OK, so I am going to get this out of the way right now.
Yes, we changed the name of the conference. From “Users Conference” to “Conference and Expo”. Why? To draw a larger crowd. Don’t read into the removal of the “Users” bit. The focus of the conference is, and will remain, giving the user community what they want: quality technical sessions, tutorials, keynotes, interaction with MySQL developers and others users, and the friendly, personal atmosphere that the MySQL conference is known for.
So, Submit Your Proposals
Yes, it’s that time of year again. But, hey, some things are a little different this year. I will be chairing the program committee for next year’s conference (Arjen did a fabulous job last year). Secondly, the conference website has been updated. The following are the things I want folks to focus on when submitting proposals:
- Be creative! Participants at the MySQL Conference & Expo want to hear about real-world scenarios using MySQL, about ways they can be more productive or write better code. Please submit original session and tutorial ideas that focus on hands-on instruction and real-world examples.
- Be descriptive! Include in your proposal as much detail about the planned presentation as possible. The more we know about what you plan to present, the better.
- Be specific! Proposals which are vague or cover too much material are unlikely to be accepted. If you think your proposal covers too much of a topic, consider submitting two proposals which split the material into different sessions.
What I’m trying to avoid is session proposals for content that has been delivered at lots of open source conferences. I want original stuff, here! Heads up: the more creative and more hands-on the session, the better. Don’t be afraid to propose something completely off the wall. It may just separate you from the crowd! Oh, and don’t forget the due date: November 7th of this year.