Aware IM Developers International Conference Site Open!

[BenHayat]

Although my following suggestion might be late to consider, but something to think about for the next webinar.

Due to heavy cost and time spent on traveling, many large IT companies have turned into "Virtual Webinars" where people signup and pay for the webinar but they can save a lot of money on airlines, hotels, cabs fee and others and be able to attend the webinar from their location with much less cost and traveling time.

The benefits are:
a) Saving of wasted expense on traveling
b) Not leaving our office - Some of us may have certain obligations that prevents them from traveling.
c) Due to less cost, more people will join the webinar which is more money to the webinar account than in airlines and hotel pockets.
d) Easier to record the webinar and then sell it to those who weren't able to join.

Microsoft has been doing this for the past two years and it has been extremely successful and popular.

Hopefully, by next year, we will have a lot more new Aware developers and this could be a more practical way.

Hope this helps!

[customaware]

cheaphotels.com currently has rooms at the Excalibur for average of USD 84 per night (plus taxes) from 11th April to 16th April for anyone who is interested.

[hpl123]

Although my following suggestion might be late to consider, but something to think about for the next webinar.

Due to heavy cost and time spent on traveling, many large IT companies have turned into "Virtual Webinars" where people signup and pay for the webinar but they can save a lot of money on airlines, hotels, cabs fee and others and be able to attend the webinar from their location with much less cost and traveling time.

The benefits are:
a) Saving of wasted expense on traveling
b) Not leaving our office - Some of us may have certain obligations that prevents them from traveling.
c) Due to less cost, more people will join the webinar which is more money to the webinar account than in airlines and hotel pockets.
d) Easier to record the webinar and then sell it to those who weren't able to join.

Microsoft has been doing this for the past two years and it has been extremely successful and popular.

Hopefully, by next year, we will have a lot more new Aware developers and this could be a more practical way.

Hope this helps!

Good idea Ben and I also thought about this. It´s quite expensive though to set it up "correctly" (in a real, good way i.e. not a guy with a camcorder ). This could be good for events like AIDIC but also for other "occasions". I had an idea a while back about setting up regular webinars where AIM developers get together and share stuff, talk about this and that. This might be a part of DevNet in the future.

[Jaymer]

i'm not finding those cheap rates at the hotel.
can any organizer call them to see if we can still get $45ish for sun/mon/tue?

also, the links to go to the hotels to not work at the bottom of the accomodations page.

thx
jaymer...

[customaware]

Hi Jaymer,

I notice you have posted a recommendation for Tropicana. Good stuff.

Just a note regarding the Excalibur rates.

I booked my room mid December and the rate was about 60 USd per night.

I notice, as others have, that the rates have jumped significantly in January.

I received a promotion from Excalibur yesterday to book a room for this coming weekend at less than 40 USD per night.

So, clearly their prices are fluctuating up and down quickly I guess to reflect demand.

My recommendation is that there are many hotels near Excalibur and it might be worth just keeping an eye out and check back often to see if you can snare a cheap rate closer to the conference.

I will check the links to the other hotel Jaymer and will fix them.