ESILUG: FAQ

ESILUG FAQ
Schedule
E-mail List
Presentations
Contacts
History

Contents of This Page

About ESILUG
ESILUG Meetings
Speakers
Meeting Sponsors

1. About ESILUG

a. What is ESILUG?: ESILUG is the Enterprise Server Integration Local User Group, the Encompass chapter in the Washington, DC, area.
b. What is Encompass?: Encompass is HP's largest user group, focusing on HP business technologies.
c. What does ESILUG do?: Primarily, ESILUG holds face-to-face meetings throughout the year, bringing together peers for reliable, practical, technical information about HP business technologies and related subjects.
d. Who participates in ESILUG?: ESILUG participants, like Encompass participants in general, are experienced technologists, responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining complex IT systems. They are often the chief influencers of IT decisions in their organizations, the ones who advise the organization's management on IT matters. They need practical, reliable information that's free of hype.
e. Who's allowed to attend ESILUG meetings?: Anyone who's seeking to learn or share practical, reliable information relating to HP's business technologies is welcome to attend.
f. What is ESILUG's history?: The ESILUG History page offers highlights of ESILUG's history.

2. ESILUG Meetings

ESILUG asks that attendees register for meetings. This helps us accurately judge the food, beverage, and seating requirements. Meeting announcements will include a registration link.

b. What happens at ESILUG meetings?

Typically, ESILUG meetings run from 1:00-4:00. The usual schedule runs like this:

1:00 Welcome and news
1:15 First speaker
2:30 Mid-meeting break
2:45 Second speaker
4:00 Adjourn

c. Where does ESILUG meet?

ESILUG's new meeting venue (as of 2008) is at the HP Bethesda facility. HP's directions to the Bethesda office are available.

d. How can I find out about future ESILUG meetings?

ESILUG's meetings are announced on the ESILUG-LIST mailing list, and on the ESILUG web site.

e. Can I get presentations from past ESILUG meetings?

Yes. Many speakers have generously made their presentations available to ESILUG on the ESILUG Presentations page.

f. What about job opportunities?

At the beginning of the meeting, or during a break, ESILUG attendees may announce that they are seeking employment or that they have positions available. Please keep the announcements brief, and invite interested parties to talk to you offline. Principals only, please: This is not a venue for recruiters; it's an opportunity for ESILUG participants to network with their peers.

3. Speakers

a. What sorts of presentations does ESILUG seek?

ESILUG participants want solid technical information and practical advice that will help them solve their technical challenges better. Focus on What It Is, What It Does, How it Works. Describe best practices. Give a case study. Provide an overview of a new or complicated technology for those who need to learn more. Give a "deep dive" on a technical subject. Any of these is likely to appeal to the ESILUG audience.

b. What are the most popular topic areas?

The topic areas that are generally of interest to ESILUG participants include:

HP's operating systems: OpenVMS, HP-UX, Tru64 UNIX
Other operating systems that run on HP servers: Linux, Windows
HP servers
Security
Storage
Networks
Business continuity, high availability, disaster recovery

c. What should be omitted from presentations at ESILUG meetings?

Don't use ESILUG meetings for marketing purposes. Don't use ESILUG meetings to bash the products, services, or pricing of your competitors.

d. What sorts of speakers does ESILUG seek?

The best speakers are those who know how to address a technical audience and answer their questions. The best speakers are either the "horse's mouth" speaker (someone very familiar with the design and implementation of the technology being discussed) or the "been there, done that" speaker (someone who has had to design, implement, or manage the technology under discussion).

e. Whom do I contact if I'd like to speak at an ESILUG meeting?

Please see the ESILUG Contacts page.

f. I'd like to describe my company's products and services.

Please be careful in discussing your company's products and services during your presentation. ESILUG meetings are not sales or marketing events for your company. Keep your discussions technical. Impress the attendees with your technical chops, not by trying to bash your competitors or by telling attendees why they should buy your products. If you'd be there to educate your existing customers or the general IT population, let's talk. If you'd be there mostly to win new customers, we're probably not interested. That said, you're of course free to have off-line discussions with individual attendees who request further info from you.

g. What do I need to do as a speaker?

Make sure you can commit to the meeting date. If you're likely to be pre-empted by other activities, please let us know as soon as possible so we can work something out.
At least a month ahead of time, provide a brief abstract and speaker bio (guideline: <150 words each) so they can be used in meeting announcements.
We appreciate speakers who can offer their presentations for posting on the ESILUG web site.
Please feel free to invite customers or colleagues to the meeting, if you think they'd like to attend.

h. As a speaker, what materials can I provide to attendees?

Feel free to provide presentation handouts or technical whitepapers that are germane to the presentation.
You may provide informational flyers for the "literature table" for interested attendees.
You may also provide promotional tchotchkes for interested attendees.
Feel free to hand out your business card to anyone who requests it.

i. Can we hold a non-disclosure session?

We normally don't. In general, ESILUG attendees aren't under non-disclosure agreements with HP. If you wish to hold a non-disclosure meeting, we'd have to work out the logistics, and we'd have to make sure that all prospective attendees understood the non-disclosure nature of the meeting.

j. Does ESILUG pay speaker fees or cover travel costs?

No. The ESILUG budget is $0 in, $0 out, so we "pay" in exposure -- the chance for you to get your name and your organization's name in front of an audience, and the chance for you to mingle with real-world people facing real-world problems.

4. Meeting Sponsors

a. What are the ESILUG sponsorship opportunities?

ESILUG accepts sponsorships one meeting at a time.

Break Food. For each meeting, we look for a sponsor to provide food and beverage for the mid-meeting break: soft drinks, coffee, and snacks. Sponsors are acknowledged in meeting announcements and during the meeting, and they're welcome to leave informational materials on the "literature table" at the meeting.
Lunch before the meeting. Occasionally, sponsors want to provide a lunch before the meeting. We'd normally have the lunch catered at the meeting site, starting at noon. We usually keep the menus simple, such as pizza or sandwiches with basic side dishes. Sponsors who provide lunch receive the benefits noted above, plus they're welcome to address the attendees during lunch for up to 15 minutes.

Please note that while we hope our sponsors find sponsorship beneficial, we don't release contact info for attendees, and we don't grant any "editorial control" of the meeting content.

b. Whom do I contact if I'd like to sponsor an ESILUG meeting?

Please see the ESILUG Contacts page.

c. Can I bring flyers, business cards, or tchotchkes to an ESILUG meeting?

Yes, speakers and sponsors are welcome to leave materials for those who are interested. Please leave them on the "literature table" for interested attendees to collect.

ESILUG FAQ

Contents of This Page

1. About ESILUG

2. ESILUG Meetings

3. Speakers

4. Meeting Sponsors