Sheryl and I were orginally slated to present at the inaugural eComm this year, but a scheduling conflict prevent us from being there. In an effort to bring the conference to readers and listeners here, I did a dozen or so phone podcast briefings throughout a day or so to bring the event to you as best I could under the circumstances. We swore that we'd do better next time around.

eComm turned out to be a gigantic hit across the industry and what began as the brainchild of Lee Dryburgh for a one-time conference skyrocketed into what we expect will be one of the premier events in the industry.

Next time isn't here yet, but we're in planning mode now. eComm '09 is already gearing up.

We're already working on a couple of ideas on what we're going to plan on presenting. I know some of you simply won't bother clicking through, so I'm sharing some of the most vital points from the conference site here.

What is eComm?

Cataclysmic change is facing the multi-trillion dollar telecom industry:

• Telecom is becoming software
• The cash cows of telephony and SMS will dry up long term
• "Phones" are turning into general purpose computers
• Applications innovation is being democratized
• The media industry is converging with personal communications
• Search engines and computer manufactures are encroaching into the space
• The telecom kingdom is fragmenting daily.

It means unprecedented opportunity for those ahead-of-the-curve.[more]

There's already an impressive list of topics and a list of noteworthy speakers lined up. Major topics so far include:

• Mobile Social Networking (MoSoSo) more...- demos of the emerging applications which promise to turn the phone into a social radar. Seek to answer whether the majority of text messages sent through cellular networks will eventually relate to online social network interaction; and whether all operators sooner or later will offer a Facebook plugin? The emergence of socially aware devices and networks
• Open Handsets & the Open Ecosystem more...- the latest iPhone Apps strut their stuff, Google Android Prize Winners demo. The impact of increasingly open handsets on the entire mobile value chain; and who is best positioning to monetize it?
• Both Voice and Video Evolution more...- does standalone consumer VoIP still have a future - at least one which is profitable? If not, where does it go next? What opportunities does threaded video conversation bring? How much smarter are Codecs getting?
• Convergence of media with personal communications
• Open Spectrum more...- the fight for open spectrum will significantly determine the future of communications. What if anyone could access spectrum anywhere at anytime; a world with no spectrum scarcity? It's often claimed that established interests are fighting to prevent widespread access to the public airwaves. We'll explore the regulatory issues, technologies, and key players involved in this critical inside-the-beltway battle.
• Open Communication Platforms more...- demos of applications which show the power of convergence of Web, Telco and mobile technologies
• Leveraging Cloud Computing more...- is the time ripe for a new wave of mobile applications that tap into near unlimited processing, storage in the cloud? Are telcos better positioned to offer that infrastructure?
• Social Computing more...- what is the trend and how is it already starting to displace telephony?
• Towards 4G Wireless more...- will networks move quickly to LTE, or will we see continued development of HSPA and CDMA? Where do innovations like WiMAX and femtocells fit? And how will these new wireless technologies enable new services & applications?
• P2P and Decentralization of Telecoms
• Communications enabling business processes, especially B2C more...- how can we make money from organisations who wish to interact and transact with end users? What does Freephone 2.0 look like?
• Emerging Markets

Sheryl and I fit across multiple categories for speaking. so we're working to find the best match so we can fill two roles at the event. We want to deliver our value as The First Couple of Technology, with our insights into several of these areas. And we want the chance to interview and meet with some of the amazing industry leaders who will be there.

Start planning now. March is out in the future, but if you plan now, you can be there. Talk to your boss. Plan vacation. Save your pennies. Do whatever it takes to not miss eComm 09.