Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Pivotal Labs on the MountainWest RubyConf

Christian Sepulveda, of Pivotal Labs, was kind enough to talk to me a bit about the 2008 MountainWest RubyConf and why they’ve stepped up as a sponsor. I really like his description of regional Ruby conferences as “a group conversation”, I think that’s just what we’re all shooting for.

By the way, if you’re looking to work with Ruby and/or Rails at a cool company like Pivotal Labs (see the Christian’s first answer below), you should register for MWRC and be a part of the conversation.

Why would a company like yours sponsor a regional Ruby conference like MWRC?

We have lots of Rails developers and have made a significant strategic investment in Ruby and Rails. Increasing our brand awareness in this market, both for prospective clients and recruiting talent, is important for us.

What’s the difference between a regional conference and RubyConf or RailsConf for a sponsor’s perspective?

The larger conferences have more reach, but they are also getting a little saturated. The difference for us is like the difference between talking via a megaphone vs. a group conversation.

What do you think attendees will get out of a conference like MWRC?

Idea exchange, networking, knowledge of what’s going on in the larger community.

If you could sit down with a Rubyist from the MountainWest, why/how would you encourage her to go to MWRC?

Ruby is getting really close to going main-stream (some would argue that has started). Now’s the time to get involved and be in front of the wave rather than behind it.

What message about Pivotal Labs do you hope attendees will take home?

Pivotal has some of the best technical chops around. We are committed to Ruby/Rails and its wide adoption.

No comments: