(Thanks to Ilyse Kazar, technology consultant for NPOs and educational organizations at Adept Digital Evolution, for sharing her thoughts as a participant in the 2010 Salsa Community Conference!)

Tech conferences are for nerdy computer mavens, right? Hundreds of high-I.Q., awkward folks milling about in their propeller beanies, salivating over software and code, eating Twinkies and drinking Jolt, right? Over the course of my tech consulting career (which began with an "IBM clone" that would have been at home in Fred and Wilma's house) I have been to quite a few tech conferences and expos. And in actuality, I have discovered that people who work in technology are a fascinating and diverse and creative lot. I have made solid friendships lasting decades with many colleagues -- who are also involved in everything from making music to helping in Haiti after the earthquake.

So, when I headed to D.C. for my first Salsa conference this summer, the event was slated to be stacked up in my mind against memories of some very well-done, informative and fun "devcons" I had attended in the past, that were populated by an interesting crowd. The bar was set high! And ....

(insert drum roll here....)

In every way, the Salsa Conference of 2010 was the best I have ever attended!

I will get to the nuts-and-bolts of content, presentations, etc. in a moment. But for me the stand-out quality of a Salsa Conference is ...

The People

Anyone who uses and/or develops with Salsa knows the satisfaction of putting one's work towards a good cause -- one particular cause for a Salsa user, and a handful of good causes for a consultant or developer.

What truly "bowled me over" at the Salsa conference was being part of a gathering of so many people who all work to advance so many good causes! Everything from animal rights to saving the environment to economic justice was represented in one room. Everyone I spoke to loved to talk about their work, with a passion. The chance to network with fellow attendees and learn about the organizations they represent was inspiring. Truly inspiring. Inspiring as in, "Bolstered my faith in the human race."

And then, and then ... there is the Salsa staff. These are smart, quirky and fun, dedicated and supremely helpful people. Having free access to the staff was an incredible opportunity to ask questions, make suggestions, or just schmooze.

The Content

The content offered was rich, varied and well-presented.

The 75-minute presentations on a great range of topics such as growing your supporter list, publicizing your campaigns via multiple simultaneous channels, and measuring the success of your campaigns to guide you towards maximum effectiveness moving forward. More specific nuts-and-bolts "how to" information was available in various classroom sessions that ran concurrently with presentations. All sessions offered plenty of opportunity for Q&A.

The "Geek Lab" offered one-on-one sessions with Salsa technical staffers. There were also a good number of third-party vendors present with scheduled "Curbside Consulting" sessions. The third-party marketplace is on a real roll, and these companies have created some brilliant add-ons for the platform!

And during lunchtime we were treated to presentations by folks who had used Salsa to manage and publicize fabulous campaigns. Also, Chelsea led a lunchtime session seeking our input on making Salsa Commons a better community tool.

The Extras & The Price

I could not believe the registration was only $150 (early bird). Don't tell anyone at Salsa, shhhhh: I have had to pay up to four times as much for a two-day conference. So, especially at the price, it was amazing to also get free coffee, breakfast, lunch, and free ice cream and cupcakes from local vendors. And jars of (you guessed it) Salsa sitting around for the taking. And little shot glasses (BYO tequila!) with the Salsa logo.

And, yes, we got the (union-made) t-shirt too. I love it. It has the Salsa chili pepper and is emblazoned: "Organizer".

The Location

Downtown Washington, D.C. is a great place for a conference. It is highly walkable, has convenient public transport and good food, and if you want to spend an extra day or two pre- or post-conference in D.C. there is so much history there. And, of course, D.C. boasts some of the worlds' best museums.

The Woolly Mammoth Theater was just the right size for the number of folks who showed up. The wireless was a little weak (d'oh -ed.) but, hey, it's a theater, and at capacity no less. I'm sure this problem will be addressed at future conferences.

For the quality of content and the annual chance to network with so many other Salsa users and the Salsa staff, this conference should not be missed. So ... "See You Next Year in D.C.!" Right?