Wait, is it October already?  Time has really gotten away this year, but if it is October, that means the annual gathering of those who love all things lumen-related are descending upon the LDI Conference.  Once again I’ll be attending a few sessions and strolling about the show floor to soak up as much information as I can in this short period of time.  Should I attend the Ethernet discussions, museum projects, or the Greener Initiative talks?  Or perhaps refresh my brain on the Art of Programming?  For those who have not attended before and are wondering what all to consider, well there is a lot.  If you wish to attend sessions but are on a tight budget, you can purchase a 4 session pack or an 8 session pack rather than the full conference, but then something will likely be sacrificed.  The trade show floor is only open Friday through Sunday, and the hours are 10-5 on Friday and Saturday, and only 10-2 on Sunday.  Sessions run Thursday – Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 10-2, so a lot of juggling and planning needs to happen to make the most out of the day with all of the overlapping components.  The trade show floor alone is rather large; it could easily take both Friday and Saturday to visit every single booth and inquire about (and play with) their new products.

A great strategy for attending the conference for the first time, especially if you are traveling solo, is to make friends and divide and conquer!  I love hearing about what other attendees find fascinating and fun, and often times it points me in a direction I may have otherwise missed in the sensory overload of the show floor.  One way to help your fellow conference-goer is to tweet what you find fascinating or new or think we all should definitely go to see, with the hashtag #LDI2011.  And be sure to follow @LDITradeshow for more information.

Happy lumen hunting and gathering!