Bunker Sessions are half-day events for leaders to engage with each other on a critical topic. Group size is 50 to 70 people, and participation is by invite only. Each event takes place at the GigaOM headquarters in downtown San Francisco and is hosted by GigaOM.
The format is essentially that of a town hall meeting. Everyone who attends is invited to contribute. Each session dives deep into critical business issues to share findings, tactics and strategies among the participants.
Through the generosity and support of our sponsors, in 2010 we will publish a two-page synopsis of each meeting to be distributed by our partners and the GigaOM Pro research service. We hope that the information in the documents will be a catalyst to spur change in organizations and action in entrepreneurs. All sessions are streamed on the Internet.
There are eight planned sessions in a year, and the series concludes with a three-day, closed-door retreat in Carmel, Calif., for 100 C-level executives. The retreat promotes collaboration, exchange, learning and networking through a program of events — workshop-based and recreational. Attendance is again by invitation only.
For further details on attending the sessions, the retreat or sponsoring, please contact Surj Patel at bunker@gigaom.com.
2010 Sessions
The New Broadband Build Out
February 24, 2010
At GigaOM we are seeing activity among the investors, technologists and entrepreneurs who created the first broadband buildout. Our early indicators are that we are on the cusp of another wave of build-out and capacity increases. Who will pay for the second wave and what will it really enable? With the rise in usage of SaaS, cloud computing, video and other broadband-dependent activities, we will discuss what the timelines for milestones are likely to be, where the costs will be met and what impacts there will be for the tech ecosystem around us. .
The Impact of Cloud Computing On Open Source
March 31, 2010 –
The rise of cloud computing has been in no small part due to the availability of enabling platforms and applications in the open source domain - names like Hadoop, Xen and Puppet to name a few. In this meeting, we will explore whether such successes will help legitimize and find funding for further open source innovation and how industry can prevent the exploitation of open source by giving back.
Monetization Models for Location, Augmented Reality and Context Services
April 28, 2010 –
The investment into the next generation of location and augmented reality applications is as big as the buzz around them. Novel and clever applications are appearing that connect the applications environment into the vast pool of content on the web. While we see amazing apps and demonstrations, investors are still not seeing compelling revenue models. In this session, we will explore what revenue models will work in the near term, and what timelines we might see for the realization of further revenue.
The CIO’s Next Challenge – Remote Workers and Virtual Infrastructure
May 26, 2010
Broadband, SaaS and cloud computing have enabled major changes in how businesses operate. One major challenge will be planning the infrastructure for an organization’s talent pool when the workers’ offices are coffee shops. Should they provide their own hardware? Should you go for a SaaS-only application strategy? Will there be enough broadband capacity to enable remote desktops effectively? Modern CIOs have major challenges ahead of them in paving the way for a “campus free” future. In this session, we will work with the invited audience to build a map of the top upcoming priorities in making that transition happen smoothly.- Session 6 — June 22, 2010 – TBA
- Session 7 — July 28, 2010 – TBA
- Session 8 — August 25, 2010 – TBA
- Session 9 — September 29, 2010 – TBA
- Carmel Retreat — October 2010 – TBA
Previous 2010 Events
The Smart Grid Economy
Jan 28th
The smart grid will be a bigger opportunity than the Internet, according to the rush of companies racing to sell networking gear, smart meters, and software and services to the world’s utilities. That’s why the companies that built the computing and Internet industries — from Intel to Cisco to Google to Microsoft — are working hard to get a piece of it, and tech startups have been on a rush to develop the next-generation of smart grid services. It’s also why the Obama administration recently allocated the single biggest investment in smart grid technology that the world has ever seen — some $3.4 billion in grants — to U.S. utilities. This session convenes the leaders from energy supply companies, smart metering companies, government and IT services giants to talk about what is the next stage for the smart grid.2009 Sessions
Session 1 — Beyond the Banner: Innovating Media Revenue
May 20, 2009
More than ever, the leaders of modern media organizations need to “think different” about creating income and growth for their enterprises. The modern media CEO needs to focus on only two things: formats that engage audiences and income generating products that customers buy. This workshop will look at how pioneering leaders in media are rethinking their business models to cope with the drastic changes, both in the medium and the advertising markets. The session will try to uncover long-term strategies and short-term tactics. Speakers: Tod Sacerdoti, CEO, BrightRoll; Keith Pieper, Universal McCann; Rajeev Goel, CEO, PubMatic; and Peter Caban, CEO, Mekanism
Session 2 — Succesful IPOs and M&A deals in a Down Market
June 18, 2009
Om will convene a private meeting of Silicon Valley’s finest financial minds for this invitation-only session. The goal is to consider the unthinkable: successful venture exits during a global downturn. Gain advice and strategic guidance from those who have survived and succeeded in some of toughest markets ever. This is a rare opportunity to have an intimate conversation with some of this generation’s finest financial minds. Attendance to this closed-door session is by invitation only. Speaker: William R. Hambrecht, founder, WR Hambrecht
Session 3 — The Next Web
October 19, 2009
Indicators are appearing that the web is growing out of the Web 2.0 phase and is about to enter into its next phase of maturity. Will it be business as usual, or a time to reap new rewards? Om Malik convenes some of web’s most successful entrepreneurs to discuss the coming confluence of location, metadata, bandwidth, wireless and audience behavior. Will this confluence create a new platform for innovation?
Session 4 — Video Rights Roundtable
November 11, 2009
Content owners, video sites, and copyright and syndication service providers will gather for a discussion about the state of online video distribution. Internet video has exploded too quickly for copyright laws to react, and in the meantime these three stakeholder groups have developed interim and constantly evolving approaches to monitoring, regulating, spreading and monetizing content online. However, it’s rare that they’ve had a chance to sit down to talk to one another constructively. Topics of discussion will include: the challenge and opportunity of live video, the promise of viral distribution as marketing, the state of fingerprinting technology and DMCA, and reflections on learnings from the music industry.
© 2010 The GigaOM Network.