Do it all over again
Wednesday, July 18th, 2007
It seems funny that a full year has passed. Once more it’s time for HostingCon. Last year you might recall this was in Las Vegas. This year the powers that be have decided through a combination of price, distraction and convention space that Chicago is far more suited. So in five days time I am off to Chicago to meet Daniel.
We are staying at the W Lakeshore hotel in the heart of downtown, right on the edge of Lake Michigan. A suitably lazy 200 metres from convention centre. The convention is being held in the quite interesting looking Navy Pier. It seems to be a more fancier version of Blackpool’s many piers. Ferris wheels, little mini attractions etc coupled with restaurants, bars and convention space.
I have never been to Chicago before. All I know is that the Blues Brothers was filmed here and that the Sears Tower lives somewhere in the city. Not that I expect to do much sightseeing. This years convention is far more packed with content than last year. Presentations run through a mind challenging 8am -> 5pm this year. Three whole days of web hosting info drilled into a rapidly collapsing mind.
Even the complementary lunch breaks come with ‘hosting conversation cards’ at each table; just so you get to talk about the latest in distributed computing while eating your potato salad (I guarantee potato salads presence at EVERY comnvention buffet). Theres no let up and it can wear the brain down a little. I guess that is probably true of any multi-day convention.
As a whole I find it a great experience to see how the industry is moving along. You get to speak to suppliers, check out new products and grill other hosting co. owners about their companies and plans. Whilst I wouldn’t say we learned anything particularly vital last year, we certainly came away with a whirlwind of ideas and enthusiasm for 34SP.com. And it’s that that’s guiding us back there this year. Even without the bright lights of Vegas.
The nightlife will certainly help ease the days grinding relentlessness of “do you guys offer shared hosting…unix or windows?” queries. We have reservations at the world famous Alinea. We will be attempting the gruelling 24 course chefs tour menu. As our reservation is at 9PM I have no idea what time in the small hours of the morning we will crawl away at. 1am seems quite possible.
Beyond that there’s the general evening elements that are standard. Networking drink sessions, a BBQ and fireworks show on lake Michigan; not to mention promises of more free booze from a certain one of our suppliers who managed to keep us out very late into the evening on our last HostingCon.
As per last year I will try to blog daily when the time comes. Chicago here we come.