Planning and carrying off a hackers conference is an interesting process. We learned a lot last year as we ran the 2007 MountainWest RubyConf, hopefully we’re able to put some of that experience to good use as we come up on the 2008 MountainWest RubyConf.

The call for presenters and selection process were the first things that we improved based on last year. We ended up getting an even better batch of submissions, which has ended up with a wonderful slate of speakers. Jeremy Macanally is also impressed with the announced speakers, saying:

I’m looking forward to most of the talks, but especially the talk on DSLs and Datamapper. I’m really excited to see more obscure topics getting exposure at the conference level.

Giles Bowkett is also looking forward to the conference saying that ” Jim Weirich’s keynote … looks to be a highlight."

It’s still too early to know what the registration and attendance are going to look like, but early results are promising. In addition to local registrants from Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and Arizona we’ve also had people register from Oregon, Missouri, New York, and Virginia. Even though the price tag has gone up (it’s still only $100 for a 2-day conference), we’re hoping to match or beat our attendance from last year.

This year’s conference is going to be held Mar 28-29, in Salt Lake City. The skiing should be great and the conference is going to be even better. Why not come out and spend the weekend at a great regional Ruby conference? Registration is easy.