Felipe Gaucho's Blog

December 2006 Archives

Jazoon - open space for innovative projects

Just few days before the deadline of Call for Papers of Jazoon 2007 - the European conference on Java technology. This is the first time Switzerland hosts a big Java conference and the organizers are eager for promoting the event as a brand new opportunity for people with innovative projects to share their experiences and knowledge.

Today I had a meeting with the staff of Jazoon and we was discussing the ammount of papers already submited and also checking the prospective speakers and groups interested in join the conference. The quality of the proposed contents is quite impressive, with the groups of the heap technologies being invited to participate with a nice possibility for supporting and open space. The main goal is to give a chance for the best of Java to be shown here. Zurich will be the Java Hot Spot of Europe on the middle of next year. The oficial table of contents and facilities for JUGs and companies will be released in January, but I can antecipate for you that the draft proposals are amazing.

So, if you have a good project, just submit your paper before December 31 - remembering the tickets are for free for accepted speakers. If you don't have a paper but you are member of an active community or a special innovative project, ask about other special support from the event organizers. The opportunities are open now, take this chance and become one of the early speakers on Jazoon - because this event will definetly come into the Java calendar for the next years.

* For more amazing photos of Switzerland and tourism information, click here.

Fidelity Program for Java events

How about a fidellity program for Java events? If you attend several Java events during the year, why not to get some advantage in the overall price? If your company usually support Java events for its developers, what about to present to the financial sector a yearly package of events with discount and benefits? This simple idea can provide more comfortable or at least give for more people the chance to attend great events like JavaOne, Javapolis and Jazoon.

You are right, the privilege of attending global Java events is already a benefit - a technical benefit - but events are also about tourism and comfort - there is a life style related to these events. This life style include the need to be part of something - people are not looking just to be there but they want to be part of that :) And a counterpart in terms of fidelity program could be a nice response for this expectation. If you already attended two or three JavaOne events, why not receiving some nice gifts on the next time? Why not getting a better dinner, a faster train or a more comfortable hotel room? How about that feeling "oh, you were here last year, welcome back! We have some surprises for you this year". Nice isn't it?

The integration between the events and third part business could be a simple registration discount, but can evolve also more sophisticated business network - including a permanent package of benefits between the events. You can, for example, buy Java books and technical stuff with discount in the period between the events. Your local university can offer special discounts on education products for people who invest in their own education through the events and so on. How about a credit card with the Java brand which allows you to get a discount in the next Java event while you e xpend money in the supermarket at the corner?

You are right again :) This idea is not new and it is not mine. It is a shared feeling about the investment costs in a professional carrier on Java technologies. Discussing the requirements of good Java events, several members of the Java community reported a special concern about the cost to attend such events. Not just the registration fee itself, but about full logistics: transportation, food and accomodation costs. From that feeling I started figuring out that a mileage or fidelity program is the wish of the community for the next big events.

Your opinion about that will be very appreciated - more even if you have other ideas in order to promote the Java events.

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