Cool a Conference

I attend a lot of industry conferences throughout the year, and I still maintain that Newburyport would be a damn fine site for one.

We're short one one crucial element - lodging. But the city could still comfortably host a regional or local that could draw 100 or so people.

The Firehouse. The Phoenix Room. Mission Oak Grill. They could all host elements of the conference. Attendees, given ample time, could roam from session to session while enjoying the fresh air and sites and sounds of  our downtown.

Nightly events could include a sail on the Ninth Wave, a harbor cruise or a nice meal and walk around town.

So I was intrigued this afternoon when I saw a number of people walking the downtown with the familiar lanyards and nametags dangling around their necks. The name tags, sports coats and cell phones screamed conference attendee and lo and behold we are hosting one at this very moment.

Firebrand, a local IT company, is hosting the event. So while we're not drawing out of town sponsors, hopefully we're bringing in some out of town guests.

Firebrand Community Conference 2010 - Powered by RegOnline