One of the issues that I’ve had with the majority of conferences is that they tend to be an in-depth rehash of things we already know. But what if you could see the future? Looking back at the life of the Defrag conference, its attendees have done just that. It’s time to register, as Defrag runs November 14th and 15th in Broomfield (between Denver and Boulder) Colorado. But let’s talk about why you’ll want to be there.
When I attended the GLUE conference back in May of this year I got my first glimpse of what founder Eric Norlen has put together. GLUE is a monster, burying even the most intelligent of minds into feeling slightly stupid. I watched brilliant people whom I’ve known for years quite literally struggle to grasp the concepts of what was happening in the talks, but they all loved it and couldn’t wait to put theory into practice.
With Defrag, Norlin tells me that the 6th-year conference has a history of future prediction. Big data? It was a topic for Defrag years ago. Privacy issues? Same story. Twitter? 97% of Defrag’s attendees were using it within months of its launch. That is to say that my question of whether you wanted to know the future isn’t so far off base. Defrag tends to look at the future as if it’s the now.
So why Colorado, and especially Broomfield? Like the methodology behind GLUE, Norlin wants to make sure that he’s not facilitating a “drive-by conference”. Those who are attending Defrag should go and intend to stay, rather than conferences in New York or San Francisco where people tend to make a tourist journey out of a business trip. But that’s not to say that there’s a lack of reason to head to Broomfield. Situated almost dead center between Boulder and Denver, it’s a wonderful place to go grab a hotel for a couple of days and enjoy some stellar programming.
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As for that programming, it’s split between keynotes and breakout sessions. In the keynotes alone, here’s a taste of what you have to look forward to.
- Kevin Kelly – Wired Magazine
- Jeff Ma – Inspriation for the movie “21”
- Paul Kedrosky – Kauffman Foundation
- Jeff Lawson – Twilio
It’s two days of looking not just at where we are, but more so where we’re going. Though the two days aren’t the end of the event, because there’s also Blur, the one-day conference on November 16th that focuses on human-computer interaction. But we’re not talking mice and keyboards. Rather it’s a focus on robots, NFC, voice interaction, 3D printing and everything else that doesn’t require you to type words.
TNW will be there, of course, so make sure that you stop me and say hi. Want to join me and haven’t bought your tickets yet? Have a discount. The code “TNW12” will take 30% off of your ticket price, but you’d best move fast and register before the event sells out completely. Oh, and get ready for the absolute best WiFi and catering you’ve ever had at a conference, bar none.
Come to Colorado. Get your mind blown while we explore the future. It’s Defrag, and it’s unlike any conference you’ve ever attended.
Need more convincing? Here’s a look at what the morning of day 1 will hold.
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