So I got home from DevLink in Nashville, and to say I was impressed would be an understatement. John Kellar and his team put together a spectacular event.
It was well organized, it was entertaining, and it was as if every single detail had been considered. Here’s a list of the ways I was wowed.
1) The VIP/Speaker Dinner the night before. I had an opportunity to mingle with the who’s who attending DevLink I devoured a delicious Filet before being presented with excellent dessert. I was given a thoughtful, handwritten card and gift. I was not only given the agenda, but inserted was a sheet that listed the specific times I would be speaking, and where. A brilliant way to make me feel valued as a speaker.
2) The facilities. Hosted at Lipscomb University (yes, the Bison), we were primarily in a state-of-the-art technology center. Wireless internet throughout, projectors (sometimes multiple) in every room, and a polished looking, professional interior. Overall, an excellent facility.
3) The attendees. I have never felt more accepted and embraced yet in this role as Developer Evangelist for the Heartland District as I did this week. Everyone I met seemed to have passion just oozing from them. I’m not going to name names, because singling out some excludes others…but I really connected with many of the people at this conference. It was a great place to just sit and talk tech.
4) The organizers. John Kellar and his team gave their all at this event. They were always walking around with a smile on their face (no matter how tired they were on the inside). They were always available to answer questions, no matter how stupid the questions (namely, mine) happened to be. Even as the event was wrapping up, I needed to move all the XBox 360 equipment to Jon Box‘s car. John Kellar caught us in the hallway and offered to take some time to help me out. He’s got an entire event running, and he still took the time to help me load my equipment. That’s the kind of crew that was running DevLink this year. Absolutely awesome.
That’s my short story on DevLink 2007. I’m looking forward to great things in Nashville in ’08.
JEFF BLANKENBURG 
Leave a Reply