0kay Dave, I'll make an attempt to cover the highlights. First of all, nobody cares about how you dress. If you are arriving on Sunday before the seminars begin on Monday, I suggest that you avoid the Monday morning rush and register Sunday afternoon. It should take you less than 2 or 3 minutes on Sunday afternoon but could take much longer the next morning.
If your duties primarily pertain to HP-UX, I urge you to consider
either Seminar 1 (what's come to be known as the 'Bill & Dave Show') or Seminar 2 with Stephen Ciullo. I usually alternate between those each year and I never fail to learn something new. If you attend Stephen Ciullo's session, a very good question to ask is "How do I kill a zombie?". He really likes that question.
My favorite sessions tend to be the roundtables and panel discussions especially when the discourse gets rather intense.
I also urge you to consider attending a few sessions that you might not normally consider. For example, if you consider yourself a techie type then it's good to attend a few management sessions; the converse is equally encouraged.
It's good at times to hear from management types what they expect and it's good to let them know what techie's expect and like as well. It's especially good to be able to hear and voice these issues in a 'safe' environment.
Unlike many symposia, you can almost always squeeze into any session; there may be standing room only but usually in that case another session can be scheduled at a later time.
The Expo itself is usually fun and informative at the same time. That is usually one of the few places that you can actually see divers equipment brands connected to HP boxes. The little booth in which you get to grab money was a big hit last year; I hope it's back.
You should plan to attend at least the Opening Keynote session; I'll admit it's a bit of an HP Pep Rally but you do tend to learn about future company trends.
Go to the parties and receptions; you will meet your peers from around the world.
One of my favorite aspects of HPWorld is that it is not an HP function but rather an Interex function. There is a lot to be said for a show that's managed by what is essentially a user's group. When you see Interex Board members be sure to let them know what you like aboutt this year's HPWorld and what you don't; they really appreciate that kind of feedback.
I'm sure that there are others who are much more eloquent than I who can add to this.
Regards, Clay
If it ain't broke, I can fix that.
