BizConf is an exclusive conference focusing on the business of software development in a Web 2.0 world. I originally conceived it to be a gathering of owners and managers of Rails shops from around the world, but once the idea started taking shape, our target audience got a little wider.
As I'm writing this, we have 3 weeks left before the conference and just hit an important milestone. From the beginning, my budget has called for a minimum of 50 attendees and a maximum of 75. Well, we hit 52 registrations today! The event is definitely on and we're ramping up our outreach to individuals that we think should attend in an effort to sell out.
Money Matters
I realize the economy is putting a damper on registration, which is why I've tweeted that people who want to attend but are having trouble affording the trip to get in contact with me for special consideration. In future years, we are definitely going to try budgeting the conference around a lower registration price.
I have to mention that BizConf would not be possible without the generous support of Hashrocket and 11 other awesome sponsors including, nGenWorks, New Relic and Engine Yard. Half of the sponsors are providing attendees with awesome free packages of their services.
Presenter News
We added a couple of internet celebrities to the program recently: Andrew Warner and Alex De Carvalho.
In his twenties and with no outside funding, Andrew co-founded a business that reached $30+ mil in annual sales. He is now the host of Mixergy.com, a video podcast that interviews "doers and thinkers whose ideas and stories are so powerful that just hearing them will change you."
Andrew will present Bootstrap Like a Missionary, based on his true life experiences doing just that.
Alex is a co-founder of StartPR, an online tracking service for reputation management, blogger relations, and brand monitoring. He's an advisor to businesses and organizations on their use of social networks and social media to build community relationships and brand. He also designs and manages social networks, including business planning, technology selection, wireframing, development, and community management.
Alex's presentation topic will be announced soon.
Blog Highlights
We just posted an informative interview with noted author and consultant Esther Derby, who is presenting three talks at BizConf!
- Good Idea, But How Do We Do It? Finding and Using Your Sources of Power
- What Does Your Customer Want?
- Beyond the Organization Chart: What Really Drives Behavior at Work
We also have quite a few video interviews with presenters. I think my favorite might be the one with Jessie Shternshus of the Improv Effect talking about her session at Bizconf.
