The vendors must have gained a new-found empathy for network managers. And the network the vendors managed consisted of a few stations in a single room, not in darkened and dusty wiring closets spread across the country. Shoot-outs like the Summit's are valuable because seeing products side by side, running in the same environment, are the best way to compare functionality. Few network managers have the luxury of being able to check out the product running in a site similar to theirs before they implement. Few network managers have the time to play host to fellow managers evaluating products.
Big companies can afford testing labs.
Most small ones can't. With only 500 attendees for a week of conferences and an intimate exhibit space, the Summit was small, but if you want to find fellow managers grappling with network and system management problems, go no further. The exhibitors grumbled about the low attendance on the show floor, but the seminars were full. The Summit is a great idea. All it needs is the attendance of the big network management vendors and a little more.