PeopleFromIndustry
People from industry have been mentioned a lot in this discussion. (Are they the same as the ubiquitous partitioner?).They've got the dollars and euros, and yens etc. They are therefore relevant. Moreover, they have often something interesting to say and are viewed by some (including me) as important contribution to the OOPSLA success.
So, why do people from industry attend OOPSLA, and how can they convince their boss to let them go? In no particular order:
- I can do training, and therefore use my training days and money.
- ... and get the rest for free (tutorial cost less than other training, so travel and housing and conference fee are thrown in, basically).
- There is no conference in Europe which compares to OOPSLA (otherwise the boss will prefer to send them to that one.)
- I get to know people who might become our customers
- I get to know people who might give us free technical advise
- It is marketing for our company if we show-up and contribute to that conference; we get free exposure to peers
- It is in cool places
-- TorstenLayda