Podcamp and the Web 2.0 Expo

When the fantastic people at TechWeb and O’Reilly Publishing contacted the Podcamp Foundation and asked us to help organize the Web 2.0 Expo Open sessions in NYC, we were immediately excited by the possibilities.  The Web 2.0 Expo will be taking place November 16- 19 in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center, the biggest conference center in New York City.  With the brightest minds on the Web congregating in one place, putting together a program of both planned and open, spontaneous sessions that will stimulate conversation and and give actionable information to all who participate is a pretty steep challenge for anyone.

For Christopher  Penn, Chris Brogan and myself, taking on this challenge is an opportunity to introduce the magic of the Podcamp experience to a different and larger crowd.  Podcamp, unlike some of the other unconferences, mixes pre-planned sessions with the spontaneous, sign-up on site sessions  most unconferences are known for.  We find this helps people to understand what they’re getting if they attend from the announced speakers and topics, while keeping the surprise of the unplanned as part of the mix.  Our sessions are also geared to be discussions and conversations rather than just “Death by Powerpoint” and we actively encourage everyone to help make their own experience.