Upcoming Conferences and Events

Conference reviews

Doctrain

I run the annual Documentation & Training conference (www.doctrain.com), now in its 7th year. Bernard Aschwanden is consistently our top-rated speaker, and if you have the opportunity to schedule him as a speaker I'd highly recommend him to you.
Mike Doyle, Conference Manager

FrameMaker Chautauqua

Our featured speaker (Bernard Aschwanden) brought rave reviews. If you are interested in his presenting at your conference, and have any questions, please do feel free to contact me. He is very knowledgeable on technical publications issues, and in general has a sense of humor and presentation style that is very engaging. We were glad to have had him as our featured speaker.
Kay Ethier, Conference Manager

Need a Presenter?

Bernard Aschwanden is a recognized publishing technologies expert, who presents internationally at conferences and events across Europe and North America. He is also an Adobe Certified Expert, a Certified Technical Trainer and the author of numerous articles on xml-based publishing and single sourcing. A dynamic and entertaining speaker, he tailors his presentations to the audience and welcomes participation.

The founder of Publishing Smarter, a senior member of the Society for Technical Communication, the Vice President of the Toronto STC and Past President of the Computer Trainers Network, Bernard has helped hundreds of companies implement successful publishing solutions.

Looking for dynamic speakers? Feel free to contact us at info@publishingsmarter.com for more information.

TriXML, Durham/Raleigh, NC

When: July 27-29, 2006

See the TriXML site for additional details.

This 4th annual conference is scheduled for July 27-29, 2006. With a theme of "XML in the Workflow", this conference includes a variety of presentations geared toward real-world use of XML.

Topic: XML Authoring and Tool Selection

Making the decision on what software to use for XML authoring is not one that should be based on a developers demo or the price of the tool alone. We examine several leading tools and how they handle XML.

Topic: CMS and XML

Toe-mate-oh, Toe-maht-oh, Poe-tate-oh, Poe-taht-oh.
Let's just call the whole thing off!

Ever get the feeling that every XML Consultant is out to fleece you and every CMS Vendor wants to buy you a few tequila's and then show you *his* implementation?

This informative and fun lunch presentation helps you get a good idea of what NOT to ask of others. It also provides a great insight into the mindset of the consultant, the vendor and the client. Real answers (and those you only wish you could hear) are presented to the most common questions about the software and the strategies that need to be in place for a successful implementation.

LavaCon, Hawaii

When: October 1-4 2006

See the LavaCon site for additional details.

Choosing a CMS Vendor

Instead of reviewing and comparing features of CMS marketing content, wouldn't it be useful to know what you specifically need?

During this session we explore the exact features that people should ask for, rather than the features offered. During this session learn about the key questions to ask a CMS vendor. The answers provided can shortlist the right CMS vendors faster. Knowing what to ask can reduce exposure to risks and increase return on investment.

Participants leave with a detailed list of questions to ask of any potential vendor of a CMS tool.

Structured Authoring and Tool Selection

Making the decision on what software to use for XML authoring is not one that should be based on a developers demo or the price of the tool alone. During this session we examine several leading tools and examine how they handle XML and what is required to support importing and exporting of content. By performing a far more detailed examination of the tools a deeper understanding of what can (and can not) be done is gained. This assists managers in making the decision on what software to recommend for structured authoring.

Doctrain, Boston, MA

When: October 3-5

See the Doctrain site for additional details.

This 4th annual conference is scheduled for July 27-29, 2006. With a theme of "XML in the Workflow", this conference includes a variety of presentations geared toward real-world use of XML.

Topic: Office 2007, The Future Is Here

Microsoft Office 2007 has already proven itself to be the most radical redesign of Office since the toolbar. It will deliver massive amounts of value to end users, while creating even more value – and billable – for trainers, documenters, and developers. From the dramatically new user interface at the front end, to zipped, native XML open (!) file formats at the back end, live previews and integrated workflow via SharePoint in the middle, this ain't yer dad's office suite! There's so much more than can be described here. Get a jump on the new feel, features, and fun of Microsoft Office 2007, and test drive it for yourself!

Topic: XML Authoring and Tool Selection

Making the decision on what software to use for XML authoring is not one that should be based on a developers demo or the price of the tool alone. We examine several leading tools and how they handle XML.

FrameMaker Chautauqua, Austin, TX

When: Nov 7-9

An informative, technical, and affordable three-day event! Network with newbies, peers, and gurus!

This conference is focused on describing FrameMaker's features, showcasing real-world systems, providing networking opportunities, and bringing Adobe into the spotlight to talk about Frame's future.

FrameDITA-lite

FrameDITA-lite is a free application that can be used to get going with structured FrameMaker and DITA. Output is fully compliant with the DITA specification and can be opened in a variety of tools. This presentation shows you how FrameDITA-lite works.

Developing a Conversion Strategy