Should I go?

jmd00106

New Member
Hi,

I got invited to speak at this event organised by the SMi Group in London. It looks like a good event but I'm wondering whether it's worth speaking at:

International Land Systems and Vehicles Conference

| 8th & 9th November 2006 | The Hatton | London, UK |

I would like to invite you to give a presentation at SMi's forthcoming Land Systems and Vehicles Conference, due to take place at the end of the year in London. We have put together an excellent two-day conference programme, offering attendees the opportunity to gain an essential industry update and network with key players in the field.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE

Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton KCB CBE, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Equipment Capability), Ministry of Defence, UK*
Dr. Jacques Vermorel, Head, Research, Technology and Industrial Outreach Section, NATO HQ
Lieutenant Colonel John Swift, Marine Corps Tank Systems Program Manager, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCOR)
Hans-Josef Maas, Project Manager, Systems Technology International Systronics Vetronics, Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement, Bundeswehr and Chairman, MilVA
Gustaf Olsson, Assistant Director of Research, Department of Electronic Warfare Assessment, Division of Command and Control Warfare Technology, Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI)
Major Wendell B. Leimbach Jr., PM-Tanks, Marine Corps Systems Command, Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCOR)
Ricolt Boeschoten, Product Manager, TNO-PML
Ian Beaton, BGM Mounted Systems, Land Division, QinetiQ
Captain Mark J. McNeil CD, Project Director Armour Patrol Vehicle, Director Land Requirements, Canadian Army
Major Frank Lozanski, Coyote Project Director, Canadian Army
Mr Cobus van der Merwe, Senior Executive, Business Development, Land, Saab Avitronics
Gérald Lefebvre, Director Business Development, Giat Industries, France
Bob Connor, Capability Leader Systems Integration, Mounted Systems, QinetiQ and Chairman, MilCAN
Dr. John Economou, Power and Drive Systems Group Lecturer, Cranfield University
Dr. Elias Stipidis, Director, Vetronics Research Centre, Sussex University and Vice Chairman, MilCAN
Dr. Anthony Mc Donagh-Smith, Executive Director and General Secretary, Society of Automotive Engineers, UK

To register your intent to speak, simply e-mail me back on [email protected] before Friday 19th May 2006.

Kind regards,


Jo-Anne Duff
Senior Conference Producer
and Marketing Co-ordinator
_________________________________
SMi Group Ltd
30 Great Guildford Street,
London, SE1 0HS,
United Kingdom.
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7827 6086
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7827 6087
e-mail: [email protected]
 

SABRE

Super Moderator
Verified Defense Pro
I think gf-aust0012 (aka gf - ak gary) can help u in such an advice.

But what exactly do you do that u got invited to the conference?
 

Big-E

Banned Member
If you have a PHD or rank above a major then go. If not you better have first hand experience in land warfare and run your own defense company.
 

nuke_em

New Member
i would advise you to go, because you might your experience at the conference, but who am i to judge i never been to any. But if i were invited than i would go, you never you what you might find interesting.
 

hydraulic

New Member
Since the event is still far ahead, u just can decide later.Mean while, you just relax and try not to think about it. You will never know what will happen during this coming 5 months. Decide only in Oct. so u have time to make some preparations.;) enjoy
 

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
SMi run some good events, but personally I've gone off them for a number of reasons:

  • security issues - unlike the current CONUS events, security clearances are non existent, so some players do not discuss their current tech solutions in detail due to concerns over some attendees. That means a decline in quality of some sessions
  • they're overpriced for what they are in light of the above
OTOH they're useful for
  • maintaining contact with existing networks
  • casual tech briefings
  • visibility
I normally attend their Underwater Warfare events but have noticed a decline from US attendees due to security issues. eg at the Hawai'i UDT there were a lot of Chinese delegates photographing and taping some sessions. That caused a bit of a security problem and some of the "western" delegates complained about the validity of their presence. Because it's a private event, they don't have as tough a security requirement in place. Some of the major companies got around this by requiring sep registration so that they could check attendees bonafides. Basically, anyone who didn't have current or recognised clearances, or couldn't be validated by one of the "primes" was then denied entry into the more sensitive sessions.

I still stay on SMI's delegate list, but they're not high on my list of Conferences to attend.

It really depends on what your professional capacity is. eg, uniform, suit, industry etc....

I'm quite happy to discuss this offline if thats a private issue. I can then provide a more focussed response.
 
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