So Day 0 (precon) is wrapping up. Today I had an all day User Group summit with Adobe so I can’t really speak about specifics, however I can say Adobe is an very interesting company. By interesting I mean they actually give a damn about their users and community. Many think that since Adobe is a publicly traded company they only care about one thing, but that simply isn’t true. Of course the majority of today was under NDA like much of what is told to UG members . At the end of the day what I have been given is a look into how Adobe helps in promoting User Groups, how to gain more members and most of all, how to make engaging sessions that teach the members.

All of what I have learned today will benefit the Boston Flash Platform User Group (BFPUG) of which I am co-manager of, simply because I have been inspired by the Adobe evangelists and other UG members to create awesome meetings. It was also very cool to meet familiar faces from previous conferences and learn they are also fellow User Group Managers and Co-Managers.

Now I can’t go into specific changes or cool things to come for the meetings, I can say it will be a fun road.

Oh and I also would like to mention two final points. One, LA is full of traffic 24/7 and two, Adobe MAX kicks ass, make sure you make at least once. Its worth all the expense and you make it back in time.

Stay tuned for more MAX updates as the week progresses.

I will be at MAX this year, finally! Its been a long time trying to plan this trip out to LA and this year I actually get to attend. I’ll be sure to post my thoughts/comments about the sessions when I return.

Oh and on the topic of sessions, I have been invited to speak at MiniMax in Santa Monica on October 27th. If you are going to be in the area for Adobe MAX or just live in the area do stop by. While I can’t speak about specifics on my session I can say it will be all about Flash mobile development.

This will be my first time speaking so of course i’m going crazy planning and double-checking my material. I have to give great credit to speakers that have done this whole process for many years. I am told it actually does get easier on the mind… we shall see.

Speaking has of course been an interest of mine for some time and being invited is always a confidence boost.

Special thanks to Adam Bell of LAdobe for the opportunity.

Once I complete my session I will post the slides and source code for those that can’t attend. If its recorded (audio/video) i’ll be sure to provide a link as well.

Scary enough its that time of year again where I pack my bags for Las Vegas to meet up with friends and watch technology demos on new and upcoming technology at PhotoshopWorld West.

As usual I will post a recap once I return, but hopefully this trip I can post nightly or from my phone as I am learning about different things. Maybe even shoot some video and upload that as well. I know one thing I am looking forward to is the annual PhotoshopCafe photo walk with some of the most amazing people in the photography world.

If you will be at the show take a moment to stop by the PhotoshopCafe Booth and say hi, we have roughly 11 new titles covering various topics and i’m sure you will have a blast with us. The booth will even have some speakers where you can learn a thing or two live, on the floor.