[xplorer˛] — ESWC 2009 @ Berlin
home » blog » 6 December 2009
 

Writing and selling software with the shareware model (aka try before you buy) is a lonely business. There are many one-man-shows like myself and each year we make a pilgrimage to some preordained watering hole for fun and profit. For convenience there's the american version (SIC) which was first, then followed the european version (ESWC), and there are some others further east (ISDEF etc).

Geographically I belong to europe so ESWC is my natural destination. I've been to most of them since 2003 held in various places like Cologne, Strasburg, Brussels, Cambridge and now Berlin. As the winner of the epsilon award I get to go for free even!

Everyone in shareware must go to one of these (and join the ASP too). You learn a lot about selling which is quite different to what developers normally do. Of course after a few years, you've heard about most of sale techniques already, so going to the conference is mostly a habit for meeting old friends and networking to new ones. And there's the sightseeing too, although most of the time we spend inside pubs and bars <g>

All big european cities are interesting but I was well impressed with Berlin. It has the proverbial "je ne sais qui" appeal to it. It is visually stunning in architecture, bauhaus clashing with old east germany. In particular I was amazed with the music scene, all my jazz heroes were playing that weekend (I didn't manage to see any of them but that's another story). I must take at least a weekly break and revisit Berlin properly. (Contrast that to last SIC held in a hotel in the middle of nowhere and we were basically prisoners with Boston only a few miles away, Karahalios what were you thinking? :)

Here are a few sample pictures from the conference and the magnificent Berlin. Wish you were here!
berlin pictures

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