Teaching conference organizers about WiFi...and Weblogs
There's no doubt that the most valuable -- and profitable -- locations for 802.11 access include hotels and conference centers. And why are people at conference centers and why are they often at hotels? Duh: To attend meetings and conferences. Who organizes these events? Duh: Event organizers.
That's why I'm working on developing a conference specifically for conference organizers to examine the basics of WiFi, the value of WiFi, how WiFi is going to change (and already is changing) the dynamics of meetings for speakers, attendees and journalists, and how to use the power of WiFi to improve conferences.
The conference will be held in the Washington, D.C. area, which is the headquarters for more trade associations than any place in the world. It's also the headquarters for associations that are established for association executives.
Duh: Weblogs
What's one great way to use WiFi to improve the value of conferences? Duh: Weblogs. Indeed, I have an index on my main Web site that links to all the entries I've posted using WiFi at conferences.
So, part of the conference will include discussing -- and demonstrating during my presentation -- how Weblogs can be used to report conferences, how speakers can take advantage of Weblogs and how conference organizers can leverage the power of Weblogs. The conference just isn't about Weblogs, but attendees certainly will understand their value.
The conference is still a work-in-progress. I'm developing it conjunction with WirelessWednesdays, which puts on great wireless events in the Washington, D.C. and Boston areas. WirelessWednesdays is handling many of the logistics.
The conference is scheduled for June 19 at the Hilton McLean (Tysons Corner), Va., not far from Washington, D.C. So far, it's half a day, but it might be expanded to a full day, depending upon interest.
Free WiFi, low registration fee
Of course there will be free WiFi access for attendees. It also will be modestly priced ($199 if you register beforehand) because, frankly, I'm sick of conferences that charge high prices for low value. I hope to reverse that.
There'll be much more information on the WirelessWednesdays site in the weeks to come.
Apple, Jaguar, Rendezvous and WiFi:
Glenn's analysis
I knew Apple's "Rendezvous" capabilities (see previous entry) would intrigue Glenn Fleishman. I asked Glenn, in the previous entry, what he thought about it since he's the maven about Apple and WiFi. "My opinion," Glenn writes, "[is] a whole new world of discovery awaits us."
Rendezvous searches for (i.e., "discovers") TCP/IP devices using wireless and wired networks, such as Ethernet, WiFi or Bluetooth, to facilitate easy connections.
"Apple's proposal, thus, is trying to bring to networked devices an entirely new layer of support that's more akin to directly connected peripherals, like hard drives and USB or parallel printers," Glenn writes. "It wants you, as a user, to not have to make decisions about how to connect to things as they become available. Rather, the system recognizes and makes those resources available, and you choose how or if you want to interact with them."
There are lots of debates and blathering about whether Weblogs are "journalism" and whether Weblogs provide information that's valuable. Well, all you have to do is read Glenn's complete report about Rendezvous and its value to wireless and wired networking. The analysis is as good as anything you'd see from, for example, an expert technology journalist who writes a column in a newspaper. Uh, wait a minute: Glenn is an expert technology journalist who writes a column in a newspaper.
9:28:00 PM 
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