WES 2010 - what can I expect
 

Hi, my carrier in the UK and RIM are very kindly flying me over to WES 2010 this year and i'm really looking forward to it. I've never attended before so what can I expect?

Do people generally attend all three days and is there enough going on to keep it interesting?
Do people meeting up in the evenings or do you generally just float back to your hotels?
Is WES more aimed at management or the techy side, or is there a good mix?
I'll be stopping at the "Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek", anyone been there before?

Any more tips to making the most of it most welcome! :smile:

1. Yes, most generally attend all three days.
You'll find either keynote sessions or breakout workshops (dozens) each day to keep you interested.
2. There is some general activity each of the main evenings (Mon, Tues, Wednesday), with more of a social aspect.
3. Both management and techy, a very good mix -- I'd say more tilted to the techy BES Admin direction.

Tips? If you don't know others who will be attending, check back in here a couple weeks before traveling and make some arrangements to meet up with others you'll find in this WES 2010 section of the Forum.

The hands-on lab option is great for filling those time slots where there may be topics offered that don't appeal to you very much and you're waiting for the next time slot.

Thanks guys, i'll keep a close eye on this topic area! :)

1. Yep, people attend all three days. Sometimes more. There's always something going on like a session to attend, visiting the Solution Showcase or getting some hands-on training in the lab.

2. Monday evening is the "meet-n-greet" in the Showcase Solution. Free food, free booze and free swag from the vendors. Most people wind up in one of the restaurants or bars afterwards till the wee hours of the morning.
Tuesday is the RIM party with entertainment.
2007 - Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts at the Hard Rock
2008 - John Mayer with Circ de Solei
2009 - Wil. I. Am. from the Black Eyed Peas
2010 - ???
Wednesday is usually the carrier parties. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and TMobile usually have their own gigs running either in the hotel or at a club nearby. Lots of swag given out at these events too.

3. Its a good mix of management and techie leadning towards the BES Admin/techie side. At WES, everybody has a rewarding experience regardless of their background.

4. Never been there. I've been lucky enough to stay at the Orlando World Center (host hotel) each year. I never have to take the shuttle bus or rent a car. (Thanks for the lift, Alan!)

Wirelessly posted (Bold 9000)

I attended a Blackberry event in 2005. I don't think they called it WES back then, but it was definitely awesome. And yes, free booze! It was only for one day that I recall back then, and they had a good mix of management/techie and different events you could attend.

My company are attending this year as a Bronze Sponsor. Are all these events included or do I need to book them elsewere?

When you say swag, are we talking the normal spongeballs and pens or something more nice?

Shirley... most events are all a part of the main package. There are only a couple that are not, like any Sponsor or Carrier private invitation events (such as your company might host a private thing in a suite for your target customers, etc.)

Swag... it ranges from the free pen or spongeball at the showcase of all vendors to some really really nice items (think even a device) at some very limited carrier events.

I'll be there

Non techie travelling solo from UK - is it worth it?
 

Like the OP I have been invited courtesy of our UK carrier/RIM. I would also be staying in the Bonnet Creek hotel. As I do not deal with the BES or technical side at all, a whole week away from the office is a bit tough, & I may need to take part of the time offf work as holiday. But it does seem like a good opportunity for networking with other businesses that will be in attendance from the UK and elsewhere.

As a Blackberry user (with an enjoyment of gadgets generally) is this worth giving up holiday time to go to? The flight and hotel is paid for and I am quite gregarious so I kind of think why not, and that I will have a good time as well as potentially meeting some decent people. Just seems a long way to go for 4 days of seminars I may not enjoy and 4 nights in a hotel room on my own (worse case scenario!). Also how "out of the way" is Bonnett Creek from everything else, any clues?

Cheers for any thoughts.

While it's primarily a BlackBerry Love Fest, there are lots of software vendors and carriers with a variety of service offerings. With a name like "beermeupscottie" and an abundance of free beer almost every night, you will have no issues with your social networking. And if you get bored, you will only be a few miles away from Walt Disney World and Universal Studios. If you've never been, be sure to take some time to visit.

I will be attending WES again this year. For all you who have never attended. WES is a great party and a great place to network. I would like to meet up with the BBF crew this year. I probably was too buzzed at previous WES events.

I'm from Australia, and last year was on the same International Delegate program that you guys seem to be on. Staying away from the Marriott (conference venue) can be a bit of a drag, as you need to find a cab back to the hotel after the off-site events (on Wednesday night) finish.

Tuesday and Wednesday AM are general sessions where everybody is in a big lecture presentation. Last year there were RIM speakers (Lazaridis and Balsillie) as well as guest speakers (one each day, and were good) and sponsors (IBM, HP & Cisco).

Afternoon and Thursday sessions are based on your choice...my advice is to vary the things you choose - last year I followed the BES Admin tech stream and got a lot of duplication in the message, so this year I'm going to mix it up and attend some of the third party presentations (analysts, vendors etc) as well as the RIM presenters.

Make sure you go to the Welcome drinks on Monday night, and check out all the stands at the expo - RIM and third party. Lots of give-aways here.

Tuesday night is the RIM Party, which was awesome last year. Don't miss that - everyone goes.

Be selective about what you do on the Wednesday night - given that someone lese is paying your fare, you'll probably feel obliged to attend their event. But if you get a choice, the carrier events are good if you can get an invite. The AT&T event is a good one by all accounts.

And finally, if you're a BES Admin, you might consider doing some hands-on training or completing certification exams whilst at WES. Exams are half price, so that's my plan.

The Hilton at Bonnet Creek looks very nice - perhaps even a step up from the Buena Vista Palace I stayed at last year courtesy of RIM. But all that matters here is the bed, as you'll be spending all your time away from the hotel. Last year the shuttle services were great - started at first light and continued until after the parties had shut down. The journey time this year will be about 15 minutes from hotel to conference....enough time to catch up on overnight emails from home ;-)

See you there.
Leigh

Likewise, I'm from Australia and will also be attending as an invited Delegate.

I'm staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek as well, flying in on Saturday 24th afternoon and out Saturday 1st May.

Would love to meet up with other internationals - perhaps we should all have a PIN sharefest before we travel ?

Cheers

Dwayne

I'm staying at the Hilton Grand Vacations - hopefully not a hole; I'll have a rental but with parties every night I plan on taking cabs back and forth.

Brad

I will be coming in on Sunday, the 25th and staying at the Hilton at the Disney Resort. Is anyone else staying there? Let's hook up for a welcoming Happy Hour.

TScott

I'm travelling from the UK on the sunday and stopping at the Hilton Bonnet Creek. I'll be on my own so if anyone cares to join me for a drink or six my PIN is 212C762A.

See you there!

I've created a BBM group for fellow Hilton Bonnet Creek stayers, but of course everyone is welcome to join. Will just get my post count up to 10 now so I can embed the image !

Dwayne

Hilton Bonnet as well for me. Flying in on Sunday, leaving on Friday.

With the ash cloud problems over europe its look increasingly possible that I won't be able to make it to WES.... gutted.