HostingCon brings the hosting industry together every year, and the conference winds up being surprisingly similar to classic 80′s “coming of age” movies:

• “Geeks” are among the main characters.
• There’s always a “funny guy.”
• At some point, the geeks attend a party.
• The characters learn more about themselves and others over the course of the movie.
• As the credits roll, everyone is inspired … Ready to take on the world.

With that in mind, HostingCon 2012 in Boston was a veritable John Hughes flick. There was no shortage of geeks, we hung out with one of the funniest people in the country, we threw a massive party, and we learned a ton. Without a doubt, attendees returned home with their intensity and enthusiasm cranked up to eleven (another 80′s reference).

The expo hall was abuzz with activity — albeit after a lull in the morning following the aptly named “Host Me All Night Long” party — and we enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with current partners and customers while meeting and speaking with soon-to-be partners and customers. While running a highly competitive Server Challenge, we were still able to dive deeper into partnerships, the build v. buy decision, branding, and launching a product when attendees visited our booth after hearing from our team in conference sessions and panels, and those conversations are what keep us coming back to HostingCon every year.

As a “veteran” of the hosting industry (assuming seven years of experience qualifies me), I’ve learned a great deal about the dynamics of the hosting industry from events like HostingCon over the years. On one hand, many of the attendees are “competitors,” and on the other hand, we’re all trying to make the industry better (since “a rising tide lifts all boats”). As a great example, look at the Internet Infrastructure Coalition (i2C), a trade association of companies with the shared goal and purpose of representing the industry in Washington, D.C., and beyond.

As it turns out, that unity flew out the door when attendees stood face-to-rack with the Server Challenge, though. Unlike our experiences at more general “technology” conferences, the components in our competition needed no introduction, and participants were particularly driven to best their peers … not only for the iPad, but for the pride of owning the Server Challenge title at HostingCon:

1. Darin Goldman – 0:59.28
2. Devon Hillard – 1:01.58
3. Ijan Kruizinga – 1:01.83
4. Jon Basha – 1:03.02
5. Sean Whitley – 1:03.06

As you saw in the video, Darin Goldman had the luxury of not needing his second attempt on the final day of the conference to secure a victory, but we were glad he let us record his “Breakfast Club” fist-pump to share with the world.

Don’t stop believing (in hosting).

-@khazard

P.S. I recorded the first few minutes of Ralphie May‘s set, but the adult language-ness of the content makes it a little more difficult to share with the world.

Given the fact that we’ve already sponsored and participated in dozens of conferences around the world this year, you might be surprised to learn that we’ve still got a surprises in our bag of tricks. Without giving too much away, I thought I’d share a few of the SoftLayer-specific highlights you make note of if you’re planning your HostingCon itinerary.

Conference Sessions

Want some hosting insight from the executive management team of one of the largest privately held hosting providers in the world? You might want to add these sessions to your calendar:

As more “non-traditional” hosters (telcos, cable companies & VARs) enter the cloud services market finding the right partner is a must. The opportunity is huge but this isn’t a situation where a rising tide will float all boats. Lance Crosby, CEO of SoftLayer will explain how, in order to be successful, you’ll need to understand the following: 1) Building for Internet Scale, 2) Think platform first, and 3) How to automate. The session will include discussion of how SoftLayer leverages partners to drive business growth.

The finance, operations and administrative back office of a hosting company can be a complex animal. Some hosts have dedicated software development teams to build in-house solutions, others opt to buy as much as they can from 3rd party vendors. Hear three different approaches to tackling the problem, and learn how your product line can determine the optimal mix of open source, home grown and off-the-shelf solutions.

In a crowded marketplace it’s critical to establish a clear position and identity in the minds of your customers and prospects. SoftLayer CMO Simon West will discuss best practices for defining and articulating your brand position, illustrating with specific examples drawn from his experience in building some of the industry’s most notable brands.

Introducing value-added services around basic hosting can be the strategy that turns a hosting business into a winning venture for the host, and a truly valuable service for the customer. In this interactive session, a panel of product management experts from the hosting business will cover best practices for building (or integrating), launching and selling a new product to your customers, helping you to develop processes, procedures and strategies for seeing a new product launch through from start to finish.

The SoftLayer Booth: #413

When you step into the expo hall at the John B. Hynes Convention Center, you’re going to see SoftLayer. In our 20′ x 30′ space at booth 413, we’ll have a few of your favorite SLayers available to answer any and all of your questions about what’s new and what’s next for SoftLayer … And to pass out some always-popular SoftLayer swag.

By popular demand, the Server Challenge will be making its return to HostingCon, and if last year is any indication, the competition will be fierce. The pride of besting all HostingCon attendees in reassembling a server rack is arguably as valuable as the New iPad the winner receives. Though your pride doesn’t have a Retina Display.

Host Me All Night Long

Following the phenomenal success of “Geeks Gone Wild” last year (headlined by The Dan Band), we knew we had our work cut out for us when it came to planning a party for HostingCon in Boston. We’ve teamed up with cPanel and comcure to put together “Host Me All Night Long” at Royale Boston on Monday, July 16.

One of my favorite comedians, Ralphie May, is going hit the stage at 8pm, and you won’t want to miss a second of his set. Following Ralphie, Yellow Brick Road is bringing their award-winning Classic Rock tribute skills from Las Vegas to keep the night going. Given the name of the party, you shouldn’t be surprised when a little AC/DC “You Shook Me All Night Long” is played.

Like last year, the attendance is strictly limited, and when the number of tickets available at http://hostingconparty.com/ reaches zero, you’re out of luck. Even if you’re our best customer ever, you need a ticket to get in the door, so register while you can! If you show a little extra SoftLayer love on Twitter or Facebook, send me a link to it (khazard@softlayer.com), and I might be able to hook you up with a VIP code to get you priority access and into the VIP section at the venue.

Like the Dropkick Murphys, we’re “shipping up to Boston,” and we hope to see you there!

-@khazard

Given our commitment to the startup community, when we heard that a sponsorship opened up for the September 13 WebInnovatorsGroup quarterly meeting, we jumped on the chance to get involved. WebInno events are fueled by a long-standing community of Internet and mobile entrepreneurs founded by David Beisel, and while I could tell you everything I know about what they’re doing in Boston, the best person to hear from is David himself:

Boston + Entrepreneurs + Technology + Beer … It was a no-brainer for us to be a Gold Sponsor of WebInno31.

Visit WebInnovatorsGroup.com to learn more about the WebInno community or head straight to the WebInno31 registration form to reserve your spot at Royal Sonesta Cambridge on Tuesday, September 13, at 6:30pm.

-Kevin

P.S. If you have a startup community or an ongoing event like WebInno that SoftLayer can be involved with, leave a comment on this blog or let us know on Twitter: @SoftLayer