10 Reasons I Love MIX

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Tomorrow sees the start of MIX 11. Alongside Microsoft’s Professionl Developer Conference (PDC), it’s my favorite Microsoft conference – and here are 10 reasons why.

  1. It’s not really a conference – it was originally billed as a 72 hour conversation and it’s still that way. It attracts a diverse crowd of Web designers and developers who are there to discuss their world, whether that be RIA,  web standards, media, video, cloud services, tooling, devices, or games. It’s one big, open conversation.
  2. It’s intimate – okay, you can’t really call it intimate with a couple of thousand people there but it’s way smaller than most other Microsoft conferences which helps sustain point #1 above.
  3. The keynotes – invariably they have some of the best demos of any event – I expect this year to be no different.
  4. Top notch Microsoft speakers – Scott Guthrie, Joe Belfiore, and Dean Hachamovitch. 3 of the best.
  5. Top notch external speakers – a personal favorite from the past was Paul Dawson on Total Experience Design. Oh and David Armano with Why “Fuzzy” Is the New Clear
  6. Live streaming – the keynotes are streamed live and the entire event is available online, usually within 48hrs thanks to the gods at Channel 9
  7. The party – is always awesome. Check the photos. The party I attended at Pure back in 08 was…well, memorable.
  8. The corridors – you bump in to lots of cool folks in the corridors – and they’re always open to conversation. Whether it’s Guthrie, Scoble, Dave McClure, Dave Armano, or Long Zheng.
  9. Channel 9 – these guys rock the show and a hidden gem of the event is the Channel 9 live stage – you catch a ton of great sessions with candid Q&A. Follow the team at @ch9live and check  the lineup
  10. It’s in Vegas. Say no more.  

 

The next few days should be a blast. If you can’t make it to Vegas, the two days of keynotes will be streamed live and approximately 130 sessions will be available for download – at live.visitmix.com. And watch for updates here on Next as well.

Oh and you can follow MIX with Windows Phone 7 and iPhone apps….and of course via Facebook.