An entire conference dedicated to the world of Web hosting, that is what HostingCon 2005 is all about. With keynote speakers such as Sandip Gupta President and CEO of Ensim Corporation and Robert Marsh President and CEO of EV1Servers.net how could it not be interesting? This is an event that will surely change the face of the Web hosting world. I recently had the chance to sit down and talk with George A. Roberts IV about what was being planned and what we could all be looking forward to.
An entire conference dedicated to the world of Web hosting, that is what HostingCon 2005 is all about. With keynote speakers such as Sandip Gupta President and CEO of Ensim Corporation and Robert Marsh President and CEO of EV1Servers.net how could it not be interesting? This is an event that will surely change the face of the Web hosting world. I recently had the chance to sit down and talk with George A. Roberts IV about what was being planned and what we could all be looking forward to.
Mitch: How did you get yourself into the wild and wacky world of Web hosting?
George: I started in 1995 doing web development and consulting for small businesses in the Chicago area. We decided to add hosting as a value-added service for our design clients. I merged my company with another Internet company in Green Bay, Wisconsin in 1997. We became a full service technology company, providing hosting, design, internet access, computer systems, and consulting. We sold the business in 2000 and I went to work as a software developer for a Fortune 500 company. But the hosting industry had gotten to me, and I jumped back in, starting Interjuncture in February 2002.
Mitch: How did the idea of having a Web hosting conference come about?
George: Keith Duncan, the publisher of Ping! Zine Web Hosting Magazine and I were discussing the lack of an industry conference back in April of 2004. I decided I was going to put together “a little grass-roots conference.” As you can see, the concept has grown quite a bit since then. 
Mitch: Why should your average Web host or Web hosting service provider attend HostingCon 2005?
George: We’re going to have some of the best and brightest in the industry there. Attendees will learn many things, from sales/marketing, business, technology, and security, that will help them grow their business. Some of the best vendors in industry will also be in our exhibit hall, which will give hosts an opportunity to speak face to face with those vendors.
Mitch: What is going to make HostingCon 2005 different from other big yearly conferences out there?
George: This is the only major conference to our knowledge that is focused purely on the hosting industry. Others may touch on it or talk about facets of it, but HostingCon 2005 is all about hosting. That means that attendees will be able to take just about everything they learn and apply it to their business, instead of having to pick out bits and pieces that apply.
Mitch: Other than those directly in the Web hosting business, who else would you like to see attend the conference and why should they?
George: I think those that are providing adjacent services, such as web design and internet access, could benefit from attending. Those types of services can, and often are, bundled with web hosting services, and I think that those attendees would benefit from the indepth focus of HostingCon.
Mitch: While putting together HostingCon 2005, what has been your biggest surprise?
George: We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the wonderful support we’ve been given by the industry as a whole. From vendors to speakers to attendees, everyone has been supportive and very excited about HostingCon.
Mitch: Your list of exhibitors really seemed to fill up fast. Do you think next year you might even try to make room for more?
George: We’re looking at our plans for next year and it’s likely we’ll be somewhat bigger than this year. We haven’t made all those decisions yet, but I’d say that’s a pretty good bet.
Mitch: You have a respected group of keynote speakers for the event, how easy was it to talk them into attending?
George: I think all of our speakers have recognized that HostingCon will be good for the industry, and were happy to be involved. We didn’t really have to do any convincing, honestly. Everyone was very happy to be involved.
Mitch: I see you have selected Chicago to be the home for this year’s event. Do you think they will stay from year to year, or will you be opening it up to other places to host?
George: We’re have not made a decision at this point, but I’m pretty sure next year at least will be in Chicago. We’re based in Chicago, so having it here allows us to be very hands-on in the planning process. In addition, as a once a year event, Chicago is ideally situated close to the center of the country. This makes it easy to travel to from just about anywhere in the United States. O’Hare International Airport is also one of the easiest places to get to from outside the United States.
Mitch: Are there any last thought or comments you’d like to get across?
George: I just want to let all the professionals in the hosting industry know that we’re going to have a great event and we’d love for you to be a part of it. In addition to the great opportunities at the conference itself, we’ll also have some pretty fun “after hours” events going on. So come to HostingCon 2005 and learn from our educational sessions and keynotes, network with your peers and vendors, and help grow your business. Oh, and have some fun while you’re at it. If you register before April 1, 2005 you’ll receive a $50 discount of the registration fees.
It also might be worth mentioning that George will be on The Web Hosting Show today, giving a few more details about why Web hosting companies and Web hosting clients should be getting excited about this epic event. I want to thank George for taking time out to let me speak with him as well. The folks at the HostingCon Web site have also started up a blog about the event as well. So have you registered yet for HostingCon 2005? What are you waiting for?
