By Richard Martin

The start of the 2009 VON Conference & Expo is, incredibly, just days away, and I have to say, after almost a year of preparation and planning, I am feeling as confident as one can before going into such an adventure. Here are five reasons why I think VON is going to be successful:

• The recession is over. Well, sorta. At least Ben Bernanke says it’s over – and that’s gotta count for something, right? All year I’ve been telling people that VON, in late September, is perfectly timed because by then the recovery will be underway. I may have been a bit premature on that prediction – but not by much.
• The IP communications sector, in particular, is poised for strong growth. A few weeks ago I ran down a list of selected public companies that VON follows closely, including 8X8, AudioCodes, and Polycom. While all face challenges in their particular markets, all have outpaced the broader stock market during the upswing over the last six months. I believe that service providers who have positioned themselves to offer advanced IP services in the next year will benefit strongly from the economic recovery, whenever it gathers steam.
• The industry response has been fantastic. We have had a couple of record days for attendee registrations in the last week, and I get e-mails daily from people asking for invitations to the VON CTO Summit. (Note: It’s full.) The other thing I’ve been saying for months is that VON fills a place in the industry that no other show or publication can fill. The industry response to the show has borne that out.
• The 2009 hurricane season has been relatively mild. (Unfortunately, next week’s forecast is for scattered thunderstorms – so bring your poncho and your wellies.)
• The Dolphins play the Colts, at home, on Monday Night Football.

What could go wrong?