DIGG IT! There are some great conferences in the ecosystem surrounding Adobe technologies but the awareness of these events is limited unless you know to go. Stranger still, Adobe does not do a good job promoting these events even though we sponsor many of them. From my perspective we are doing a disservice to our community and to designers and developers in not promoting these events on an ongoing basis.
Early this week many conference organizers visited Adobe San Francisco and we began the process of exploring ways we can better work together moving forward. I presented the Adobe MAX 2008 conference dates and talked very openly about our goals for this years and future MAX events. MAX as an event really does not compete with these events so talking only about MAX does the ecosystem a disservice. If we want the overall market for rich technologies to grow, highlighting these events is really low hanging fruit.
More to come,
Ted :)
I'm sure your attitude is positive and your intent sincere... but, there's no question MAX competes with other conferences even if it doesn't try to. For example, say my company pays for a specific number of conferences per year. If I choose to go to MAX I necessarily choose to not go to another one. I guess I just don't understand the thinking behind that point about not competing.
Phillip Kerman
Sweet to hear.
Philip,
People can go to multiple conferences. There is certainly some overlap with some content but on the whole the value of MAX is quite different than the value of FITC or FlashBelt or PhotoShopWorld. Everyone has a different perspective and some conferences are a better fit for them.
We need MAX to focus on the ecosystem and grow the market as a whole. The other events are focused on their specialty and that is a great thing too. Ideally in working together we avoid the competitive overlaps time wise and also begin to use economies of scale.
Always genuine Philip!
Ted :)
No doubt people "can" go to multiple conferences. But the reality is that many of the fringe developers, small companies and "one man teams" who are on a budget can only go to one or two conferences a year. If they choose Max, that cuts them out of FTIC and FlashBelt. No doubt Max isn't in direct competition, but it is still competition in a way.
I think most of the issues could be down to the tight Security that Adobe holds on Personal Data. And tis can be a good thing, but on the front of promoting conferences a bad thing, as you can't reuse these lists to promote them :)
Unlike the days of Macromedia where they would hit up nealry everyone on their lists ;)
Well heres to Scotch on the Rocks & Scotch on AIR :D