Another one in the eye

Frequent visitors to this site will recall that one of the issues I'm keenly interested in is the disruption of my own industry. This has largely focused so far on the ever-expanding ranks of independent, smart-aleck blogger-types, who insist on spoiling our fun by writing timely and insightful pieces on the industry with no compliance or political constraints - and for free, at that. (As one industry CEO said to me last year in response to a presentation I gave him on Skype - "We ought to be lobbying to get this sort of thing stopped!")

Today, along with the 1,486 other unread emails I got while enjoying my holidays, I received a piece of conference-promotion spam - but it is spam with a different flavor. The organizers have come up with a two-day conference themed on a single company - Vodafone - but they are doing it from the perspective of suppliers, content partners, and competitors. The company itself is apparently unrepresented.

I like this idea of creating a conference with a Vodafone-shaped hole in the middle, as it will undoubtedly shed more light on the company than its own paltry disclosures and filings, and I am trying to imagine how the people out in Newbury (and their lawyers) feel about this sort of event. Not to mention the 42 analysts covering the company. At GBP1,880, I won't be attending, but I applaud the concept.