Editor's Blog: Great expectations

It is 24 hours before our annual CIO Forum kicks off. I know I'm not going to get much of a chance to blog during the day tomorrow and this is a chance to do something different to the 'look back at this year's event' that'll doubtless be worthwhile later this week.

We're set up very well, for what is the biggest event silicon.com is involved in all year. I know we have well over 300 delegates registered and I know nearly all of them are top notch - a great mix of CIOs, other IT bosses, a sprinkling of suppliers and a fair few other types that help tech gel together - the consultants, analysts, lawyers and so on.

I know our programme is also the best it's ever been. It screams out 'quality' - you can read it here.

I can't pretend a single conference - not even ours - is going to change the world but some good networking at a good venue is a fine starting point.

But I also know we'll get the last minute cancellations that are always part of such an event.

It's strange, five days per week, most weeks of the year, silicon.com is seen by thousands of people, many of whom aren't shy about telling us when they disagree with our views or when they think we've cocked something up. But put our brand up on a stage and it feels quite different. It's a nervy time, even after years of experience doing this type of thing.

Ultimately, all I hope is that such events end up putting good people in a room with other good people and they benefit from that, with a bit of fun thrown in.

I can't pretend a single conference - not even ours - is going to change the world but some good networking at a good venue is a fine starting point. You can find out all the details about the event here.

And I can't not mention that today - after just under a month of frantic work - our annual Agenda Setters special report will go live. In a previous blog I wrote about how our panel of judges (experts without vested interests) convened on 29 August.

I think the final line-up for 2006 - available later today at www.siliconagendasetters.com - will surprise many readers out there as well as capture some of the major themes in tech and wider society right now. Distilling tech and business down into individuals is always tricky but fascinating too. That's why we rate this annual project so highly.