Initial Thoughts on BlogOrlando 2008
Cross-posted at Hyku.
Wow, I can't believe I'm actually posting about BlogOrlando 2008, but then again it's almost April. Quite a few friends have asked, "Are you doing BlogOrlando again this year?" Yes. At least as of now I am :-)
Back in 2006 when I planned the first event, you may remember that the original concept for BlogOrlando was a bit different than the actual event:
The original concept/title for this event was: Josh is Tired of Traveling Outside of Orlando so Everybody Come Here Con or JTTOOECH-Con. I wanted to get some friends to the area to meet, but more importantly spend some down-time at the theme parks with their families.
That private gathering of friends soon expanded to a public event that eventually became the first edition of BlogOrlando. Then things expanded even more with the 2007 event with almost 300 people taking part.
For 2008 we're blending the old with the new. BlogOrlando will once again be held on a Friday in late September. The main event cost (FREE) and format will not change, and perhaps expand, but there is a twist.
Reaching back to the original concept, BlogOrlando will now feature a private invite-only event on Wednesday. Just an intimate gathering of colleagues, clients, industry leaders, etc. Perhaps a limit of 30-40 folks. The topics will focus more on things like future trends, etc. I dare say Davos-like. The catch is, if you're invited to the Wednesday event, you are required to lead a session at the Friday event.
Here is a tentative schedule:
Wednesday:
- Invite-Only Event
- Special Event/Fun Thing at Orlando Theme Park for Session Leaders
Thursday
- Special Event/Fun Thing at Orlando Theme Park for Session Leaders
- Official BlogOrlando Reception
Friday
- Main Event
- Friday Night Reception
Saturday
- BlogOrlando Day at Orlando Theme Park
More thoughts soon.....
Comments
You might consider bumping the schedule back a bit to coincide with this: http://www.createchaos.com/08/
Posted by: Gavin Baker | March 26, 2008 10:41 AM
You also have SxDS (South by Deep South -- heh) to avoid.
Posted by: Mark Jaquith | April 25, 2008 03:33 PM
Even though I see the PayPal team is holding a pseudo-blogging conference (dubbed IzeaFest) in mid-September in Orlando, I hope this doesn't discourage you or anyone from staying true to BlogOrlando.
Izea has somehow duped some otherwise good folks into working with that conference, despite the company's own horrific reputation on the internet when it comes to truth and transparency in blogging.
In fact, I almost got conspiratorial enough to suggest that maybe they planned their conference purposely around that time to derail BlogOrlando. Almost, but I didn't. Right?
Posted by: Lawrence Salberg | April 26, 2008 02:57 PM
Woops. I said "PayPal team". I meant PayPerPost. But everyone knew that, right? Good!
Posted by: Lawrence Salberg | April 26, 2008 02:57 PM
Josh + BlogOrlando folks:
As one member of the two-person team planning IZEAFest, I can assure you the BlogOrlando 2008 dates were not even taken into consideration during our planning process; we weren't even aware you were doing the event again. (I think it was up-in-the-air for awhile.)
Actually, we (IZEA) are strong supporters of BlogOrlando, and what it brings to the local blogging/interactive community. We're very grateful there's a community with an interest in this industry. It'd be great if we could partner-up for our two events--like we are for Create Chaos), but I certainly understand Josh's hesitance to associate too closely.
With regard to "duping" anyone to participate in our event, every one of our speakers all believe in the mission of IZEA, which is to make bloggers and online marketers better at their craft. We've got a fantastic program lined-up, and are excited about bringing these strong online personalities to the Central Florida area.
I'm truly more than happy to answer any questions or concerns folks might have. Please feel free to e-mail me at ashley[at]izea[dot]com.
Posted by: Ashley K. Edwards | June 10, 2008 01:56 PM