Friday, June 1, 2007

What does MAX mean to you?

I'm assuming that most people that read this blog, or will read this post, have already been to least one MAX conference, and before that Macromedia Devcon, or even dating back to stuff that took place at the turn of the century, Allaire Devcon. I'm really excited this year that we're going to have MAX not only in North America, but also in Barcelona and Japan.

Having been to every one of these conferences since the infamous election of 2000, I think each MAX is a bit different. But at the heart of it, if you ask me, is that you can learn, develop and connect. Learn about new products, new technologies, cool ideas, best practices. Meet new people and some friendly faces. I think most people leave MAX a bit tired - but also a lot smarter, and more inspired.

What I really want to know from everyone reading this is whats does MAX mean to you? What's the essence of those four days in the fall? Please comment in my blog.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Networking and the ability to see what's next. Max is the unofficial beginning of our business year. It helps us chart the waters for the next 360 odd days.

TJ Downes said...

I think I speak for a lot of us when I say MAX represents an expensive event that we would like to attend but cannot afford, or get our employers to afford.

For myself, MAX seems very inviting. But couple the cost of the event with the cost of transportation, rooms, expenses and lost time from work (I'm self employed) and you're easily looking at a $4-5k venture. It's not money well spent for many of us because the benefits don't justify the cost.

Neil Middleton said...

Absoutely nothing - which is probably the view of most other people in the UK.

When are we going to have more stuff like this in Europe?

Anonymous said...

MAX provides a look at what is currently possible with Adobe products as well as the future direction of these products. This in turn aids in planning my future projects around some of these advances.

Jonathan Wall said...

Thanks TJ. I understand your concerns about the cost. Are there conferences that are closer to you, or less expensive that you do attend?

Jonathan Wall said...

Thanks Neil. I agree with you that it would be great to have more developer focused activities in Europe.

Just in case you missed this, the first ever European MAX is taking place in October. See http://adobemax2007.com/europe/ for more information.

TJ Downes said...

Hi Jonathan,

CF.Objective() seems very inviting due to the low cost of the event. However, because of the distance to travel to these events it again becomes costly when coupled with lost work.

Because of costs, in my 10+ years as a CF developer, I have yet to attend a single conference. Who knows, maybe I can get a client to cover the costs of the conference so I can go this year :)

What would be ideal, for me, is to be able to attend these events online. If MAX is ever held in Silicon Valley or SF I will be there!

Anonymous said...

I agree with Michael - if your company is about innovation, then MAX is the place to be. The combination of what you see and learn at the event cannot be made up in all the blog postings.

TJ - I totally understand your pain regarding the cost issue. I live near NY, and have been able to do MAX for under 2k the past few years - granted I don't work for myself, so I don't have to add in that cost. The MAX event is completely in line with any other national event of its size.

Looking forward to it :-)

David

Anonymous said...

MAX 2006 was my first and it was worth every penny. Here are some of the highlights:

* Saw a sneak peak of Apollo that got me thinking about ways I could use it, well in advance of it's alpha release. My idea for SearchCoders started there.

* Listened to Steven Webster & the gang who created Cairngorm talk about their plans for the next version

* Made great connections with Adobe through the Birds of a Feather sessions.

* Networked with developers from around the world whom I still communicate with on a regular basis

I think that people who are on the fence about attending should keep in mind that a lot of benefits come from being better connected to the community, and MAX is a fantastic way to make those connections. I know it's expensive, but it's money well-spent.