Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Showing posts with label conferences. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
930Gov and the End of FY 2018
The 6th annual 930Gov Conference is coming August 28 at the Washington DC Convention Center.
930Gov has five technology-focused tracks, each important to every federal agency:
- Cyber and IT Security
- Records Management
- Government Customer Experience
- Knowledge, Information and Data Management
- IT Modernization
Mike Smoyer, President of the Digital Government Institute, which produces 930Gov, has a history of being involved with successful GovCon events going back to his days at National Trade Productions, producers of FOSE, and later, FedMicro, the mid-summer end-of-FY event that ran in the early and mid 1990s.
When Mike took over the Digital Government Institute in 2007, DGI was producing some very focused IT events for the GovCon market.
While DGI still does the single-tech focused events, each of which evolves as the technology evolves, he saw the need for that end-of-FY, DC-based multi-track tech focused event.
930Gov will attract somewhere around 1,200 federal technologists, most of whom are in charge of managing and deploying technologies in their respective agencies.
I have been recommending this event to my clients for four of the past five years, and I do so again this year. I could not recommend the event in year one because it had no track record. I told Mike that at the time, but I also told him I felt his instincts were correct in starting an end-of-FY event.
There is a simple reason for my annual recommendation: end-of-FY has always represented a significant spending spike and not all of the money available is queued into a pre-determined slot. While this is not the only reason for my recommendation, it is a major factor.
An equally important reason would be the networking and the ability to begin relationships with key feds and perhaps other contractors.
Since year two, my clients have been pleased with the results. While there are not tens of thousands of attenders, neither are there hundreds of exhibitors. The exhibitors are all tabletop, with no mega-booth dominating the show floor. This makes it a level playing field for the smaller companies in the exhibit hall.
With 1,200 or so attenders and fewer exhibitors, the likelihood of exhibitors getting face time with attenders is very real.
Two former and two current clients will be exhibiting and two other clients will be attending and I am looking forward to their feedback. One of these companies is back for at least their third year in a row.
I will be speaking at 930Gov, although not in one of the tech tracks. I will be addressing the importance of building and leveraging a subject matter expert position in the market, this in a conference where the speakers are subject matter experts and front line managers of some key technologies.
I am very much looking forward to the 2018 version of 930Gov.
I hope to see you there and I welcome your feedback on the event.
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Why the Era of Big GovCon Shows is Past...
Someday soon you are likely to get an email invitation to the next BIG THING, the GovCon event to end all events.
Be wary of such missives, regardless of where it comes from.
In the 1990s hardly a month went by when there wasn't some large IT focused event in DC: the Federal Computer Expo, the GCN Expo (Government Computer News tried it's own), ComNet, AFCEAs TechNet, GovTechNet (FCW & AFCEA), GovSec, Government Video, FedMicro, FedPro Expo, eGov, and many more.
Marketing budgets were healthy then, as real margins existed for both products and services.
The shows were big, often fun, and occasionally useful. I have pens form those shows older than my children.
Then the shows started dropping off, one by one, until only FOSE remained, although it was far from healthy. Then FOSE passed away after 35 years.
But wait, on the horizon, son of FOSE emerges- ACQUIRE- a show with such a broad focus (federal employee info, IT products, home goods and more...) that it was doomed from the outset. It lasted only one year.
Why?
The era of the big show is gone. Even if the contractors and the feds needed it, there are few available funds to support it. The margins are thin and federal audiences are more frugal with their time, going to events that offer specific information.
Small, very focused events have largely replaced the mega-shows for government contractors. Producers like the Federal Business Council. Digital Government Institute, and select others produce more targeted events. Hosky Communications produces events for contractors that target a specific technology audience. Associations like GITEC, ACT-IAC, AFFIRM and the Professional Services Council Produce excellent events.
FISSEA, out at NIST, produces an annual event for IT professionals inside federal agencies responsible for security training. They have their annual event in March, 2017- not too late!
Contract program offices sponsor great event: NITAAC, SEWP and Alliant have all held successful events for their respective contractors recently. If you aren't on one of these contracts you can always call and ask if you can attend to learn more and network.
National associations like HIMSS produce events where many feds will attend even though the focus is not federal.
Why? They are more focused. They offer great networking opportunities. They offer continuing education credits, and more.
Sponsorship may cost a fair amount, but you don't have to sponsor to attend.
Your marketing funds are limited, from the largest contractors down to those small companies. If you are thinking about exhibiting at an event or event sponsorship, be very careful with your selection.
Remember, someday soon you are likely to get an email invitation to the next BIG THING, the GovCon event to end all events.
Do not share, forward or respond. Just delete it.
Comments are always welcome!
Be wary of such missives, regardless of where it comes from.
In the 1990s hardly a month went by when there wasn't some large IT focused event in DC: the Federal Computer Expo, the GCN Expo (Government Computer News tried it's own), ComNet, AFCEAs TechNet, GovTechNet (FCW & AFCEA), GovSec, Government Video, FedMicro, FedPro Expo, eGov, and many more.
Marketing budgets were healthy then, as real margins existed for both products and services.
The shows were big, often fun, and occasionally useful. I have pens form those shows older than my children.
Then the shows started dropping off, one by one, until only FOSE remained, although it was far from healthy. Then FOSE passed away after 35 years.
But wait, on the horizon, son of FOSE emerges- ACQUIRE- a show with such a broad focus (federal employee info, IT products, home goods and more...) that it was doomed from the outset. It lasted only one year.
(There is nothing like an empty exhibit hall in prime time.)
Why?
The era of the big show is gone. Even if the contractors and the feds needed it, there are few available funds to support it. The margins are thin and federal audiences are more frugal with their time, going to events that offer specific information.
Small, very focused events have largely replaced the mega-shows for government contractors. Producers like the Federal Business Council. Digital Government Institute, and select others produce more targeted events. Hosky Communications produces events for contractors that target a specific technology audience. Associations like GITEC, ACT-IAC, AFFIRM and the Professional Services Council Produce excellent events.
FISSEA, out at NIST, produces an annual event for IT professionals inside federal agencies responsible for security training. They have their annual event in March, 2017- not too late!
Contract program offices sponsor great event: NITAAC, SEWP and Alliant have all held successful events for their respective contractors recently. If you aren't on one of these contracts you can always call and ask if you can attend to learn more and network.
National associations like HIMSS produce events where many feds will attend even though the focus is not federal.
Why? They are more focused. They offer great networking opportunities. They offer continuing education credits, and more.
Sponsorship may cost a fair amount, but you don't have to sponsor to attend.
Your marketing funds are limited, from the largest contractors down to those small companies. If you are thinking about exhibiting at an event or event sponsorship, be very careful with your selection.
Remember, someday soon you are likely to get an email invitation to the next BIG THING, the GovCon event to end all events.
Do not share, forward or respond. Just delete it.
Comments are always welcome!
Monday, August 27, 2012
A few thoughts on events claiming senior federal attendance....
Federal executive and manager participation in any and all events is going to suffer significantly over the next few years as a result of the fallout from the GSA PBS fiasco and some other seemingly "over the top" events.
I have spoken to a few senior feds recently regarding the new guidelines for justifying both travel and event participation. In some instances, the justification for travel has become so onerous that it is easier to avoid the entire process even if the travel is truly work related.
As for justifying time off to attend multi-day events for federal senior executives, this has become a real hot potato issue for career feds. The paranoia going through the ranks of senior career feds is fear of what is actually happening, not what could happen.
IG investigators are showing up at events to monitor any untoward activity.
There is a rumor of an unofficial White House memo that stated to avoid events in certain cities. Supposedly Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Orlando were named. The same memo allegedly stated that feds should avoid events held at any venue with "resort" in the name.
While the most notorious events seem to have occurred a few years back, the fallout included the recent cancellation of several events, including Air Force ITC (which hit Mobile's economy in a big way), the GSA Green event and many others with legitimate "raison d'etre".
There is no near-term end in sight for the fallout, so my advice for those who have been asking is to be extremely careful about making a significant investment in any multi-day event which touts the attendance of a senior federal audience at any resort.
Attendance will be down.
I have spoken to a few senior feds recently regarding the new guidelines for justifying both travel and event participation. In some instances, the justification for travel has become so onerous that it is easier to avoid the entire process even if the travel is truly work related.
As for justifying time off to attend multi-day events for federal senior executives, this has become a real hot potato issue for career feds. The paranoia going through the ranks of senior career feds is fear of what is actually happening, not what could happen.
IG investigators are showing up at events to monitor any untoward activity.
There is a rumor of an unofficial White House memo that stated to avoid events in certain cities. Supposedly Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Orlando were named. The same memo allegedly stated that feds should avoid events held at any venue with "resort" in the name.
While the most notorious events seem to have occurred a few years back, the fallout included the recent cancellation of several events, including Air Force ITC (which hit Mobile's economy in a big way), the GSA Green event and many others with legitimate "raison d'etre".
There is no near-term end in sight for the fallout, so my advice for those who have been asking is to be extremely careful about making a significant investment in any multi-day event which touts the attendance of a senior federal audience at any resort.
Attendance will be down.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Creating Visibility for You & Your Company
We have all read articles written by people who may not be the most qualified experts, and we certainly have all seen speakers who would be better off taking copious notes from the audience rather than dispensing advice from the podium. There are even some business book authors out there who have one or more books out that really offer little value, yet they seem to find an audience.
How did they get the speaking gig, article assignment or book deal, and how do they develop an audience?
Each of them has defined a niche and studied it at least enough to get the attention of a trade magazine or book editor or a conference director. Then they have designed a way to get on the radar, to generate some attention.
Becoming visible to your business community, your niche, is not an easy or quick process. It can be simple, but it is not easy, but we all need the attention only our niche can provide if we are to survive and thrive in these tough times. It does not matter if you have a small, medium or large company (although some will argue it is easier for large companies to get PR), or even if you are a solo-preneur like me - each of us needs enough attention to generate new business, to find the right job, to get the book deal or to move to the next level.
There are many tools available, and more becoming available every day, but the process of selecting and deploying the right tools for your niche. There are hundreds of web 2.0 tools out there, but let's just look at one for right now: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has well over 100 million register business professionals, 990,634 groups (as of 11:22 AM EST, 7/19/ 11), many useful apps to use with your profile, and a ton of ways to help you stand out in a crowd and connect with key epople throughout your market.
But how many people on LinkedIn are really using it to stand out in their respective niches? My estimate is less than 2%. But key decision makers are using LinkedIn to identify the "experts" in various fields, and these include people who hire speakers, give writing assignments, and offer book deals.
So what does it take to truly stand out?
Knowing your subject well is always job #1.
Defining your area of expertise in terms that will resonate with your niche is job #2.
Getting the word out is job #3.
I use LinkedIn as the "hub" for my web activity. When I write an article, I post the link for it in pertienet groups on LinkedIn. The result this week is one of the most read and most emailed articles at www.WashingtonTechnology.com . It makes the editor happy to have fresh traffic coming into the site, it keeps my name active in the market niche, and it could generate some business. I write an article for Washington Technology's web site once a month, and each time my promotional activity helps make it a well-read article. And it doesn't take me long to do this.
I will also "tweet' the article link, which will put it on all the social networks I use and maybe generate some re-tweets as well.
How are you leveraging the available tools to generate some targeted viisibility in your niche for you and your company?
If you need some fresh ideas on how to stand out in a crowded market, drop me a line - markamtower@gmail.com
Best of luck with your efforts!
Mark
How did they get the speaking gig, article assignment or book deal, and how do they develop an audience?
Each of them has defined a niche and studied it at least enough to get the attention of a trade magazine or book editor or a conference director. Then they have designed a way to get on the radar, to generate some attention.
Becoming visible to your business community, your niche, is not an easy or quick process. It can be simple, but it is not easy, but we all need the attention only our niche can provide if we are to survive and thrive in these tough times. It does not matter if you have a small, medium or large company (although some will argue it is easier for large companies to get PR), or even if you are a solo-preneur like me - each of us needs enough attention to generate new business, to find the right job, to get the book deal or to move to the next level.
There are many tools available, and more becoming available every day, but the process of selecting and deploying the right tools for your niche. There are hundreds of web 2.0 tools out there, but let's just look at one for right now: LinkedIn.
LinkedIn has well over 100 million register business professionals, 990,634 groups (as of 11:22 AM EST, 7/19/ 11), many useful apps to use with your profile, and a ton of ways to help you stand out in a crowd and connect with key epople throughout your market.
But how many people on LinkedIn are really using it to stand out in their respective niches? My estimate is less than 2%. But key decision makers are using LinkedIn to identify the "experts" in various fields, and these include people who hire speakers, give writing assignments, and offer book deals.
So what does it take to truly stand out?
Knowing your subject well is always job #1.
Defining your area of expertise in terms that will resonate with your niche is job #2.
Getting the word out is job #3.
I use LinkedIn as the "hub" for my web activity. When I write an article, I post the link for it in pertienet groups on LinkedIn. The result this week is one of the most read and most emailed articles at www.WashingtonTechnology.com . It makes the editor happy to have fresh traffic coming into the site, it keeps my name active in the market niche, and it could generate some business. I write an article for Washington Technology's web site once a month, and each time my promotional activity helps make it a well-read article. And it doesn't take me long to do this.
I will also "tweet' the article link, which will put it on all the social networks I use and maybe generate some re-tweets as well.
How are you leveraging the available tools to generate some targeted viisibility in your niche for you and your company?
If you need some fresh ideas on how to stand out in a crowded market, drop me a line - markamtower@gmail.com
Best of luck with your efforts!
Mark
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
FOSE, Government 2.0 Camp and more
Government 2.0 Camp:
Although I was not there, this event created a ton of buzz which continues. Steve Radick has a great post on the event here
http://steveradick.com/2009/04/07/a-challenge-to-government-20-camp-attendees/
Give it a look, take some of the challenges to heart. I will be at the next Camp.
FOSE:
I posted a question on about 20 of my government-facing groups at LinkedIn on FOSE: I simply asked what people thought of it. I did not attend FOSE this year as I was heading over to the UK that week and had some prep to do for my trip.
The consensus is....that there is no consensus. This has been the same for several years now. Here are a few of the unedited responses (without names):
- Mark, I did not go and haven't for a few years now. FOSE has lost interest for me because it became so hardware and even software vendor based. I'd much rather go to a homeland defense/homeland security conference and see the specific items designed for the fields of work rather than a generic IT conference.
- I attended. Thought it was a good conference - presentations, keynotes, exhibit floor. Of course, I might be a bit biased as one of the presentations was mine. :-) The 1105 folks know how to put on a conference.
- FOSE was a solid event this year. Industry particpation was down - but government attendance was strong - and the decision makers were throughout. Its been the best conference of 2009 so far.
- I did go for two days and was disappointed with the turnout at the Gov. 2.0 presentation especially.
- I thought that the show itself was pretty good. I didn't attend last year; however, most I have spoken with who attended last year and this year seem to think that this years show was a lot better than last years. I was only down there one day, but the foot traffic was pretty steady all day, and I really enjoyed some of the topics covered during the breakout sessions... by far, imho, the Web 2.0 panel discussion was great.
-We were actually "exhibitors" at GovSec in the adjoining room at the Center and we were (literally) fifty feet from the connecting door... We received a ton of walk through our booth from folks headed to FOSE. They claimed that they had no idea of the co-joining and if the did they would have brought additional folks from their departments. Personally, I think there was a wonderful opportunity for synergy between the IT folks and Physical Security folks since those worlds are coming so much closer together... If they continue to co-join the events then they should sponsor some "joint presentations" showing the inter-operability of the two sectors... It just makes sense to me!
- FOSE is not worth attending unless you are a big box provider. The big box companies: IBM, CISCO, HP, etc. dwarf any independents from gaining attention. Also, typical attendee is lower level government managers without control over funds who are there to get the swag handed out at the booths.
As you can see, some liked the show and benefitted from it, others did not like the show. Part of this is the expectation and plan you have before attending. Part is the show itself.
Events need to be a part of the government market landscape - no doubt about it. I prefer more focused events as a rule.
If FOSE, along with GovSec, is to remain part of the B2G ecosystem, I think it needs a strong focus and a broader networking appeal - networking in both the web 2.0 sense and the traditional face-to-face sense.
A couple thoughts on what needs to happen is FOSE is to gain broader community support;
1) year-round conversations (via web 2.0 platforms) on what FOSE needs. This will get grassroots feedback that should help planning.
2) continued emphasis on the educational/certification side. I was happy to see this get some emphasis this year.
3) a FOSE groups on various social networks, including FederalContractor.us, GovLoop.com and LinkedIn.
4) semi-related, but in the category of nothing to be done about it....I do not like the DC Convention Center and I am far from alone in that assessment. Parking is minimal and the layout is poor. Again - nothing to be done about this because there is no fall-back venue.
Suufice it to say I heard nothing about big bags - http://www.federaldirect.net/offwhite21.html
Enough said for now.
Although I was not there, this event created a ton of buzz which continues. Steve Radick has a great post on the event here
http://steveradick.com/2009/04/07/a-challenge-to-government-20-camp-attendees/
Give it a look, take some of the challenges to heart. I will be at the next Camp.
FOSE:
I posted a question on about 20 of my government-facing groups at LinkedIn on FOSE: I simply asked what people thought of it. I did not attend FOSE this year as I was heading over to the UK that week and had some prep to do for my trip.
The consensus is....that there is no consensus. This has been the same for several years now. Here are a few of the unedited responses (without names):
- Mark, I did not go and haven't for a few years now. FOSE has lost interest for me because it became so hardware and even software vendor based. I'd much rather go to a homeland defense/homeland security conference and see the specific items designed for the fields of work rather than a generic IT conference.
- I attended. Thought it was a good conference - presentations, keynotes, exhibit floor. Of course, I might be a bit biased as one of the presentations was mine. :-) The 1105 folks know how to put on a conference.
- FOSE was a solid event this year. Industry particpation was down - but government attendance was strong - and the decision makers were throughout. Its been the best conference of 2009 so far.
- I did go for two days and was disappointed with the turnout at the Gov. 2.0 presentation especially.
- I thought that the show itself was pretty good. I didn't attend last year; however, most I have spoken with who attended last year and this year seem to think that this years show was a lot better than last years. I was only down there one day, but the foot traffic was pretty steady all day, and I really enjoyed some of the topics covered during the breakout sessions... by far, imho, the Web 2.0 panel discussion was great.
-We were actually "exhibitors" at GovSec in the adjoining room at the Center and we were (literally) fifty feet from the connecting door... We received a ton of walk through our booth from folks headed to FOSE. They claimed that they had no idea of the co-joining and if the did they would have brought additional folks from their departments. Personally, I think there was a wonderful opportunity for synergy between the IT folks and Physical Security folks since those worlds are coming so much closer together... If they continue to co-join the events then they should sponsor some "joint presentations" showing the inter-operability of the two sectors... It just makes sense to me!
- FOSE is not worth attending unless you are a big box provider. The big box companies: IBM, CISCO, HP, etc. dwarf any independents from gaining attention. Also, typical attendee is lower level government managers without control over funds who are there to get the swag handed out at the booths.
As you can see, some liked the show and benefitted from it, others did not like the show. Part of this is the expectation and plan you have before attending. Part is the show itself.
Events need to be a part of the government market landscape - no doubt about it. I prefer more focused events as a rule.
If FOSE, along with GovSec, is to remain part of the B2G ecosystem, I think it needs a strong focus and a broader networking appeal - networking in both the web 2.0 sense and the traditional face-to-face sense.
A couple thoughts on what needs to happen is FOSE is to gain broader community support;
1) year-round conversations (via web 2.0 platforms) on what FOSE needs. This will get grassroots feedback that should help planning.
2) continued emphasis on the educational/certification side. I was happy to see this get some emphasis this year.
3) a FOSE groups on various social networks, including FederalContractor.us, GovLoop.com and LinkedIn.
4) semi-related, but in the category of nothing to be done about it....I do not like the DC Convention Center and I am far from alone in that assessment. Parking is minimal and the layout is poor. Again - nothing to be done about this because there is no fall-back venue.
Suufice it to say I heard nothing about big bags - http://www.federaldirect.net/offwhite21.html
Enough said for now.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Why People Are Leery of Events
I got an email today from a company I have not heard from in a long while - Equity International. The first time I heard of and from this organization was an email right after 9/11, with a similar offer. Today the subject line said - "Invitation to The American Recovery & Reinvestment Briefing."
Where - Willard Hotel- DC
When - next Wednesday, 2:00 PM- 6:00 PM.
Fee - for corporate - $495 if you register ahead of time, $595 at the door. (Government, military & diplomats are admitted free - apparently they have not heard about President Obama's restrictions on accepting gifts, including events.)
The event "Features Congressional and Administration leaders; top experts; key briefing materials; and unparalleled networking." - yet strangely, there are no names listed in the agenda. The agenda itself is kinda vague:
1:00 PM Registration
2:00 PM Welcome
2:05 PM Keynote Address
2:15 PM Congressional Budget Panel
3:00 PM General Session
3:45 PM General Session
4:20 PM General Session
5:00 PM Networking Reception
6:00 PM Adjournment
But don't worry - it's "Brought to you by Equity International, organizer of The Presidential Inauguration Conference last month: .... More than 35,000 leaders have participated in Equity International’s highly-regarded forums."
So, in summary - you can spend several hundred dollars to hear speakers TBA, in sessions that are "general" and "unapralled networking" at the reception.
I can hardly wait.....
Where - Willard Hotel- DC
When - next Wednesday, 2:00 PM- 6:00 PM.
Fee - for corporate - $495 if you register ahead of time, $595 at the door. (Government, military & diplomats are admitted free - apparently they have not heard about President Obama's restrictions on accepting gifts, including events.)
The event "Features Congressional and Administration leaders; top experts; key briefing materials; and unparalleled networking." - yet strangely, there are no names listed in the agenda. The agenda itself is kinda vague:
1:00 PM Registration
2:00 PM Welcome
2:05 PM Keynote Address
2:15 PM Congressional Budget Panel
3:00 PM General Session
3:45 PM General Session
4:20 PM General Session
5:00 PM Networking Reception
6:00 PM Adjournment
But don't worry - it's "Brought to you by Equity International, organizer of The Presidential Inauguration Conference last month: .... More than 35,000 leaders have participated in Equity International’s highly-regarded forums."
So, in summary - you can spend several hundred dollars to hear speakers TBA, in sessions that are "general" and "unapralled networking" at the reception.
I can hardly wait.....
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