If you wanted to generate interest in something, anything, one good, proven method is to show the product. And so it is with Connect 2014.
The abstracts are pouring in, but here’s an early glimpse of a few that may land on the agenda. The deadline is just around the corner, so put on your thinking caps and sharpen your pencils — so to speak.
Messaging and Collaboration
Messaging and Collaboration Roadmap — A Vision for the Future
What’s New in Notes and INotes 9.0.1 Social Edition
IBM Sametime 9: From On-Premises to Mobile, Cloud and Beyond
IBM SmartCloud
IBM SmartCloud: The Road Ahead for Social, Mobile, Meetings and Mail
Getting Beyond Theory and into Practice: Deploying Mail and Social Business in the Cloud
Growing Your Business with SaaS: Cloud Options for ICS Business Partners
Social Software
What’s New with IBM Connections and Connections Mobile
IBM Connections 4.5 Administration Jumpstart
Customizing and Extending IBM Connections
Okay, we have some session topics. However, if you are a long time delegate at Connect/Lotusphere, you know that those sessions are all presented by IBM. Who, from IBM presents them, is irrelevant. These are standard, first or second day sessions.
Not what I was expecting, especially in a post that may help decide if you will approach the budget level manager for approval to attend. Realizing that abstracts haven’t been approved, so that a better agenda could be published, IBM must have an idea of the key sessions/speakers that will be presenting. That seems to me to be the proper items to promote, not the same old sessions (updated with current information).
Finally, it doesn’t look like they have any problems, right now, with hotel space.
Gregg Eldred 
I think your last comment is the most telling one. Hotel space has always been the first thing to go. Having rooms available at this point used to be unheard of. Sad to say but I think the good old days of getting together with everyone in January are over. See you in Grand Rapids at MWLUG instead.
@Roy – …unless ‘someone’ takes an awesome gig just before MWLUG and can’t make it… Right, Gregg? ;-p
Yeah, missing MWLUG 2013 was hard, but the benefits at home made it worth it.
I admit I thought the same thing with the “preview” of sessions… all from IBM, same format, update for new version number. I’m also willing to bet that all these sessions are beyond the “MAY land on the agenda” point. They are the ones that someone at IBM has been told or is planning on presenting.
Me thinks it will be very disappointing 😦
It may be “disappointing” to the long time faithful, but for new people, it will be the Connect that they have always known.
Another matter I see is that the significant annual conference hotel rate increase does not commensurate with service, thus they are pricing themselves out of the market.
Airfare, meals, $2k conference pass, plus another US$2,338.91 for seven nights on-premises conference lodging really is hard to justify without proper up-front information to present to management; worse if you are self-employed and non-local.
You’ll notice that Yacht Club filled-up first (much cheaper), plus Disney’s Magical Express is free, versus the $33 RT shuttle.
If they announced the sessions by 1 November, which would allow speakers to get them done before Thanksgiving and attendees to speak to management earlier with better data, a lot of stress many experience could be eliminated, in my opinion.
Until then, it seems they have taken the fun out of the conference.
I have been asked, on occasion, why I don’t submit abstracts to Connect. The answer is easy, while it would be nice to be on the big stage, the elimination of Christmas and New Year’s is too steep a cost. Yes, there is a certain cache to speaking in Orlando, but the holidays are stressful enough without adding preparation for Connect.
I totally get the actual cost of Connect, as a contractor it is very expensive to give up a week’s worth of billable hours and expense roughly $5000 out of your own pocket. That said, I never looked at it that way, the benefits (seeing friends, making new ones, oh, and sessions) outweighed the cost.