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FEATURE

XDC 2014

Las Vegas Conference Hits the Jackpot

Issue: 12.3 (May/June 2014)
Author: Marc Zeedar
Author Bio: Marc taught himself programming in high school when he bought his first computer but had no money for software. He's had fun learning ever since.
Article Description: No description available.
Article Length (in bytes): 48,699
Starting Page Number: 26
Article Number: 12306
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Excerpt of article text...

I really like the way the annual Xojo Developer's Conference has been been held in different parts of the country these last few years. While it's clearly easier from a production standpoint to have it in the same place every year, it gets repetitive for us attendees.

This year Xojo developers from all around the world traveled to Las Vegas. It was the first time XDC has been held there, so that alone made for a fresh experience. It was also the biggest conference ever, with attendance up 16%, and the highest number of first-timers. People came from 14 countries, so it was a terrifically diverse group. There were 38 sessions, and I was pleased to see that many were brand new, so it wasn't just a repeat of last year's conference in Orlando.

Since I live on the West Coast (near Portland, Oregon), getting to Vegas was a much shorter trip than going to Florida, and the accommodations and costs were less expensive. However, Vegas has a different atmosphere and focus than other cities where the conference has been held. Disney World was similarly touristy, but not in such an adult fashion.

For instance, we had a family-friendly bowling night in Orlando, and some people went miniature golfing or went to Disney World. In Vegas there were concerts and shows, but nothing the conference could do as a group, so that wasn't quite as fun. If you aren't into gambling, Vegas can be a little boring. (Though one attendee apparently did well enough at the poker tables to pay for his whole trip!)

It probably would have been more interesting if I hadn't scheduled my trip so tightly—I arrived late the night before and left Friday evening, right after the conference finished. In fact, since our Vegas hotel was so large and included multiple restaurants, we didn't even leave the hotel. I never even saw outside except for the shuttle bus ride to and from the airport!

While there's nothing wrong with being business-focused, it does add to the stress of an event like this. In the future I'm going to plan an extra day or two of vacation around the conference. Having a little fun relaxes the mind and helps you enjoy the work parts of the trip.

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