Friday, June 11, 2010

vowe dot net :: Things I learned at the DNUG conference in Berlin

An IBM Lotus reality check from Volker Weber:

And yet, there are troubling signs:

  • Attendance at DNUG conferences is down. Way down. DNUG is fighting to gain new members, but even existing members don't show up. That does not say anything about the quality of the conference, which you would have a hard time improving.
  • It's the customers that are staying away. If you look at the conference guide listing all attendees, you can't help but notice that the largest contingent are IBM and Business Partners. While BPs have a large incentive to go there and get their people to learn new stuff, they also attend to meet new customers. That is why they sponsor the conference and set up booths.
  • Many business partners are developing an exit strategy. They don't want to anger IBM, so they are very quiet about it, but when the customers are weighing other options, BPs want to stay with the customer, not with the supplier.

vowe dot net :: Things I learned at the DNUG conference in Berlin

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