Keynote Feedback:
Let me preface my keynote criticism by saying public speaking is one of my favorite things. That may sound crazy to some of you... but for me it's a rush similar bungee jumping or screaming through the trails on my dirt bike. For the record I've never presented in front of 12,000 people - but I'd love the opportunity. As someone who loves public speaking I'm probably a little more critical than the average guy. OK, enough sugar-coating... on with the criticism.
This morning's keynote was a complete waste of time. However, things didn't need to be this way. In fact, the keynote started out on a very high note, with Christopher Lloyd ('Back to the Future' and other films) making a cameo and spoofing several now defunct Microsoft initiatives (Hailstorm, WinFS, etc.). He even joked about pressing a Microsoft Vision Speak Bull$hit (MSVSBS) button if Bob Muglia started using too many marketing words. Unfortunately, he wasn't given that opportunity. I'm sure Bob is a VERY intelligent guy - otherwise he wouldn't be the Senior VP of Microsoft's Server and Tools business. But let's face it - he isn't a dynamic public speaker. In fact, the audience was so turned-off by marketing speak and buzzword overload that some really cool demos didn't even get applause. People were simply bored stiff. I spoke with a few people afterwards (some press, some regular attendees) and the opinions expressed above were unanimous. Something's got to change.
Solution #1 - Developers, Developers, Developers: Love him or hate him, Steve Ballmer is a dynamic speaker. Next year, schedule Ballmer or someone else who can get the crowd fired up. Otherwise the poor demo guys are just set up for failure.
Solution #2 - Make the Keynote Optional: People travel from around the world to attend this conference. I met two nice folks from Saudi Arabia who were unimpressed with the keynote... and honestly concerned that the rest of the conference would be similarly 'underwhelming'. I assured them the conference itself is great and recommended they spend plenty of time in the TLC and lab areas. Which brings me to my second solution - make the keynote optional. Let people run through labs, visit vendors, or basically do anything that helps them get value out of the conference.
Solution #3 - More Funny... Less PowerPoint: Like I said before, the opening spoof was brilliant. It got everyone laughing and pumped up about the conference. Isn't that the point? Maybe the keynote should be limited to 1 hour... with three 10 minute spoofs. That leaves 30 minutes for product announcements and demos. Honestly, most demos should be handled in the sessions themselves - so I'd limit them to the 'jaw dropping' type (like the Silverlight demos we saw at the end of the keynote).
What do you think? Are keynotes a thing of the past, or are they worth saving? Leave a comment with your suggestion(s).
Other Observations:
- EMC is becoming a HUGE company... mostly due to acquisitions. In fact, they're so big it's almost impossible to get a complete list of products/solutions on their web site. Fortunately I found one here. Note to EMC: don't become the next Computer Associates... please. We all know how well their growth/acquisition strategy worked out.
- It's not often I use the word 'love' to describe a product or company... but I love TechSmith. Those guys just rock. If you aren't familiar with them - they are the guys who make SnagIt and Camtasia. Stop by their booth and check out the newest versions of these products. In my opinion every good geek should have SnagIt on their machine... and uber-geeks should add Camtasia as well.
- More observations in my day two recap.