It was a long first day, but apart from a few lingering travel issues for some, everything seems to have got underway smoothly.

I had the pleasure of meeting with several speakers at this evening’s welcome cocktail and everyone is really excited to be participating in this groundbreaking event and looking forward to the next two days of sessions, panel discussions and networking opportunities.

Today was hard work for the DIALOG conference team, with lots of last minute preparations to complete and a few unexpected issues to deal with. I was very impressed with how everyone came together to resolve those issues and am proud to be part of such a great team of professionals.

There was still time for a bit of relaxation out on the golf course though (for some at least), made all the more pleasureable by the warm sunny Palm Springs weather. Below, in pictures, is a summary of this first day of DIALOG 08…

Arrival in Palm Springs

Palm Springs: The Windy City? Turbines as far as they eye can see.

Sunny Palm Springs morning

View from my hotel room.

View from the hotel lobby.

9am: Still a lot to do.

Helping Aimee to add USB keys to the conference packs

Testing, testing, testing.

Bruno setting up in the board room

Ready, steady, golf!

Pierre meets and greets the golfers (those that made it).

Playing the first tee.

Fore!

Meanwhile, back at the registration desk…

Monika gets ready for a busy afternoon of press briefings.

Last-minute conference bag stuffing.

The DIABLOG blogging station ready to go!

Welcome to DIALOG 08!

Welcome cocktail.

ILOG’s Chris Berg.

Martha Mesa explains the benefits of ILOG’s new customer advocacy program, C-LinX.

Pierre Haren with Edith and David Simchi-Levi, and Anna Ross.

This guest post was written by Luciano Graffi, Database Administrator, Application Architecture and Operations Management for Swiss Medical in Argentina. Don’t miss the session “Next Generation Enterprise Rule Management: The Swiss Medical Story” (Tuesday Feb 26, 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm).

I am really looking forward to my trip to Palm Springs. Conferences like DIALOG are always extremely enriching - not just for the customers, exhibitors, and partners attending the event, but also for colleagues and project teams back at the office. There are so many takeaways from events such as this that everyone benefits.

Being in close contact with so many like-minded people and learning about other business applications and architectures related to your own projects is invaluable. Many of us share the same objectives and face the same challenges, so I’m really looking forward to the opportunity - whether in lectures and meetings, during breaks, over lunch, or on the golf course - to swap knowledge and learn more about other people’s business realities. I certainly hope to pick up some tips that I can take back to the office and put into practice in the near future.

I’m particularly interested in exchanging experience with anyone who is using a BRMS solution to allow end-users to manage their business rules and create simulations to assess the impact of new or changed rules, so look out for me at DIALOG, and let’s talk! Also, don’t miss The Swiss Medical Story session on Tuesday 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm to find out more about my team’s own enterprise rule management application.

Of course, in addition to all this, I am also very eager to witness one of the top golf resorts in the US. After all, there’s nothing wrong with combining business with a bit of pleasure, right?

With four days still to go before DIALOG 08 and one day to go before online registration closes, it looks like the conference is already exceeding expectations!

Over 140 clients are registered for the event (that’s 40 more than the conference team had originally targeted), and after factoring in partners, press/analysts and ILOG staff, there’ll be around 300 attendees altogether.

We’ve got people coming from the software, manufacturing, insurance and consulting, banking, healthcare, transportation, education, and energy industries. The BRMS and Optimization tracks appear to be the most popular, but the Supply Chain Management and Visualization tracks are also well represented. There’s a roughly 60%/40% split between technical and management profiles, and almost 20% of registrants are from outside the US. That certainly makes for a rich and culturally diverse crowd!

I don’t have any stats on how many were convinced to attend because of the prospect of some great golf and spa treatments (more than would admit it, I’m sure), but I do know that about 30 people are signed up for a free round at the Mission Hills Troon Golf Experience on Sunday February 24th, hosted by Software AG. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to spare the 4 hours or more that it takes to play a full 18-holes, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to at least practice my golf swing at some point during the event (DIALOG attendees get a reduction on both golf and spa activities throughout the duration of the conference).

I do know that I’m not the only one who’s looking forward to some great food, though! I got a sneak preview of the menu yesterday and, take it from me, you don’t want to miss the Welcome Cocktail Reception on Sunday evening (6:00-7:00 pm in the Solutions Hall). Marinated sirloin beef, shaved spicy cappicola, coconut shrimp with papaya salsa… Need I say more?

Talking of food, I already mentioned our Analyst Breakfast sessions in a previous post. These informal meet and greet events will be in high demand, so don’t forget to sign up at the registration desk when you arrive if you want to join analysts from Gartner, IDC and Forrester on Monday or Tuesday morning. Space is limited and places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

A final reassuring note: If you’re still a bit jet-lagged (like me), there’ll be enough Starbuck’s coffee on hand to float a battleship. And with so much to see and do, you really have no excuse for sleeping in!

Youpi! I just received confirmation of my hotel reservation for DIALOG 08 at the fabulous Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa. Really makes me wish I’d kept up my golf game, as ILOG is inviting all registrants to experience Troon golf at the resort on Sunday, February 24th, before the conference gets underway.

I haven’t had chance yet to find out exactly what they mean by “experience Troon golf,” but given that the Westin Mission Hills is one of the top golf resorts in the U.S., it certainly promises to be something special! The event is being hosted by Software AG and if you’re interested in participating, be sure you contact the conference team at dialog@ilog.com to find out more. I’ll certainly be doing so, though given the state of my game these days, it might be best if I just stick to the practice green!