Just before we put BoS 2012 tickets on sale – in the next day and pretty much as soon as Anna makes her way down from the top of Mount Washington – we thought we would share the feedback from last year's event.
(UPDATE, she made it and got back safely. Mountaineer Andersen is third from the right. Black jacket with yellow zippers. Sustained winds of 65mph. 88mph peak winds. Wind chill -38c. 10.5 hours of hiking, ice climbing and abseiling = one tired Anna.).
Instead of publishing all the lovely stuff people said – and thanks! – I wanted to take Jason Cohen's talk on honesty to heart and here is everything. We think we did pretty well, but we can do better and every year we will try. The main feedback that we want to act on this year is around food and content.
Quite a few people said they felt the food wasn't as good last year as in the previous year. We agree. Despite having the same supplier and a bigger budget, the breakfast wasn't as good as we expected. (Though we note that the spaceperson icecream was a hit, as was the noodle box lunch on the last day). This year, we have upgraded the venue and you should see some differences.
Not every business is a SaaS business. We know! A lot of the talks at BoS are about the human and cultural aspects of growing a world class business and the lessons from a lot of the talks should be applicable across lots of types of business. We want our speakers to represent a wider SaaS, Web, Enterprise Software, and mobile sectors from both consumer and B2B. We think that bringing great people in these communities together to share ideas is one of the most powerful things BoS can do.
Here is the full feedback from BoS 2011 delegates…
- “Excellent opportunity to sit back, away from day to day operations, and share the experiences of others & reflect on those.”
- “An essential conference for anyone or company, waiting to be or is already in the business of software.”
- “I was thoroughly and pleasantly surprised by the cooperative spirit and overall helpful nature of the delegates I met, toward a little 2-person basement-based company who sells their software for $7.50 CAD. And the scope of attendees – ven-cap funded to bookstrapped, hundreds of employees to 1-man shows, windows and web apps… everything!”
- “It was an enlightening good time!”
- “Another awesome year at BOS. It's like an annual shot in the arm to get me super energized about my industry”
- “Inspirational, would like to see more nuts and bolts for non store front, higher price sales.”
- “The conference was inspirational. I can't wait to get back and start implementing what I have learned – and it's a lot.”
- “Awesome conference. Will be back next year. Please don't let it grow too big….small is what keeps it cool!”
- “Awesomeness OD!”
- “Everyday we had actionable ideas that we can apply almost instantly to our business”
- “The event succeeded my expectations. The energy and good vibe from the presenters blew me away and we are really looking into adapting new practices we learnt.”
- “Please include vegetarian meal options next year.”
“Fantastic speakers combined with networking makes for great learning environment. Lots of stimulating content and thought provoking conversations.”
“Thanks for another great year.”
“Honestly? Senior management at Red Gate has been asking me "what do you want to do?"for the past 2 years and this conference has been part of the ________ that answered that question.”
“At tech conferences, at best I might walk away with new technology or tools to help my business. At BoS I walk away with ideas and actions that will fundamentally change the way that I approach my work.”
“The highest compliment I can give this conference is that I wasn't ready for it to end…I don't think I've ever been to a conference where that was the case.”
“A recharging and reinvigorating for my business.”
“Like drinking in an MBA from a firehoser”
“Great talks. Great people. Fantastic opportunities to exchange experiences”
“I would love to have a copy of slides from presenters. Maybe not possible, but I only have what I remember or wrote down. Not sure how to keep them from being public though. Great work on the conference.”
“Mandatory attendance if you are serious about building a software business. Indispensible advice and inspiration.”
“Freaking awesome job. It's an amazing conference.”
“TED for the real part of the software industry”
“Fantastic! I hope that it stays a small size like this so that the networking is easier.”
“Some of the talks were redundant. Makes me think that the conference should be two days not three. No more talks that are basically ads for the speaker's company. More talks that are slightly more technical. Create small groups to force people to meet and chat.”
“Unusual event that helps you to improve your business”
“One of the best avenues out there to understanding how to create great software companies. Kudos Red Gate!!”
“The quality of the personalities was consistently excellent this year”
“If you're running a software business you need to be at this conference”
“As a first time attendee I was amazed at the quality of almost all of the presentations. Even if they did not impact my role or company directly I was able to capture some great insight. Thanks for a terrific conference”
“Useful context switch”
“Workshops were much better this year. The band was fun.”
“Spa for nerds”
“Great thought provoking sessions. Great people to meet and learn from and learn ideas.”
“The place to be for people who run small, sustainable, software businesses”
“An opportunity every software person should take to see what they do in a totally new way.”
“The conference was amazing. I come from a music scene background, and before any big event, there was always a forum or somewhere where people would chat about the event, and get excited. It's also a great place to sort out room shares, carpools, or pre-plan meals, etc. I found that missing. Twitter just didn't cut it.”
“Love it. Thank you so much.”
“The only difference between the speakers & the audience is how eloquently they speak to a crowd.”
“This year wasn't so good – step it up… we think it's worth coming half way round the world for but this year it wasn't. Not everyone is building a SaaS web app…”
“Inspiring and better than I could ever have expected. The attendees are as interesting as the speakers”
“The networking opportunities at times equal or outweigh the incredible presentations and speakers in terms of value to a start up or existing entrepreneur”
“Could there be a way of sharing the session videos with those who paid for the conference sooner than the much appreciated but arguably slower roll out for the general public?”
“Phenomenal, the best conference I've attended, with the best attendees.”
“Great theme. Keep it up and make it just a little bit better every year”
“Days run kind of long. Workshops were good in theory not in execution. More speakers of Prof. Clayton calibre!”
“Good, interesting ideas to use in my business”
“See ya next year! Provided I don't drive myself broke over the next few months ;)”
“Thought provoking”
“How about linking folks together by company type (ERP, small web shop, company size and or age, etc.) or providing the info that we might link together ourselves. In an effort to encourage networking, how might we reward the best networker of the conference……. I found the conference helpful. Thank you.”
“Love the event. Will be back next year. Kudos on bringing a lot of talent in.”
“Lightning talks were better this year then previous years”
“Loved it guys. Great job and see you next year.”
“Great minds, good intentions, great inspiration from real people in software businesses.”
“Only just to re-iterate how good a conference it was. And to say thanks.”
“Speakers had a strong tendency to promote the SaaS model which does have its positive sides, but not everybody can go that way, depending on what your software actually does. I think the general view on things should become a little broader. Apart from that: Thanks for putting this up!”
“Fantastic conference. I leave with a ton of ideas and actions for making our business better.”
“"Best conference I've ever attended."“
“Fantastic! Inspiring! The only problem is that I had a lot to do. Now I have to do even more, but with some great guidelines.”
“Great content, excellent speakers, fantastic mix of topics”
“Disconnect from work to connect with people”
“Spread out the lightning talks throughout the day. Unless the conference is called "BoS presented by HubSpot", we don't need 3 HubSpot presentations.”
“Worthwhile. I hope to return. However the conference fell short of the extraordinarily high expectations. I felt a number of speakers had a number of useful remarks but did not organize them to deliver a clear strong, 'wow' statement.”
“Inspirational talks, meeting some of my heroes in person. Getting a break from my chores to do thinking on direction and strategy.”
“Get the push to get data driven and learn consumer psychology. But the awesome-est was to get pumped up that what I'm doing is on the right track and small software businesses can make the world suck less.”
“Thank you for bringing me here and inspiring me to keep pushing myself.”
“How about two words: entrepreneur recharge”
“Something I thought about on the plane. One of the value of BOS is the mindshare that happens. Could we have a group (linkedin or whatever) to bounce ideas off each others. It would be restricted to attendees and we could not have any sales-pitch in it. Would be a good way to keep riding this sharing wave that starts during the conference.”
“Schedule on the back of the ID was a little small to be useful. Some good ideas came out of the purple cows workshop towards networking at the event so talk to the guy who ran it.”
“A must for any exec in the software business”
“Create round table sessions for various topics so the attendees can meet and share ideas”
“An avalanche of thought provoking, insightful mind food. Very humbling.”
“Food was somehow disappointing”
“How to make happy customers”
“BoS teaches me exactly what I need to learn.”
“Got home with a big to-do list.”
“Energizing and eye opening”
“Loved it… Brought 3 people with me… Coming again next year”
“Inspirational to-do list”
“The speakers are very genuine. The attendees are all very engaged, friendly, and open. This is the best conference I've ever attended”
“You have given me what I need to finally get my startup moving. “
“Big ideas. Need to change thinking process and apply to our business.”
“Inspirational and promo for HubSpot”
“Not as good as previous”
“awesome list of presenters this year!”
“Get Joel Spolski back! And change the venue to somewhere new.”
“Very rare opportunity to be amongst my people. Wonderful break from day to day operations to think big thoughts”
“Love the conference. Can't wait for next year.”
“I liked the mix of topics and speakers”
“More bottle water. Workshop sign up was not good. Too many emails with technical issues. Maybe shorten speeches. 9AM to 6PM makes it for a long day of sitting.”
“Great speakers as always. Maybe get a few new people for next year but really great presentation overall.”
“Opportunity to think differently. Think of the possibilities.”
“The workshops could maybe be a bit longer. That might mean a longer conference, but I think at least a bit more time would provide a more in depth experience in the workshops.”
“This is the best conference I've ever attended. Nice work!!!”
“Epic.”
“Really great job. Thank you so much for having us! :)”
“BoS is a gathering of engaged, like minded people who freely share ideas to encourage innovation & promote success in the software industry”
“Please exchange hard copy books for ebooks. Very difficult to travel with. Where is Joel?? This is my 3rd time at BOS. Have been a big fan – not so much this year!”
“Presenters hawking their own goods”
“Truly awesome experience.”
“Nice job.”
“Excellent organization, content and speakers. Good enough to make me fill out one of these cards and that makes good”
“The location was good. Boston is a great place.”
“Can the people who present be filtered a little more for ability to present their topics? Nearly all presenters present really well, and therefore I absorb more content. Some presenters don't present so well. I didn't get a whole lot from those, but I know it was good content.”
“The smartest people in the business presenting their wisdom, humbly and genuinely. Just awesome!”
“I said it last year and I'll say it again. This is by far the best conference I've been to! Thank you guys!”
“Food is ok, but would love more protein (especially at breakfast) — way too carb focused (muffins, pasta, sandwiches and dessert). The second day lunch was perfect (salad and chicken, carbs were an optional side). More green and fibrous vegetables instead starchy ones. You always knock it out of the ballpark with the break snacks — the "ice cream" and soda were great touches. I liked the lunch box as well. Also, I have been coming for 3 years, and I just skipped the workshops this time. I heard from many that they didn't get much out of them. I don't know how to fix them, but 1. They are each too crowded 2. If they have a lead — it should be more planned out 3. Hands-on work is probably better than free-form discussion. How about take a page from #suckless and do something — brainstorm beforehand, plan it out and then do the work in two sessions. Shine light on something — take stats — show progress and reach. Or — a competition — create information product in session 1, make website and promote it. Most sales wins. Get lulu or someone like that to sponsor. Proceeds to charity — winning team gets to plan the workshop for BoS 2013.”
“The food was quite poor. Food options were very quick. People at registration are awesome!”
“Keep up the good work. I think Mark is doing a really good job :)”
“You should have asked "What was the best part of the conference for you?". For me, this was asking other attendees about specific challenges or topics in my business and how they've addressed them. I also enjoyed talking with others about their issues. Food was great. No need to drop the price IMHO. I like relatively expensive conferences because people literally invest in coming to them so the attendee quality is high. But early bird pricing is still great 🙂 NICE WORK!”
“This survey should be done online and available at the beginning of the conference.”
“Like TED but for software entrepreneurs”
“Meeting some inspirational people and realizing they're just the same as the rest of us.”
“Injecting inspiration back into your business.”
“Like an eating contest, except with ideas. Awesome! Amazing community, but the key is to DO!”
“Excellent speakers + really smart attendees = incredible conference”
“Meeting the people you see online. People from all over the world who are trying to think like you. It's like a highlight from a year spent at a university that does not exist yet.”
“You guys did a great job. I had very high expectations based on the videos of prior speakers. BoS2011 was everything I was hoping for”
“One of the best decisions I ever made was to come to BoS”
“Programers+technology+business+mission=a great unique conference”
“Cohen's talk on honesty early in day 1 set the stage for the following presentations and conversations. I recommend starting each day with something similar.”
“Great content. Great attitude.”
“I wouldn't mind helping out in some way next year. ie: speaking, doing a workshop, helping to organize something, etc. I live outside of Boston, which makes travel for me easy enough. Great conference though.”
“Continues to be the single best "business" "experience" I have each year. Outstanding!”
“The conference is an amazing global community of passionate entrepreneurs willing to share their experiences and capitalize on the knowledge of the pioneers and gurus who have preceeded them.”
“Highest quality sessions with actionable advice of any conference I have ever been to do.”
“Insanely great software (and business) conference. "Nuff said!"“
“The conference provided excellent content that can be applied immediately. The forum is the best for networking with peers who have the same ideas and problems.”
“Made us thinking of new ideas and convinced us to adopt them.”
“An insightful, energizing, emotional. Awesome.”
“This is a conference where the content is as great as the people.”
“We are not B2B, or B2C We are H2H”
“I must find my Tuva”
“Splendid decision to include John Nese – brilliant choice. Great content generally and very helpful to my business (a desktop software company).”
“Very SaaS and very small scale. What about mature software companies? You should have more for us.”
“Running till 6PM from 9AM is too long. You should have more breakout/workshop sessions compared with Constax (???) Exec Forum in Seattle.”
“Love your shirts.”
“You probably have plans to grow the event's participation. I've seen other events become less useful when they go over the ~500 participation mark. There are ways around that — maybe having tracks / different venues — to maintain the 'cosy' feeling”
“The forum to talk with others passionate about improving software and making the world a better place”
“More info needed about workshops so you can make a better decision on which to attend”
“Faster access on the website to the speakers would be appreciated to refresh my memory and allow me to discuss with coworkers. Mark did a SPECTACULAR job! Band was good too! AWESOME conference…well worth the money!”
“Nerds learning how to do business with other human beings.”
“It would be really good to have more electrical plugs for laptops. Workshops were mediocre again. I would like to hear more about creating and modifying company culture, firing vs. trying to turn people around”
“I'm not worried about my sales funnel, I'm worried about this new idea funnel I have to manage thanks to this conference”
“Well done to the organazing team and Mark!”
“Thought provoking, high-paced talks by people who have actually done real shit, attended by interesting people you're happy to meet”
“Networking is important, but coming to BoS w/my team has been really fantastic. Relating our business to the talks is the best.”
“If you're thinking about going to #BOS2012 #JFDI”
“Keep up the good work! The value from this conference is phenomenal. It would also be good if the BoS leaders could identify an event between the two Octobers which people can consider attending. It doesn't have to be a BoS event, but something along the same lines which would get us out of the day to day and have a semi-annual checkpoint.”
“We have been searching for a conference or association that supports the startup commercialization and growth of software business. I have finally found exactly what we and other ISV's need.”
“A great experience…Not just the speakers but the pure connections are phenomenal”
“Thank you so much for the amazing opportunity! I'm excited by events like these and the ideas I take from them, inspired by the connections I make, and motivated to do great work in the industry I love.”
“Kind of like asking about my best orgasm. Amazing content from the speakers, great table conversations, and some solid take aways”
“Mark, you did a fantastic job this year. You pulled it together and kudos. I would like to see better breakfasts (traditional eggs, meat, etc.). Nicely done all around.”
“I signed up based on the speakers and content. I leave with the inspiration to build better software and engage with customers. I will be back next year.”
“Great, friendly people. Want to have more time to network.”
“Great idea to ask participants to exchange about each other as introverts really need some external force to start communicating”
“As a technical software geek, I don't really care if people talk about how to do desktop/mobile/enterprise software – I'm interested in the non-technical "softer" stuff. The stuff that is nebulous, isn't any specific shape and that you can't wrap you hands around – that is innovation, creativity, marketing, sales, persuasion, perception (great talk this year), anything that you can't nail down is interesting because I've been too interested in technical stuff that I could nail down when I should have interested in the soft skills that seem boring (marketing and sales can be interesting, but lets face it most geeks think its pants).”
“Mindblowing and inspirational talks. Now #JFDI”
“All the ideas I need to keep improving for the next 12 months”
“If you're hungry for stories, BoS is where to go”
“The workshops were stellar, consider adding more OR having the same offered at different times. There were several that I wanted to participate in, but had to choose which ones I thought would solve an immediate need. However, having the same ones offered multiple times would allow delegates to attend more than one.”
“An avalanche of actionable knowledge”
“This was my first BOS, and I thought it was a great event. What I liked most was that even though it was a software conference there was very little talk about technology or front/back-end development. I've attended numerous conferences where I had a nice time "talking shop" but didn't leave with anything new to think about or unique experiences to remember. The fact that BOS focuses on *the business* is what makes it such a great event.”
“Head Exploded”
“The 24 hour long 500 mile drive and 3 flights was totally worth it! I would do it again without thinking!”
“I heard that next year will not be at Seaport because you'll be using a larger venue. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T MAKE TOO BIG. One really nice thing about the size of BoS was that you can have an opening night reception or open-bar event which isn't overwhelming.”
“It makes you think that the rest is up to you.”
“Great conference, I bring my entire Exec. Team, then we meet afterwards to discuss.”
“Software is more than SaaS and these sectors were under represented”
“The highest praise I can give this conference is that I wasn't ready for it to end… I am still hungry for more!”
“Keep it small and keep vendor exhibits away.”
“This was one the best conference I ever attended. I really liked the emphasis on human, face to face conversations – I still think it's amazing to achieve this with such a high ratio of introverts in a conference. I think the conference is about the right size – I really like the single track approach, and the focus on high quality speakers – it's also great to have speakers in the room interact with the crowd and not just staying there for their talks. The location in Boston is really convenient (I flew in from France) – the airport is close, and the Hotel was really great”