The Route 128 Area of Massachusetts is one of the major centers of technology innovation in the US, receiving (as just one indicator) the second largest amount of venture capital of any area in the U.S. every quarter since such statistics have been kept. It is also the headquarters of more standards consortia than any other state, with such notable organizations as the W3C, OASIS, WS-I, OMG, Open Geospatial Consortium, among many others calling the Baystate home.  And yet the word "standards" is almost unknown in the programming of the local trade associations, and many high tech entrepreneurs, VCs and journalists are far less aware of the importance of standards, IMHO, than they should be.  But then again, I would say that, wouldn't I?

Be that as it may, a notable exception to the absence of standards programming in the local landscape will occur on May 2 from 8 - 11, when I'll be moderating and presenting at a program hosted by the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council, the State's largest technology trade association.  The title of the program is "Evolving Technology Standards," and the venue will be PTC's facility at 140 Kendrick Street in Needham.  The other presenters will be:

• Doug Johnson, Sun Microsystems Corporate Standards
• Ted Morgen, President,  Skyhook Wireless 
• Peter Roden, Acting Director of Technology, OASIS

If you're interested in attending at a reduced rate, read on.

Here’s the text of the meeting announcement:

Whether you are a business owner, venture capitalist, or simply a technology user, the successful development and adoption of standards will increasingly control your future. Are you up to date on the many evolving standards that will impact your business, investments and personal technology use in the years ahead? Here is an opportunity yo hear from a panel of global technology company representatives and consortium leaders. Together they will describe the rapidly accelerating importance of standards, and help you consider key questions like these:

– How will the continuing process of standards development impact my business or investment portfolio?
– Why is the number of standards wars increasing, and what are the ramifications of betting on the wrong horse?
– What new types of products and services will be made possible by standards?

In this Tech Trends Forum, you will hear experts discussing standards in a number of areas, and in each area, we will provide an overview of the current status of the standards effort, the factions that have formed, and the important likely outcomes that will impact your business.

Attendees will gain insights into these standards issues and receive ample pointers to follow up independently or get involved in those standards that hit closest to home. Speakers will include various perspectives from standards developers, implementer and end users.

The Webpage with price and registration information can be found here.  As you’ll see the member rate is 60% of the non-member rate.  if you’re not a member and would like to go at a reasonable rate, simply click the “member” space when you register, and then add “ConsortiumInfo” after your company name in the space where that’s called for and the MTLC will give you the price break.

I hope that I’ll see some of you there.