• the hottest trends and technologies will come and go (along with many businesses).
• the entire business must stay on track while exploiting new trends and opportunities.
• the most profitable opportunities are frequently the most boring, mundane concepts.
• the hottest technologies don't always make good business sense.

That's why they go to ISPCON. That's why ISPCON is a completely different experience from every other narrow-minded buzzword event. We cover every single aspect of running a killer, competitive Internet services business: the business, the technology, the services and the future. Not just one, single technology or topic du jour ... your WHOLE business, top to bottom. Surrounding yourself with people who GET it makes for an incredibly unique and invaluable experience. These people can blow massive holes in your next deployment initiatives or give you the critical insight and vindication you needed to pull the trigger.

You can't do that at home in a vacuum.

Which one: Connectivity or Services?

Many providers today believe passionately that either the connection is the service or the service is the service, meaning the connection is a peripheral means to deliver services.

The reality that ISPCON has addressed for over a decade is that the majority require both elements to run a truly successful business. How you balance those two determines your fate.

Which one: Technology or Business?

The same can be said for those who either spend all of their time discussing the hottest technology or do nothing but market arcane technology.

The reality is that you need both to operate successfully. Clueful operators don't allow the administration of a shiny new box to eat up any more time than selling the service to the new customer it will be supporting.

How do the clued operators balance these two? Perhaps you should spend some time finding out?

So there are three options you have the great fortune of selecting, please choose wisely:

• Stay home and continue to make decisions in a vacuum and learn what you can from a chat room or a newsgroup.

• Sit in a room for three days talking about one single topic: (a hot connectivity buzzword, a specific service like voice or hosting, one business approach or a single policy issue).

• Get clue at ISPCON.