Last year, it was my privilege to be a part of the team that brought a new conference to the Mid-Atlantic, the Mid-Atlantic Developer Expo (or MADExpo for short). The conference was born of many conversations and discussions in the community from folks wanting to do something a little bigger and bolder than some of the usual events we were used to. So I, Steve Bodnar, Steve Presley, Kevin Griffin, Sara Faatz. Kevin Hazzard, Pete Brown, Rich Dudley, and a team of volunteers planned and executed the first event last summer.

Why We Did It

Our goal was to create a fun and informative conference with some unique aspects. We included a full-day kids conference called MadKidz, run by Kevin Hazzard (with help from his family), which was a big hit. We included a dedicated room for hardware and NUI demonstrations, featuring a local FIRST robotics team, Chiptunes demo, Kinect and Surface demonstrations, the founder of Secret Labs, maker of Netduino, and all the geeky toys Pete Brown could pack into one table.

We had a keynote by Jeff Prosise, a Wintellect co-founder, on his passion for radio controlled flying, including a 1/6th-scale F-16 onstage. We brought folks to one of the finest facilities on the east coast, the Hampton Roads Convention Center, in the heart of Virginia’s Tidewater, a short drive from the beach, theme parks, and all the history you could want for a summer vacation. And with the assistance of great sponsors, we kept it affordable enough that just about anyone could come.

And now, it’s time to do it all over again.

Announcing MADExpo 2012

I’m pleased to announce that the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Developer Expo will be held from June 27th-29th, 2012 at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton Roads, VA. That’s right…we’re adding a third day to make sure we can pack in more content, including repeated sessions so that attendees won’t have to miss out when there’s more than one session they want to see in the same time slot.

Call for Speakers

Speaking of sessions…now’s the time to get yours in. The Call for Speakers for MADExpo 2012 is officially open. Simply visit http://madexpo.us/speakers, and click the link at the top of the page to submit your session (you’ll need to create an account if you didn’t already do so last year). As was the case last year, the conference is open to all technologies that software developers, hardware hackers, and geeks in general would be interested in. The list below is provided to give you some guidance, but if you have an idea that’s not on the list, please submit it anyway. You never know, yours might be the next great keynote idea (our day 2 keynote last year, by James Ashley, was originally submitted as a breakout talk).

• Web Development
  • Database Development
    • Client Development
      • Mobile Development
        • Cloud Development
          • Hardware Hacking and Microcontroller Programming
            • Natural User Interface (NUI) Development
              • Agile Methodologies
                • Best Practices
                  • Open Source Development
                    • Beginner Topics
                      • Robotics
                        • Portal and Content Management System administration and development
                          • Infrastructure management and development

                            • UX/UI and Design

                              • Soft Skills
                              The Call for Speakers will remain open until mid-March, but don’t wait to submit your sessions, as you’ll want to be first in line to get your sessions selected!

                            We are asking potential speakers to submit several sessions, with the goal being that each selected speaker will do at least 2 talks over the 3-day conference (with each talk potentially being repeated to allow attendees two chances to see the session). Both beginners and experienced speakers are welcome. If you’ve got something cool to talk about, we want to hear from you. And if you only have one session to submit, that’s fine, too. 2 talks per speaker is a goal, not a hard and fast rule. This is all about having great content, and making it worth your time and travel as a speaker. Speakers will receive a free pass to the conference, and an opportunity to share their knowledge with their peers from the Mid-Atlantic and beyond.

                            If you have questions, feel free to drop an email to info@madexpo.us.

                            I’m excited to see things moving forward for this year’s MADExpo, and can’t wait to see all the great session ideas!