I had an awesome time at my first IBM Information on Demand conference last week. And what a week it was! It was chalk-full of information, golden nuggets of knowledge, new ideas and even new ways to do old things. I met with friends and colleagues, vendors, and service partners and met many new faces along the way. It was a great experience and I would recommend IOD to anyone who works with Cognos tools or in Cognos consulting.
Additional recommendations I would tell anyone attending include:
- IBM feeds you, usually breakfast and lunch (and dinner on the event night). However it is not always easy to know where these meals are served, and they can easily be missed – this year, there were 12,000 participants! Take care to scope out your day and figure out where these meals are in advance if you can. Otherwise, follow the crowd or ask someone in those green IOD T-shirts.
- Stay at Excalibur and save – the tram service to Mandalay Bay is very good and you can get around the three hotels very easily on the tram system. It will mean extra walking, but it is not that bad.
- Having said that, do be prepared to walk – the conference centre is HUGE, and you do need to get around – especially if you are not staying at Mandalay. Bring good walking shoes.
- The certification exam special is a really good deal – assuming you are actually prepared to write an exam. Save $170 off the standard $200 price.
- The “sandbox sessions” are an interesting way to participate in new product development. Have your say in future Cognos products.
I will have lots more to say about many of the sessions I attended as I continue to digest the information I took away from IOD. Look forward to more posts soon!
photo by:
chucka_nc
