.  I actually manned the booth for a little bit and it was great to answer questions from people actually implementing some of the same things I did.  Very cool idea which should be continued.

joind.in – I really enjoyed having the option to give feedback to presenters online, and joind.in worked really great.

twitterslurp site – This was wonderful!  I know that I could have just used the twitter search to find all the tweets, but it was really interesting to see who was tweeting and how often.

What was just OK

Breakfast and Receptions - Breakfast was pretty lacking, but it wasn’t bad.  The receptions at night were OK, but not spectacular.  I suppose it is a side effect of the economic downturn, but there wasn’t a Yahoo! party like there has been in years past.  Adobe stepped up and sponsored the receptions both nights, but like I said…they were just OK.

Vendor Fair – Not a lot of SWAG this year.  Also it didn’t seem like many of the people there wanted to engage attendees.  A few times I walked through there and they were on their laptops doing something or looking a bit dis-interested.  However, the folks at GitHub and Blackmesh were pretty cool.

Keynotes – They just weren’t as good as years past.  Not to say I didn’t enjoy them, but previous years have set the bar high for keynotes at ZendCon.

What was missing

Non-Profit Keynote – Every other year at ZendCon, it seems that we have a non-profit organization talk about how they use PHP to further their cause.  Kiva.org was one year, American Cancer Society was another.  I usually enjoy these talks, so I missed not having one this year.

Attendance Figures – Usually Zend announces the attendance figures for the conference.  Maybe they didn’t because attendance was down or whatever (was it?), but I usually like to brag about how many people go.

Yahoo! – Where’d you guys go?  I saw nobody from Yahoo! the whole week, which is sad because it was my impression that they were a still a major player in the PHP game.  Maybe next year?

What was down-right bad

Nothing!  Zip!  Zero!  Zilch!  Nada!  Good job ZendCon!

Conclusion

The conference was 100% successful in my opinion.  I did lots of learning and networking, and managed to have a great time too.  Hopefully next year, Garrison and I will both get to go but we shall see.  The conference does so much for me professionally, but it also reminds me of why I love the kind of work I do.  ZendCon gives me that kick I need to say “Yeah, I do love this and I want to make myself and the community a better place.”  PHPers have a great thing going with the community that has built up around the language.  It is great to see what we have accomplished, but it is even more exciting to see what is to come.  Until next year…