I posted some thoughts over on NoJitter about UC interoperability based on what we've seen from interviews with about a hundred or so end-user organizations.
If you are an end-user and are interested in participating in our research, please drop me a line.
I've been involved with the FutureNet conference (formerly MPLScon) since its inception in 2000. It's always been a conference focused on highly technical content....a LOT of highly technical content. I lost track of how many sessions we ran this year, but it was around 40-50.
For me the highlight was the "Beer and Pizza Shootout" featuring some of the leading minds ...