Once again I thought this was one of the best TechWaves in years. Better than last year's, which was good. Having my laptop crash on me when I'm scheduled to do four sessions wasn't pleasant and took the edge off of it for me. Otherwise, it might have been a real blast.

Location - I'm still not a big fan of Las Vegas, but the Mandalay Bay was a great place to hold the event. I can't believe I've stayed there twice and still haven't been in the wave pool. All the same, I'm looking forward to next year's East Coast location. However, I'd still really like to see the date and location of the next TechWave announced sometime during the current one (perhaps toward the end of the event). It would get people excited about next year's event while they're still excited about this year. Sybase should open the call for papers at the end of this year's TechWave as well.

Technical Breakouts - I didn't see many besides my own. From what I did see, reducing the number and focusing on quality did improve attendance.

Keynotes - For the first time in a long time the sessions were held on time and for a reasonable duration! More plenaries held simultaneously was a great improvement. The only thing I would suggest changing is prerecording the "panel" type portions of the keynotes and intermixing them with video to liven them up.

Special Event - From what I heard, the special event was much better than last year. This time it really was a "special" event. I'd still like to see something a bit more family-oriented (and cheaper).

Exhibit Hall - They did a great job of holding many events in the Exhibit Hall; it seemed to go well.

Webcasts - The recording of the keynotes and plenary sessions once again was a real plus. I didn't see any recording of the technical sessions though. I would have liked to have seen that again this year.

ISUG Enhancements Sessions / Meeting - There was good attendance and great involvement, probably mostly due to the timing in the schedule. Let's keep it that way for next year.

Strut Your Stuff - I would still like to see more of this. They had a video contest this year, but there didn't seem to be a whole lot of entries. But if they did have more entires, I'd like to have seen the voting handled more "American Idol" style (not that I've actually watched "American Idol"). Have people text in their votes (which they did have them do), but show the tally live and changing constantly as the votes come in. They should put together a Sybase-based solution that makes it possible and show it off.

Video Contest - I thought it was a great idea, but it was announced too late for many people to participate. Let's do it again but give folks a bit more notice.

One Odd Note - Given their focus on the "unwired enterprise" and their new "Sybase Unwired Platform," I was surprised that I didn't see the new platform getting much push other than a mention during the keynote. Not that I actually want the thing thrown in my face, but I was rather expecting it. Having expected it, and then got what I really wanted (little mention of it) was a bit of a stunner. Perhaps they realize that while it might bring in new customers, a large bulk of their existing customers don't have a use for it.