I’ve lost track of how many intranet conferences I have been to, though the first was in San Francisco in 1999 and led directly to the launch of Intranet Focus. Some have been outstanding (the first StepTwo event in 2012 as a perfect example), some have been totally forgotten and some I have never been invited to attend (Intra.NET). Only the Intranet Now events have taken my breath away with their sheer audacity, innovation and the feel of a community coming together. Which is probably why the only intranet conference I have ever sponsored is Intranet Now. You’ll see how when you arrive.. But you will understand that this rave review is nano-biased by the need to get as many people on the seats as possible on 5 October.

Of course if you have been to the three previous ones (or even just one or two of them) you should not need to write one of those pleading emails to the powers-that-don’t-get-intranets. Wedge and Brian are nothing if not delegate-centric and this year the venue is new, bigger and far more user friendly. In particular the screen will no longer require you to bring your stereoscopic glasses. Just one BIG screen. It will still be table-based so that at the end you can guarantee you will have at least seven more friends. We all need intranet friends!

We also benefit immensely from people in the wider intranet community who make significant contributions to the wider understanding and adoption of optimum practice. Each year Wedge and Brian give a Diamond Award to someone, or group, who are exemplars in this respect. Previous winners have included Sam Marshall, James Robertson and the IntranetNetizen team. Oh, and me!. This year I hope that the Award goes to……No – I’m keeping quiet on my recommendation to Wedge and Brian.

The theme this year is intranets Now, with speakers aiming to give delegates advice that they can put into action as soon as they get back to their virtual desks. Perhaps there should be an award for the first person to make a difference to their intranet based on what they have heard at the conference. The list of speakers is growing all the time, but perhaps you have a message that will inspire delegates. I’m sure that Wedge and Brian will be delighted to hear from you.

So to sum up this conference is the only practitioner-focused intranet event in the UK, all the previous events have been immensely successful, you get to hear from speakers at the rate of around three and hour, a superb venue, everyone you speak to will looking to learn and share and the whole thing is being directed (“masterminded” would be more appropriate) by two people who are themselves intranet practitioners. And on top of all that you will see me getting tangled up in rope. Unmissable!

Martin White