Tridion Developer Summit 2016

Congratulations to Robert Curlette, the sponsors, and fellow presenters on another successful Tridion Developer Summit (TDS) 2016!

I want to share some quick observations as a presenter and fellow attendee as well as advice to those wanting to present or represent a vendor or partner. Oh and there'll be pictures at the end.

Context Matters, Especially for Developers

Tridionauts really love their IDEs. From DD4T to Alchemy GUI extensions to XView templating, implementers will find ways to do everything in their IDE of choice. Call our own Content Delivery API? Nope, they'll wrap it in DD4T. XML Configuration? Nope, they'll do that in a class in Alchemy (intellisense ftw!). Individual Template Building Blocks? Nope, instead maybe create a single Template Building Block (TBB) with the logic in its own MVC application in the Content Manager (TOM.NET) and call it XView.

By the way, our own DXA in Azure appeals this type of persona. As much as Tridionauts like Tridion, I see the work in these projects supporting the idea that Web developers want to develop. The product, extensions, and community work to make that easy.

Trust the Brand Defenders

When Tridionauts ask specific questions during a presentation, it means they're paying attention and want to engage. It's a way of "paying you respect for presenting" (thanks, Ingmar). Don't hesitate to acknowledge the remark, discuss it a bit, and nod knowingly before continuing a presentation.

You can also count on Tridionauts to validate some odd historical trivia or even make a song about some new feature like Topology Manager. Really!

What happens when Tridion Brand Defenders encounter the 5 Stages of Tridion Grief?
They bust out a song. All that was missing was a bouncing ball for the audience to join in.

Representing or Presenting? Transparency Helps.

It's inspiring and maybe even a little intimidating meeting Tridionauts that care that much about your product. Being open, listening, and sharing in that enthusiasm goes a long way. If you're presenting at such an event or have to represent a sponsor, recognizing that passion and being open about what you know (or even don't know) will help you enjoy the energy in the sessions and even answer a hard question or two.

And with that, good job and thanks to my colleagues that were able to present or attend. Here are those pics I promised.

My colleague Nafiseh explaining where we are and where we strive to be in terms of product management. 

Bart Koopman, playing the opening crawl of his DXA presentation.

Time for a selfie with Dominic Cronin.

You never know what people are going to do with your product (or marketing give-aways). Except this. Jonathan Williams must have seen this coming. Rawr!

Product Management for SDL Web. We're all "PMs for Web," each with a different focus for now. 

Hope to see you at the next event!