Frequently Asked Questions from Managers
If you get to make the decision of whether an employee should attend ADHOC or not, please read the following.
Q: My employee's time is valuable, why should I let her/him attend ADHOC?
A: When your employee is in her/his cubicle, they take your directions and output excellent code. But a truly effective engineer is one who gets to occasionally do work in more than one direction, in more than one dimension. ADHOC is a conference for developers that is organized and run by developers. When your employees attend ADHOC, they will learn how to take advantage of the the latest technologies and learn many new techniques. Most importantly they will network with other engineers who share their specialty. Peer interactions are one of the best ways for your employees to sharpen their skills and get better answers. It far surpasses both Googling for answers and memorizing the indexes of reference books. Allowing your employee to attend ADHOC could give her/him and your company the edge between a great programmer and an amazing, profitable resource.
Q: The conference used to be named MacHack, why the name change?
A: "Hacking" can be defined as a good thing, such as writing non-standard or non-traditional code to solve a non-traditional problem
, although increasingly the word is being used both in I.T. and in the media to refer to illegal or disruptive programming. The code that we talk about and work on at the conference is entirely positive and beneficial, so it was decided at the end of the conference last year to change the name to "Advanced Developers Hands-On Conference" (or ADHOC). This new conference name is probably more acceptable when being mentioned to corporate accountants, travel agents and vice presidents.
Q: Is the conference more worthwhile than Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference?
A: Apple's conference is also a must-attend for many of hardcore Macintosh-focused developers, but the flow of information at WWDC is primarily from Apple out to the audience, with only a few minutes of Q&A feedback at the end of their sessions. ADHOC is "Hands-On" experience. Because ADHOC is timed for a month after WWDC, not only will there be sessions covering the new technology introduced at Apple's Developer Conference, our sessions are often led by fellow engineers who have learned and made extensive use of those new technologies. We encourage participants to dialog with session leaders and peers so they walk away with a more thorough and in-depth experience than what one obtains at WWDC.
Q: Is the conference expensive?
A: Let's compare some basic costs for both conferences
| WWDC | ADHOC | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Admission | $1,300 minimum for an "e-ticket" | $550 for non-discounted attendee |
| $400 for hotel ($100 X 4 nights) | ||
| $150 breakfast & dinner for 4 days | ||
| totals | $1,300 | $1,100 |
With ADHOC, you still have enough left over to purchase a plane ticket!
There are also discounts available when they register early (fees increase on April 16th and June 1st). Speakers and Paper presenters are also eligible for substantial discounts.
Q: How does my company benefit from having our engineer attend ADHOC?
A: Your engineer will network with peers in the field; listen to (or possibly lead) sessions covering the latest & greatest Apple technology, all while perfecting their skills at established technologies.
Q: Will my engineer be able to give a presentation about what s/he learned while at ADHOC?
A: Require her/him to take notes and they'll have a great bullet-listed (or PowerPoint) presentation to provide to you and the group on their return.
Q: I'm an Apple manager. Why should I send my Apple employee there?
A: Over the years we've had lots of participation from Apple employees and managers. Lately the Apple participation has mysteriously cut back somewhat, which is okay as hundreds of Apple-technology-focused developers show up and lead sessions, but this is a trend we would very much like to see Apple reverse. As I said above, WWDC is great for talking about new & revised technologies, but at ADHOC your Apple engineer gets to dialogue directly and extensively with developers who are as passionate about Apple technology as your employee is. Apple employees return to Cupertino with lists of bug fixes, feature requests, useful feedback and great software ideas.
Q: The ADHOC website talks about having fun! Is this conference serious?
A: Absolutely. The "fun" part sells the conference to attendees (and it is enjoyable, 24 hours a day of learning, working, coding and drinking caffeinated beverages). The serious side includes academic-style paper presentations, sessions on topics relevant to the industry, and programming challenges that will allow your employee to stretch their thinking beyond the cubicle.
Thanks for reading this F.A.Q. Please feel free to contact conference publicity at publicity2005@adhocconf.com if you have additional questions or concerns.
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Last updated 2006-03-29