Conferenza is going to start doing this for the conferences we cover, providing a summary of the three trends, companies and people that are the most memorable. For Demo, this proved to be a challenge because there were so many outstanding companies and demonstrators. After a couple days reflection, I still had trouble narrowing the people and companies down to three.
The three trends
- The tech industry is back in force. There was no talk of bubbles or features v. companies. These 68 presenting companies gave compelling evidence that disrupting innovation is alive and well and growing.
- Search is exploding. Whether it's photos, vertical subjects, available source code or greater depth than Google gives you, there were more search companies than attendees would have imagined. Whether they collectively intrude on the Google throne or surround it remains to be seen. But there is no doubt the search landscape is going to change and the user will be the winner.
- Web 2.0, the so-called "people's Web is what matters. After years of amorphous drifting, the industry is coalescing into a new Internet, one in which the end user takes his r her rightful place at the center, rather than at the edge. Instead of being marketed to, the emerging technology shows that the end user will have greater controls, greater freedoms and greater benefits.
The three companies
- Riya. Okay, Riya was one of the companies I had worked with. But they were also the most discussed company at Demo and, in early returns, the most written about of the conference.
- Ugobe. Ugobe introduced Pleo the sensor-wired robot dinosaur that every child and many adults will simply have to have by the time Christmas roles around this year.
- Panoratio Database Images. Perhaps the least memorably named presenting company, I think it presented the most enduring technology of the conference in its elegant approach to extracting information from massive databases from laptops. We imagine seeing their technology in and held devices at some future Demo conference.
The three people
- Chris Shipley. Now in her 10 year as host-moderator, she has become Demo's icon and sets the tone for this dazzling event. In her opening keynote this year, she set the theme of simplicity in technology. And the theme carried out throughout the event.
- Walt Mossberg. There is simply no doubt, Walt is the person most desired in every Demo booth. He is usually gracious, but often asks the most bare-knuckled questions. He also mderated the post-awards panel and did a superior job of it.
- Pleo. Okay, Pleo is a robot toy, and not reallya person. But everyone wanted to bring Pleo home and we think that gves the cute little feller a special place. More than that, it's rare that we see technology so lovably packaged.
The one complaint
Tempe's Pointe South Mountain Resort sucked as a venue, in the opinion of just about everyone. The food, service, layout and assorted amenities were decidedly inferior to the Westin Kierlund, where the event had been held for the last two years. The surrounding area was a mecca f fast food joints and gas stations. While the conference producers insisted the move was forced by a scheduling conflict with the previous venue most attendees said they felt the producers had cheaped out. I would add a complaint of my own. IDG seems to be fond of moving their conferences from one hotel to another each year. I think attendees like the sameness and familiarity of returning to the same place ear after year.
Final thought
Year after year, Conferenza finds Demo to be an outstanding conference. It is the best venue we know for introducing new technology and products. The social networking is always superb. As the opening act in the tech conference circuit it also seems to set the tone for the remainder of the year. Based on what we just experienced, it looks like it will be a very good year indeed.
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