The Tech Conference Blog

I'm trying to complie a list of the most important, must-attend conferences in technology. Especially for entrepreneurs. If you have any to suggest, please let me know.

I will start building this with conferences that are coming up soonest, and try to add one a day.

September 09

DEMOfall 09 -- September 21-23, Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, San Diego

Price: $2495 - $2995

Producer: Chris Shipley, DEMO

Focus: Pitches by entrepreneurs launching new products

This year's theme: Adding: "alpha pitch" from not-quite-ready-to-launch companies.

Looks inside R&D labs from universities and big companies.

Lifetime Achievement Award.

What you get: Pitches from entrepreneurs hoping to impress. Judges critiquing the

pitches. DEMOGod awards. Demo pavilion. Speakers. Networking

dinners and cocktails.

Impressive speakers: Lots of up-and-coming entrepreneurs.

Lifetime Achievement Award Winners:

Marc Benioff, founder, CEO Salesforce.com.

Donna Dubinsky, Founder, CEO & Board Chair, Numenta.

Andy Rubin, Cofounder, Danger Inc.,

currently Vice President, Engineering, Google.

Comments: Last time Chris Shipley manages the conference. Being taken over by

Matt Marshall. Still the place to go for new launches.

October 2009

Web 2.0 Summit -- October 20-22, Westin Hotel, San Francisco

Price: $4195 (An invitation-only event. You've gotta get on somebody's list.)

Co-producers: O'Reilly Conferences and TechWeb

Focus: Discussions from industry leaders on the future of the Internet

This year's theme: Web Squared -- apparently a step beyond Web 2.0: Apps driven by

sensors, platforms for collective action, "data shadows" left behind by

people and things on the Web.

What you get: On-stage presentations, "Show-me" presentations, plenary sessions,

networking.

Impressive speakers: Carol Bartz, CEO, Yahoo

Mary Meeker, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Paul Otellini, President, CEO, Intel

Tim Berners-Lee, Director, W3C

Comments: A good and interesting conference. Good on-stage interviews with speakers; some interviewers too soft, but also some journalists asking the tough questions. A few speeches that tend to be too self-serving. But overall insightful, interesting conference.