It's that time of year again ... the annual trek to Orlando for Gartner Symposium/ITexpo. This marks my eighth year attending this event, and my first one as an Ombudsman. Symposium is an extraordinary event, and I don't say that simply as a Gartner employee. The sheer amount of information communicated, the sheer number of interactions between attendees and analysts, or even better, attendees and attendees is just overwhelming. The activity level is impossible to describe ... you need to be there in person to experience it.

For me, and for Nancy, Symposium is an especially important opportunity to spend quality time with attendees, exhibitors and analysts. We get to watch the presentations, talk to audiences, and gauge their reactions to Gartner research quality and objectivity. All of our constituencies are here, and we are able to observe them at work and at play, in their natural habitat. These observations yield poignant insights about the character of Gartner, the intentions of the technology providers, and the aspirations of the end-users.

There's nothing sinister about this, on the contrary, we try to do it an open, accessible, and visible way. That said, if you're at Symposium, and have something to say or just want to meet, feel free to track us down - you're sure to find us somewhere around the conference sites, or send us an email at ombudsman@gartner.com and we might be able to arrange a specific appointment. And we'll give you an update later this week with some more commentary from Symposium.