Demo 2004 Series – I

Demo 2004 Series - I just returned from the Demo 2004 Conference, and I have some news and ideas that I will be writing about in the coming days. At the highest level, Demo is a conference that I've been going to for years. It is in the same league or family as PC Forum and Agenda. You might call it one of the legacy conferences (… to contrast it with the new cool conferences such as the Emerging Technology Forum and BloggerCon.)

If you are interested in what new products are coming out of the mainstream computer industry, Demo is great. Chris Shipley who is the MC/Executive Producer, selects about 60 products from all corners of the industry representing the latest greatest. The selection criteria, as I understand them, require the products to be new (using a semi-flexible definition of "new") So it could be a brand new product from a brand new company, or a revolutionary new twist or generation of an existing product. But these are all hard-core-we-intend-to-make-a-lot-of-money kinds of deals, vs. the 'other kind' of product.

Products that are especially interesting (to Chris) are put onto a break- neck, 7 minute per demo, one and a half day schedule of stage presentations. They are organized, more or less, by themes with Chris herself providing commentary and context setting as the conference progresses. It's an excellent format and a great way to see a lot and quickly.

In addition to the stage demos, there are 'booths' where you can actually see and touch the product, and importantly, speak to the actual people who invented or built the product, and actually get in depth with them about the products that really intrigue you.

Anyway, I took notes during the meetings and I thought, since I had already done the writing for my own benefit, I'd share them here for yours.