 Welcome, welcome, everyone, to Know Before You Go. I'm your host, Jamie Skidokataya, CEO and founder of JSA. Know Before You Go is the show that covers everything attendees should have on their radar from insider talking points to conference logistics before attending that next big event. And today, we are spotlighting none other than Metro Connect USA, taking place February 26th through the 28th, Fort Lauderdale. And the Fort Lauderdale, Marriott Harbor, Florida. And guys, the QR code over my shoulder. If you scan that and add the words JSA 10 as your discount code, you're going to get 10% off that registration. So scan away. All right, let's bring in our speaker, our man of the hour. We are joined today by capacity media's James Netherwood to share some tips on how attendees can really make the most of this year's Metro Connect USA. Hi, Mr. Metro Connect himself. Hey, James. Hi, Jamie. Thank you. Oh, thank you so much for being here. And what a busy time for us to steal your wave. We so appreciate it. And as we were talking even before we broadcasted, this conference is huge, expected to be bigger than ever before, which says quite a bit. Can you give us an overview of the conference? What sets it apart from others in the industry? Absolutely. This is the 23rd Metro Connect now. So it's been going for a long time. It's one of the more established events that we run. And it's just growing so quickly. I was looking before at two years ago, the attendee numbers were just over 1,000. And this year, we're expecting, well, probably over 2 and 1 half thousand this year. And it's become such a core touch point for digital infrastructure executives, investors, and so many more people. It's grown out from that small Metro Fiber event of 23 years ago. And we're seeing new attendance from data centers, fiber to the home providers, wireless operators, and of course, those private equity and investment bank folks that are all over the place at the event now. And just a plug for us before I get back to you is that last year, the event won the Best Overseas Conference over 800 people at the Conference and Events Awards here in London, just to shout out for the team there. Oh, amazing news. Amazing news and so well deserved. I've been watching you guys grow and part of the Metro Connect history, if you will, for over 20 years, too. So I've watched it grown and become just such a hub. People talk about it as kicking off their new year, really. And with that influx of investment bankers, you guys really have something special going on, such an ecosystem now. So I understand, of course, the presence of the venue has had to grow, increase to match this growth of this conference. Can you share any specific areas that attendees should have on their radar or key locations to visit? Give us a new sense of the location. Definitely. So this year, we have full buy out of the whole venue, whereas last year, we were sharing it with another event. And that means we've been able to expand the exhibition and the conference room. So for those who were there last year, the conference room is now down the floor in what's called the Caribbean Ballroom. And it's going to be much larger and I think much nicer for everyone. And the exhibition then is taking up the whole of that grand ballroom up on the first floor. So there'll be more space for meetings, more exhibitors to meet with, more lounges, more meeting rooms, more of everything really. So I think you should really see the difference this year. And then with all these changes, we've spent a lot of time looking at how we're sign posting everything across the event. So there'll be more signage all over the place making it much easier to get around the hotel. And if you head to our website for Metro Connect, you can see the floor plan up on that website for anyone wanting to check it out before you get there. Oh, I love that. It's such a great visual too. I highly recommend that. All right, so I know there's a lot new and improved here. Can you share insights on any of the new features or changes that participants can expect at Metro Connect USA 2024, especially for those guys like JSA and our clients who are returning, coming back from previous years. What's new? Absolutely. So I think the big change from at least my side on the content is that we've moved away from that sort of infrastructure only day at the start of the event. Meaning now that all the sessions on the main stage in that Caribbean ballroom are gonna be open to everyone. And there's a lot more space to match for that. So for anyone wanting to catch those sessions, I recommend getting there day one, bang on time before we kick off and they're open for everyone now. And at the same time, we're creating curated meetups for specific groups like Fiber to the Home, which are gonna enable those sort of candid conversations that really make in-person events that just so important for everyone to be out. So a lot going on for us. Huge, a lot going on. I love those curated meetings. Also, I noticed on your site, speaker lineup is A1 as always. Tell us a little bit about the speaker lineup and what are the key themes that Metro Connect aims to address this year as part of their speaking agenda? Absolutely. So we've got a great group of speakers. I'd just like to thank all of them. We're really ramping up on the preparation at the moment. And some of those discussions we're gonna be having, and they're gonna be really, really great for everyone. We've got the major operators. We've got Zayo on there. We've got Winstream, AT&T. Everyone's on there really from that sort of big carrier group. Then this year, we've got the state broadband offices. We've got leading investors, bankers, big data center operators. You name it almost, and they're on the agenda. As part of that, we've expanded the scope of the agenda. So we're covering those big hot topics like meeting demand from AI, touching on the unprecedented amount of public funding through the BEAD program with a couple of sessions there. I think really the point here is that the agenda at Metro Connect has something for everyone. We've got sessions on fiber financing, automating wholesale processes, applying for that public funding, to getting the data center of the future built. There's really just, yeah, something for everyone. And then with all these expanded focuses, we still have those real staples of Metro Connect. We've got our CEO panel, our M&A panel, a state of the market address. And of course, we've got a big opening keynote from Mark Ganzi that I think is really one of those unmissable things at Metro Connect. I couldn't agree more. Mark Ganzi keynote, yeah, sign us up. Absolutely, AI, BEAD, like tell us everything. I can't wait to attend. How can participants really take full advantage of these networking opportunities at the conference? We're already talking multiple opportunities. How do we take advantage? So throughout the event, we've got sort of networking receptions in the morning and the afternoon. There'll be breakfast on offer in the exhibition hall, which really gives everyone a chance to grab a coffee, a bagel, whatever it might be between sessions and just have a chat. It's always a staple of Metro Connect. We've got the beer and barbecue reception on day one, which I think, given the weather here in London, I'm really looking forward to out in sunny Florida. And then on day two in the evening, we've got a networking reception, which is being sponsored by Bank Street and Winstream. And that's going to be out on the Ocean Terrace, which is absolutely beautiful space. There's a lot to be doing on the networking side this year. Oh, and you know, I just bring in the sun, bring in the barbecue. And thanks also to Bank Street and Winstream. I know they're doing that beautiful Ocean Terrace networking reception as well. Just so incredible. And again, unbelievable networking opportunities, unbelievable brands available and attending. Can you share with us your three tips for getting the most out of Metro Connect USA 2024? Sure. I think we touched on it earlier, but whether it's your first Metro Connect like myself, or you've been going for 20 years and you were there at the first one ever, it's really worth looking at the floor plan. Get a layer of the land before you get on site. I always suggest downloading Swapcard. You can see the attendee list, the agenda. You can plan your meetings before you go. So really to get the most out of it. I suggest getting the app. Finally, I think it's really easy to book back-to-back meetings at these events. But every time I talk to people, they say, oh, I bumped into so-and-so. I've not seen them for years, or we had an impromptu meeting and some really great new business to sort of stumble along. So I think it's really good to sort of block out a bit of time, just to explore, say hi to people, and make the most out of the event. I love that. I always love this question, like, what are your top three ideas? And to reiterate, floor plan, review that, know where you're going, makes total sense. Swapcard at, download that guys. That's critical for a successful event. But yours is beautiful. Make time for the unexpected. I love that. All right, my last question here, before I let you go, I know it's a busy day for you, but what is the best way for attendees to keep up to date on the latest as we lead up to the arrival here at Metro Connect USA? We're packing, we're getting ready, but give us a few tips before we board. Yeah, I think follow us on LinkedIn. I think that's where we're the most active. We've got sort of sessions being promoted, useful information that we're putting out forever on before you get there. Watch out for the service emails from us. They'll have the QR code so that you're ready when you get there so we can print your badge straight away. You can get through and get cracking with Metro Connect. And I think I mentioned it already, but download that Swapcard app. People have probably reached out already trying to have a meeting with you or connecting with you there. So it's really worth getting that out, which makes everything much smoother for you. That's it for me, really. Yeah, I wanted to say app, app, app guys, go ahead and make those meetings. That's really part of the magic behind Metro Connect. You guys serve up all the information ahead of time. It's such a well-organized event. So kudos, kudos to you, James, and your whole capacity media team. Always top notch events that we love and really just helps grow and support our industry in such a beautiful way. So thank you so much. No, thank you, Jamie. It's been great hopping on here with you and such lovely things you say about Metro Connect. So thank you. No, it's really true. For my heart, to yours, it's part of what keeps our industry growing. So thank you. And guys, go ahead and scan that code over our shoulder. 10% off your registration of Metro Connect USA. And to get all the proper details, including a good look at that floor plan, make sure you check out the URL for Metro Connect USA as well. And make sure you're on social, LinkedIn, and sharing all the love. All right, thanks, everyone. I am Jamie Scott-Octaya of JSA. Go ahead and follow JSA on LinkedIn or find out more about us on jsa.net. Thank you for tuning in to know before you go. And as always, my friends, happy networking and see you in Fort Lauderdale.