In just over two weeks, I'll be packing up to head to locations west for the first CodeWorks Conference Tour. If you haven't followed along so far, CodeWorks is a little different than most conferences.
First, there's the format. Instead of the normal “you come to us” thing, we're coming to you. Codeworks is a traveling conference scheduled to hit a total of seven
cities over the span of 14 days. We'll be visiting San Francisco, Los
Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Washington, DC, and New York City.
Second, we've worked with each of the local Users Groups and had them nominate a local presenter for their city. So in each, there is at least one (sometimes two) speakers from the User Group themselves. I've talked or worked with all of the local speakers are there are some fascinating presentations in the works. Combined with the rest of the conference and there are some great things in store.
Finally, there's the cost. Most conferences are $1000-1500+, require a flight, have 3-4 nights of hotel at $150-200 each, and lots of little incidentals that quickly total thousands of dollars. With shrunken travel budgets and most companies just a little nervous, CodeWorks might be a better fit. No flight, 1-2 nights of hotel – or maybe just commuting in – and a sub-$500 conference pass brings this into the range of most groups.
And of course, you'll get a chance to meet most of our CodeWorks webcasts presenters too…