IT Expo East 2011--Who to Watch

Long ago, in a land far away, our world was rife with conferences. While we can still pick and choose from a healthy menu of shows and events, the conference circuit is no longer the swag and swill buffet it used to be. Companies are looking for see-and-be-seen shows where they can reach their target audiences through actual offerings and not just after-parties (although I am a huge fan of RSA after parties!) Attendees want to actually learn something, see a keynote of value or even, “Gasp!” Eval a potential product purchase. From what I’ve gathered, TMC’s upcoming ITExpo East 2011, February 2–4 at the Miami Beach Convention Center is the place to do just that.

The keynote roster is looks interesting, with Danny Windham, CEO of Digium, the creators of Asterisk, the industry’s first open source communications platform, Kevin Martin, former Chairman of the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Aaron McCormack, CEO of BT Conferencing, named as one of the World Economic Forum’s prestigious Young Global Leaders—just to name a few.

There is an extensive speaker list, and you’d have a hard time beating the location.

Looking over the exhibitor list, there were a couple big names (ATT, BT) but there were an overwhelming amount of companies I have yet to learn about. Even more proof to me that our industry landscape is changing as fast (or faster!) than it ever was. I’d hazard a guess that at least a handful of these exhibitors are indeed the one’s to watch. Now if only I knew what they were serving for dinner…