Loren about arranging a major Tablet PC event:

In fact, after seeing all the developers that showed up at the Tablet Birds of a Feather (BOF) session at TechEd I've been wondering if the Tablet community isn't ready for something bigger--an event dedicated soley to the Tablet.

I know a few people have wondered about the same thing.

What would a Tablet event be like? Maybe a Friday-Sunday event would work best. Something low key, but packed with Tablet software companies, OEMs, users, and developers. Everywhere you turn there would be Tablets. And everywhere Tablets would be used. Tablets in the presentations. Ad-hoc, wireless networks everywhere. And tons of door-prizes, of course. :-)

I can envision three possible "tracks:" A user-oriented track loaded with tips, power-user how-to's, and product demos, An IT-oriented track that provides tools, techniques and source code for employing ink in an organization, and An advanced developer track that focuses on best-practices for developing world-class applications....

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I'm in favor a pure tablet event. However, the cost of these events is a bit too much for it being 'empty' ... let me explain (sigh).

I would expect OEMs and manufacturers to be open to showing the latest technology and discuss things that are not going to be found on a website. Intel used to upset me constantly by telling me I was under NDA on something and by the time the drive from the Bay area to Modesto was over the information would be on a hardware website. It ticked me off every time it happened. After all, why have NDA when the information is leaked or then placed on a "select" website that is being fed by the manufacturer?

So ... I'd be in favor of an event as long as there was intense value to it and the value matched the cost of my time, travel, and other expenses.

And yes. I believe that it is a big request but a goal worthy of our attention.

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Intel still does that :)

I don't think NDAs are an issue. This is meant to be a step toward expansion, not a exclusivity.

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Here are the updates from Loren's blog:

I've had a couple people call me and ask about this very thing, independently. Ken Collura even offered their school as a location. Jokingly he said, "that is if people would want to go to Ohio in the summer" :)

I agree that this is a good topic. More ideas, anyone?

Posted by: Lora on June 9, 2004 10:27 AM
Feedback so far:

Ken Collura called Paris Hotel in Las Vegas and they'll check into rates for Paris / Ballys / Flamingo - weekend in September.

Fritz says he has several ideas.

Peter Rysavy suggests combining with Pirillo's Geeks Gone Wild or something. (End of Sept in Tahoe). OR preferably some place easier for east coast people to get to - Nantucket, South Padre Island, Atlantic City.

Keep the ideas coming. Post away!

Posted by: Lora on June 9, 2004 02:55 PM
Two votes for Washington DC now.

Posted by: Lora on June 9, 2004 10:07 PM
Chris De Herrera says Tahoe, even if can't get together with GGW. Or something in Southern California (ha ha - he lives down there).

Posted by: Lora on June 9, 2004 10:53 PM

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-- Lora Heiny

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Looking at the outline for this proposed event, the goals of getting Tablet users and software companies to come might be infused by some type of focus groups which their marketing folks could arrange. Companies sometimes require a greater purpose to justify expenditures on business trips. Fodder for feature planning tends to reach a bit deeper into the coffers.
Note that one aspect of this whole Tablet scene is that, until recently, folks just didn't have ease of use now available via handwriting and speech recognition. It's an entirely new scene from the personal use perspective, and their is an entire community of professional and amateur writers ripe for those features. Perhaps part of this event could be a marketing push from Hardware & Software Companies - ads about this event placed in Writer's Digest and other monthly publications catering to that community. Sorry if that does an end-run around that goal of "Keep it simple".

Focus groups might also foster setting up special interest areas. The only tough nut might be convincing folks that their R&D is sanctified throughout. Hmmm. Anyway, it's a thought. One argument towards this idea is the excellent exposure to a user base otherwise disparate to organize.
One more suggestion: Please ensure that whatever the final agenda, users get lots of hands-on access to evaluate for upcoming purchases.

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George, I agree about the interaction/ focus groups. That was one of the goals.

There is great news on progress for a major Tablet PC event. Microsoft has decided to do a developers conference in February: www.MicrosoftWindowsAnywhere.com. It's developer oriented, but certainly something to consider.

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