360Flex – wrapping it up

Posted on | May 27, 2009 | 7438 Commentshttp://www.360flex.com/blog/2009/05/360flex-wrapping-it-up/360Flex+-+wrapping+it+up2009-05-27+15%3A38%3A45John

I wrote some thoughts down on my site, but wanted to post a more official wrap up as well.

What went right

• Bug quash: They didn’t have the turn out they had hoped for, but I know some bugs got quashed, so that’s a plus.
• Pre-Conference training: It’s always a pleasure to have Matt Boles with us, this time he took his own time and travel to come and deliver an awesome Flex 101 hands on. What was cool is that while it was “Flex 101″ Matt upped the Anti with some Blaze DS action, so it was a good class for even experienced developers.
• Welcome Reception and Speaker Sponsor reception: The Rock Bottom Brewery was an awesome location. I really liked it. The food was tasty, the beer yummy, the people nice. The parties are fun and challenging. Tom and I want to make sure they don’t suck but also want to make sure to meet as many people as we can and thank them for coming. That meant being “Gatekeepers” of the drink tickets, keeping the Rock Band action going, making sure if we ran out of food, that more was ordered, etc. AND walking around saying hi to people.
• Monday’s Keynote: Matt Chotin is awesome. He’s a great speaker and makes the keynotes funny and informative.  It’s always a pleasure to have him at 360|Flex!
• Charity Code Jam: It almost didn’t happen. Like literally the week before 360|Flex Indy, we were helping Ali and Shannon lock down the details, etc. While we wish we could actually support it fully, we can’t, so we’re really glad someone (webapper) stepped up to help out! The Charity Code jam is just one of those things that feels good. After so many hours of coding non stop, missing sessions, missing the sun, etc. to stand in front of the entire conference to show off what you’ve accomplished, is just awesome. Hats off to everyone who participated, and Ali for organizing it. I really truly hope a company (Adobe! Are you listening! This is HUGE) hires Ali to organize jams at every confernce.
• Monday night party: We did all our evening events at Rock Bottom, which made it easier for folks to know where to be and when. Same awesome time as Sunday, Rock Band going nuts, folks grabbing a booth to chat, and meet.
• Wednesday keynote: I love the Wednesday keynote. Sunday and Monday Tom and I work the reg booth, so we meet everyone that comes in, but it’s only for a few seconds usually. We see everyone at lunch, and the parties too, but inevitably there’s people we just never get to connect with. I see the Wednesday keynote as the time to connect with everyone (everyone that is awake that is, LOL). We talk about numbers (something I frankly challenge all other conferences to do), we talk about the code jam, we let community members present their projects, it’s just a great time for Tom and I too look ou at the crowd and see our customers/friends/drinking buddies and really appreciate why we do it. Without sounding corny, the Wednesday keynote really helps refocus Tom and I on why we’re in this business.
• Our Sponsors! They’re awesome and each one deserves your business. Check them out, see what they have to offer. Without Sponsors 360|Flex would be impossible to offer.
• Our Speakers! 40+ of the biggest names in the Flex development community. People who are launching open source projects, offering consulting services, and just sharing what they know and what they’ve learned to help everyone else. Our speakers are awesome!

What went less than right

• Pre-Conference training: We only had one offering this time. I wish more companies would get involved in this. It’s a great way to educate a huge group of possible users of your tool, and get your name out there in front of a ton of people who might not otherwise investigate your offering.
• Monday Keynote: One of these days I hope to have the check in process so under control that we’re either done by the time the keynote is supposed to start, or able to leave the desk for a bit. My wife Nicole rocks for helping, she’s invaluable, but I wouldn’t leave alone with you monsters :) I think the only keynote I’ve done on a Monday might have been Seattle maybe? Or San Jose ’07? I want to do more of those.
• Monday Keynote content: We forgot to address “House keeping” items, like the OPEN slots being filled, the session survey being ready by Monday afternoon, etc.
• Tuesday night party: Officially it was the “Adobe Party” but that was name only. I don’t know if it’s a curse or what, but when it’s an “Adobe Party” it’s kinda weak. Usually it’s our fault, not Adobes. This time was no exception, I selected the food I thought would be a nice fit, and would last. Unfortunately it didn’t last, and unlike previous nights, there was no food to be ordered since the restaurant was packed because of a concert, there was not extra food to be had. Party Fail :(
• Session Surveys: the app rocks, but it wasn’t ready in time, and we had a hard time conveying it’s importance and how to use it.

Overall 360|Flex Indy was a huge success! Tom and I are very proud of the event, and extremely happy to have had everyone with us, we appreciate that there’s several options out there for technical conferences, and appreciate the faith, and hope we delivered, and we’ll see you next time. Please make sure if you haven’t already, tell us what we did wrong, and right, and spread the word. Word of mouth is more valuable to us, than anything else.

If you’re in the Mobile space, check out our InsideMobile event. If you’re looking at the RIA space (uh yeah, Flex developers, hello) check out our InsideRIA event. Both events are partnerships with O’Reilly, and we’re really excited about them!

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