I think that these conferences are changing and it fits the models of tipping points and disruption. At first the groups are like minded innovators, geeks etc sharing ideas, then the early adopters, often large companies like IBM and Sun who can't afford to take the initial risks the geeks take but as things start to mature, they can't afford not to get involved. This leads to the more mainstream confidence so the mainstream people start to attend conferences to find out what its all about. I think that is what we are starting to see. I do think though that another facet of this is that general IT, education and other conferences will start to feature Linux, OpenOffice.org, INGOTs etc as they become better known and accepted. One set of communications feedsback positively off the other which is why tipping points occur in relatively short time periods. As marketeers we need to be seeking out the connectors, mavens and salesmen that are not already part of our project, to spread the word and conferences are good places to find these people. Look to see who has the most diverse set of contacts, best knowledge of technology value statements and those who are most persuasive. Make these people a priority in transferring the OpenOffice.org message.
--- Jean Hollis Weber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: From: Jean Hollis Weber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 02:38:19 +1000 To: [email protected] Subject: [Marketing] Conferences and marketing. Graham Lauder wrote, >>I am somewhat unsure as to the value that the Linux Confs other than a time to refresh ones energy from a gathering of similarly impassioned people. OOo is pretty much a given in Linux circles. Virtually all the Linux distributions come with OOo as part of the bundle so while it's an ideal place to spread the word about INGOTs, are we not otherwise preaching to the choir?<< A lot of the people who talked to me at the booth said that they had not moved to Linux yet (they were at the conference gathering information), or were looking for material to give to other people who had not moved to Linux. Others had OOo (because it came with Linux) but didn't know much about it, hadn't really tried it, etc. So I think Linux conference have a lot of value in spreading the word -- we are *not* just "preaching to the choir" there. >>I would encourage people to find out about conferences in their local areas. <snip> Some examples of the sort of thing: Educators conferences, especially ICT is a great fit, educators are always having conferences. <snip> Then there are Small business and Accountants conferences, local body officers and I'm sure there are others, but you get the idea.<< +1 >>I'm not saying that the Linux confs are not valuable, but their value is not in spreading the word.<< I disagree, as stated above. Jean --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
