On Thursday, a combination of elective sessions including Usability Sandboxes, Technical Skill Building sessions and Hands-on labs were offered. Usability Sandboxes included interactive, personal sessions - limited to 12 participants. Participants were able to view future graphical UI elements, prototypes and early code. Participants were also encouraged to share ideas, provide feedback, and submit their wish list for future products.
The Technical Skill Building sessions allowed attendees to dive deeply into technology and provide input to the IBM developer community. Each session was designed around special interest areas so that people could attend based on their role and industry.
Additionally, moderator-led Birds of a Feather sessions were available for people to meet up with other IT professionals with similar interests and hands-on labs enabled people to take their expertise to the next level. Labs were offered in an instructor-led, mini-course format - architected for hands-on interaction with IBM Information Management products.
Lastly, customer testimonial videos were filmed and free certifications were offered throughout the duration of the conference, with prizes awarded to those who earned top scores.