My Session Picks for Adobe MAX 2010

Posted At : October 6, 2010 1:30 PM | Posted By : Leif Wells
Related Categories: Adobe, MAX

Let's face it: you won't see me in a lot of sessions at MAX. Where you'll find me is on the show floor in the Community Lounge recording episodes of the RIA Radio podcast (please drop by and say hello). But if I were able to attend sessions like a normal MAX attendee, this is what I would think I would chose. I should reveal here that I am writing this up for selfish reasons. I really want to have this list so that I can watch the videos of these sessions from the comfort of my home. Seeing how I can't attend many and even if I did I would need to choose only one of many sessions in a time slot, making this list now will help me remember to watch Adobe TV in the future.

Every year I try to remind everyone that if you attend MAX and only go to sessions, you're probably only getting one tenth of the value of the conference. I think adding to the professional connections in your life can really have a big impact on your career. Try this: make a point of meeting at least two people every day. Lunch time is a great time to do that. Sit at a table where you don't know a single person and introduce yourself around. Make it casual. Ask people what they think of the conference so far and what sessions they were looking forward to.

Speakers: if this list doesn't mention your session or doesn't mention you by name, sorry. Don't take it personally. Choosing sessions made difficult by the many talented speakers every time slot. Consider this an opportunity to pitch your session to the masses.

And remember that these picks are my personal picks based on what I want to see. Feel free to pick your own set of sessions using the MAX Session Scheduler.

Take a look at the MAX Session Scheduler and read along with me:

Monday

9:30AM: The general sessions at MAX tend to be really good (unless they allow the CEO of a recently purchased company drone on and on) so don't miss any of them. The MAX Scheduler says that the title of "Welcome to the Revolution." I hope to see a lot of really cool and exciting things in this session, the least of which will be new devices like the Samsung Tab device.

2:00PM: After lunch, the choices that spark my interests are: "Deep Dive into Flash Player Rendering," "HP Innovation: Reinventing How Adobe Professionals Work" and "HTML5: Half-baked, Baked, or Ready for the Table?" Stephanie Sullivan's HTML5 session edges the others out because she's always a good presenter (No pressure, Steph!), but I am interested in what Lee Thomason has to say about the Flash Player.

3:30PM: I am excited for the "Flash Platform for TV: A New Ecosystem" session which I am sure will be hot if discussed in the morning's General Session. Google TV sounds like an exciting area of growth in which people are already creating companies to take advantage of the opportunities this platform will provide. If that session is full (and, trust me, it probably will be) the next session on the list (and the one I would probably attend anyway) is Terry Ryan's "Multiple Screens, One Server." I've been using Flex with ColdFusion a lot these days, so gaining more insight on how I can leverage what I know to be used with other devices will be extremely helpful.

5:00PM: I think the winning session of this time slot has to be Chris Griffith's "Creating Compelling Mobile User Experiences: What You Need to Know." Chris is a smart guy who is ready to hit you with the knowledge. Also interesting is "How to Develop AIR for TV Applications." (Are you seeing a theme here?)

Meet the Teams: I always find the Meet the Teams sessions a bit maddening. All I can do is ask you: Don't be that guy who complains to the team for 30 minutes about a bug and doesn't give anyone else a chance to ask any other questions. It might be better to talk with them afterwards. Making a personal connection might assist in creating change better than making awkward moments. At least that has been my experience.

Tuesday

8:30AM: Tuesday starts with regular sessions, and what a tough slot that is. I expect to hear snoring in some of these sessions (but at least they're attending. Wednesday morning, many will be snoring in their hotel rooms instead of in sessions). Renaun Erickson's "How to Build Great Mobile Games using AIR for Android" is my top pick but only because I've seen James Polanco and Aaron Pedersen's "Flex Component Development" session before. If you are a Flex developer and want to get the low-down on components, these guys will fill your head with goodness.

10:00AM: Tuesday's General Session is titled "User Experience: the Next Generation," which I think may be Star Trek-themed like the Sneak Peeks session later in the day, should be good.

1:30PM: "Streamlining Development Processes with Powerful Tools from the Flex Ecosystem" has caught my eye, especially with all the presenters: Jerry Dietrich, Heidi Williams, Mark Piller, David Boswell, & Adam Christian.

3:00PM: While "Building Language Learning Tools with Flash Catalyst, Flash Builder, and Flash Media Server" looks very interesting, the "Magazine Design in the Brave New World of Digital Devices" session wins my attention. I have several clients interested in this technology and need to get a firsthand look at it while learning from the experiences that folks at Adobe, Wired Magazine, the New York Time, Martha Stewart and Gartner have had using this technology.

5:00PM: It's Renaun Erickson to the rescue again this time with David Knight and "Developing Well-Behaved Android Applications using Adobe AIR." But if mobile isn't your thing, take a look at the RJ Owen and Juan Sanchez session "Screens of Possibility: Pushing Multiscreen Experiences with Spark and Flex."

6:00PM: If you miss Sneak Peeks, you're an idiot. Period. What were you thinking? Ugh.

Wednesday

8:00AM: Don't tell me you're burned out or hung over! First sessions on the final day of a conference are just as good as all the others! I'd pick "Deep Dive into Mobile Development with the Flex SDK" with Glenn Ruehle and Chiedo Acholonu. The "Deconstructing the HTML5 Mobile Development Workflow" session is also attractive.

9:30AM: While I am interested in "FlexPMD: Your Canary in a Coal Mine" I'll have to say this "Designer-Developer Workflow Panel" session is compelling. HEY! I'm in that session! DOH!

11:00AM: Once the fire department gets all the tear gas out of the convention center after our panel, "Creating Testable Flex Applications" with Digital Primates Michael Labriola and Jeff Tapper would be my second choice only because I've seen them do this presentation. "Rapidly Building Flex RIAs with Spring BlazeDS Integration and Spring Roo" with Jeremy Grelle gets the nod here.

1:30PM: If you missed Lee Brimelow's "Flash, Flex, HTML5: Ouch, My Head Hurts!" session earlier in the week, here's your last chance to see it. Be warned: This session may be clothing optional. Second choice: "Performance Tips and Tricks for Flex and Flash Development"

3:30PM: "RIA Design and Development Workflow Examined" is the best choice here because the lovely and talented Michelle Yaiser will be presenting with that troll, Leif Wells. Sadly, it looks like more people have signed up for "Flex/ActionScript 3.0 Architecture and Dependency Injection Frameworks Overview." Drat.

5:00PM: The "Creating Assets for Mobile Component Skins with Flash Catalyst "Panini" session looks interesting because I seldom get to see Serge Jespers present. Everyone is excited about the "New 3D Features for Flash" session that it is already full. Also interesting: "Designing PDF Portfolio Layouts with Flash Builder 4"

I hope this list compels you to visit the MAX scheduler and fill out your schedule. And please, no wagering.