2009 Software Industry Conference Wrap-Up
I returned from Boston last week after attending my first Software Industry Conference (SIC). In this post I wanted to share with you some general information about the conference, the buzz, and information about W3i’s participation to keep you up to date with what transpired.
General Information
- The conference was held at the Boston Marriot in Quincy from July 16th to July 18th.
- Attendance was down a bit with an estimated 200 attendees (attributed to the economy).
- Cost was only $269 at the door and as low as $229 if you registered early enough! The organizers aim to keep costs down so that even small publishers can afford to attend. The cost of admission includes a full conference pass, breakfast each day, food in the evening at events, and one luncheon.
- Though inexpensive, the conference is packed with things to keep you busy including educational sessions, exhibit night, networking events, and the Shareware Industry Awards.
The Buzz
- There was quite a bit of buzz around the topic of business models.
- Free and paid models were discussed including very innovative approaches at improving performance with both.
- The dominant model is definitely paid shared by participants and their service providers.
- Publishers were very focused on a paid only model and hadn’t considered a hybrid model, which would leverage both paid and ad-supported options.
- The hybrid model though may satisfy the greatest number of users. I found an article on how online music is being impacted by free ad-supported alternatives and I thought this was a great parallel to how publishers might want to consider hybrid models with downloadable software.
- I was excited to learn of a few publishers that were willing to participate in hybrid model trials to explore this further. This may include both high and low converting shareware titles mixed with the ad-supported solution offered by my company. I hope that we can complete these trials and share our findings at a future date through a subsequent blog post.
W3i’s Participation
- I gave a presentation titled “Increasing Your Bottom Line through Leveraging an Understanding of User Engagement”. In my presentation I highlighted suggestions and examples of how application publishers are improving user engagement from initial discovery all the way through the complete customer life cycle. By pleasing the user, you get the same benefits as if you just focused on revenue, only easier.
- My twin brother Rob spoke about How to Squeeze More Money from Your Apps in his presentation which detailed various business models.
- W3i announced a new product at the conference, 3quency, which aims to provide a better custom toolbar solution.
- W3i had a table at exhibit night which was the highlight of the trip for me. For 3 hours a room was filled with conference attendees. Here is a picture of me juggling in front of our table.
For any shareware providers interested in exploring a hybrid business model which includes ad-supported services provided by W3i, please contact us and we’ll discuss the details further.
I hope this wrap-up keeps you in the know and better yet drives you to attend next year’s conference in Dallas, which I hope to attend.
Ryan Weber, Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Co-Founder, W3i, LLC
Entrepreneur and pioneer of Internet marketing focusing on increasing revenue, distribution, and engagement for applications.
Find Out More on How W3i Can Grow Your Consumer App Business
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July 25th, 2009 at 9:15 am
I found the Software Industry Conference to be very informative as well. I ended up taking twenty pages of notes over the three days I was there. It is time for Windows applications to regain some of the buzz which has been taken from mobile applications and social applications.
February 12th, 2010 at 11:12 am
The 19th annual Software Industry Conference will be held this year in Dallas, Texas at the Hyatt Regency DFW, July 15-17, 2010. The conference runs each year from Thursday through Saturday. It is designed for both beginners and experienced Micro ISVs and internet marketers. At SIC you can go to sessions on current software and internet marketing topics, take part in web site and marketing tutorials, participate in networking opportunities, attend Exhibit Night, and mingle with your peers at the Gala Networking Dinner. For more information on the SIC visit their web site at: http://sic.org
Each year the conference sessions cover a wide variety of topics of prime importance to Micro ISVs, software entrepreneurs, and internet marketers. Imagine having your web site dissected by experts during a live critique. Get immediate answers to why your Buy Now button doesn’t convert! Looking for practical money saving tips on how to manage your Google Ad Words campaign? Confused about code signing? We offer sessions that cover these topics and many, many more. Exhibit Night gives you the opportunity to actually meet and discuss your service needs with leading industry suppliers..
If you are interested in speaking at the conference to an audience of hundreds of Micro ISVs, here is your chance. Use the link below to build and submit an abstract on the topic you want to speak about. Feel free to pass the PDF on to anyone you think might be interested in speaking at the conference.
http://sic.org/files/SIC-2010-Call_for_Papers.pdf
Don’t be left out! This is you chance to meet other Micro ISVs many of whom have been successfully building and marketing software since well before the internet appeared. If you are new to internet marketing this is your chance to learn all you can. If you are already an expert- meet other experts who have problems similar to your own. Most Micro ISVs work in isolation. This is your chance to network with your peers. Don’t miss it!