By David Duffett
We all know that AstriCon has the best conference sessions from Asterisk community members, insightful keynote presentations, and more Asterisk-related products and services than you can shake a stick at, which makes AstriCon a “don’t miss event.”
In today’s blog, I would like to focus on the top networking opportunities at AstriCon which will provide YOU time and space to mix with other open source communications enthusiasts. These enthusiasts who may well have done things you are looking to do, made mistakes that they can warn you against, learned lessons that they can pass on to you, or who merely want to hang out and talk Asterisk!
Top 5 Networking Opportunities at AstriCon
In no particular order, here they are:
#1 Opening Night Reception – Sponsored by Teli
On the evening of the first day of AstriCon, we all gather on the Expo Floor to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, see what the exhibitors have to offer, and share stories and experiences over a drink (or two). This year, in particular, there will be so much to talk about with the recent acquisition of Digium by Sangoma (both of whom have booths to visit) and, therefore, the even closer relationship between FreePBX and Asterisk.
#2 All-Conference Happy Hour
On Wednesday early evening, Trevi’s Terrazza provides the venue for our All-Conference Happy Hour. As you would expect, this involves the two key elements: drinks and talking! Another great opportunity to get to know your fellow AstriCon participants even better.
#3 Dangerous Demos – Sponsored by Cloudonix
A true bonding experience! The largest non-keynote session of AstriCon (aside from the special Digium/Sangoma ‘Ask Them Anything’ panel), Dangerous Demos provides thrills and spills as the crowd is surprised, amused, and sometimes amazed by the various Asterisk-related spectacles that community members create to try to win one of the coveted Dangerous Demo prizes – even if it is the Crash & Burn award.
#4 Hallway Track
While not an official event, all AstriCon participants value the Hallway Track as a great place to catch the speaker they really wanted to meet, find the friend they saw across the room in a session, get a selfie with Allison Smith (THE Voice of Asterisk), or otherwise enjoy the social side of things.
#5 Expo Floor
Open at advertised times on all three days of AstriCon; the Expo Floor provides the venue for that important meeting, that investigation of a product or service that might take your Asterisk-related business to the next level, or just that ‘shooting the breeze’ conversation with an industry colleague or old Asterisk friend. In addition, you can enter any drawings that exhibitors have and/or track down the most sought-after freebies – from battery packs to fidget spinners to screaming monkeys something fun catches the imagination of AstriCon participants each year 🙂
As you can see, there is so much to see, do, learn, and love at AstriCon.
AstriCon 2018 will be held October 9-11 in Orlando, Florida. Make sure we see you there! Register now at www.astricon.net
David
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About the Author
David DuffettDavid works with the Worldwide Asterisk Community for Digium, and is an Asterisk enthusiast in addition to being a Chartered Engineer, globally experienced trainer and public speaker. His experience includes Air Traffic Control communications, Wireless Local Loop, Mobile Networks, Computer Telephony, Voice over IP and Asterisk specifically. In addition to many web articles, David's publications include Asterisk 1.4: The Professional's Guide (Packt, co-author) and the contribution of a chapter (on Internationalisation) to Asterisk: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly). David is editorially responsible for AstriCon (THE annual global Asterisk event) where he also introduced the 'Fastest Dude to the Dialtone' contest some years ago. He is a frequent speaker at AsterConference Asia (David has also MC'd at this event), IT Expo (East and West) and a number of corporate events. He has also spoken at numerous other conferences - VoIP Developer, Speech World, CT Expo and UC Expo to name a few.
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