The Lotusphere Blog

Another community member shares their Lotusphere story - this time it is J2EE and Notes plug-in guru Mikkel Heisterberg who takes time out to tell us why Lotusphere is such an important event in his year:

Is this your first Lotusphere? If not, how many have you attended in the past?
This will be my fourth Lotusphere in a row - 2 time speaking. Being cocky as I generally am I actually sent in abstracts for sessions for the first Lotusphere I attended back in 2006. In hindsight I’m quite pleased that I didn’t get a session as I think it’s a good thing to experience Lotusphere before trying yourself out as a speaker at the event. I didn’t know what to expect but I remember it being totally different than expected. Not in a bad way by any means but the conference as a whole, the weather and the community – it was a very huge experience and one that I’ll cherish for a long time. Subsequent Lotuspheres has been different but never the same as that first one.

Why are you attending Lotusphere in 2009?
Well the company I’m with (Intravision) is in the showcase and I’m speaking in the Best Practices track about plug-in development for the Notes 8 platform (BP106 on Monday). I wouldn’t say that I would be ready to switch job if I didn’t get to go but Lotusphere is such a big part of my “Lotus year” that I wouldn’t miss it either way. I think I would have attended even if I hadn’t received the honors of presenting a session.

Community. No doubt about it. The community for Notes/Domino is very strong and most if not all of my network is virtual or based in the US. Going to Lotusphere allows me to hook up with people I otherwise would only meet at those rare European events or on the web - be that Twitter or bleedyellow.com Sametime.

Access. At Lotusphere you have access to all the right people whether they are from marketing or from product development. Whether to want to bitch about certain issues or commend the developers for doing a great job this is the spot to do it.

What has been your best experience of Lotusphere so far?
Being from Denmark, walking around in the sun in short sleeved shirts in January is a big thing…

Seriously – I think the opening general session with Neil Armstrong which gave me goosebumps and the first time I stood on stage just before having to present a session are among the highlights. Other than that putting faces to domain names, meeting people in person and just being able to walk up to the actual guys in charge and ask.

What has your organization gained most from your attendance at Lotusphere?
Insights and connections. The technical content can, with enough tenacity, be obtained elsewhere but the people present at Lotusphere are hard to come by any other place.

How about you personally?
Same as above.

What are you particularly looking forward to seeing or hearing at Lotusphere2009?
Everything new about Notes 8.5 including XPages which will revolutionize the way we develop web applications on the Domino platform. XPages is a welcome addition to our toolbox. Also getting up to speed on the new Lotus Expeditor features available for Notes 8.5 be that for sidebar development or composite applications.

It’s also going to be interesting to hear what the new general manager of Lotus thinks and what direction he’s going to steer the ship.

What would be your top tip to someone coming to Lotusphere for the first time this year?
Find out what your Lotusphere theme is to be – then make a plan for which sessions to attend and stick to it. Of cause some changes may be required but trust your agenda. Also remember that most sessions make the most sense if heard in their totality and when considered as a whole. If something feels wrong after 10 minutes it most probably is so stay and find out what’s missing. Just don’t get up and leave.

Oh – and wear some shoes fit for walking…

So, more advice on planning your agenda wisely (whether using the Notes session database or the paper-based schedule you receive when arriving at Lotusphere), and bring those walking shoes!  Thanks Mikkel.