The IBM CUA/Common UK has teamed up with iNEWSWire UK to offer the chance to win free day passes to the System i event of the year to two of our lucky readers.

The 2007 Common Europe Congress will be held at The Tower Hotel, London, May 19-22, under the theme “Innovation today -- legacy tomorrow”. IBM has provided the cream of its speakers including Frank Soltis, IBM’s chief scientist for System i5, who will make a keynote speech on May 21.

There were over 60 technical sessions, split into streams such as management, development, specific Java development and service-oriented management. Other IBM speakers include Alison Butterill on the System i Developer’s Roadmap, WebSphere and SQL, Patrick Botz on (amongst other things) security and newcomer Erwin L. Earley on the currently hot web scripting language PHP.

From the UK System i scene John Taylor will be talking about IP telephony on the System i, a technology that his company, Typex, has helped IBM pioneer. Other UK luminaries include System i NEWS UK’s very own Tech Tipster, Glenn Robinson, Morpheus’s Bleddyn Williams and conference stalwart Mike Ryan.

There will also be a series of RPG University sessions, the opportunity to acquire official certification in a range of topics and social events such as the annual gala dinner and happy hours laid on for delegates. As usual, the conference features an expo at which ISVs and Business Partners can show off their wares, with accompanying technical demonstrations.

This week, Mark Shearer, worldwide general manager of System i, and Werner Lindemann, IBM’s director of the System i systems & technology group, northeast Europe confirmed the times that they will be on hand for one-to-one discussions with System i customers. They will be available to chat about any System i subject that delegates want talk about on the Sunday afternoon and both the Monday and Tuesday mornings.

So, what do you have to do to enter the prize draw to win a free day pass (to the day of your choice) worth £225? Just answer the following simple question:

“Who is considered to be the ‘father of the System i’?” (Clue: he’s speaking at the event).

Then email your answer to marketing@ibm-cua.org.uk by the end of this Friday, May 11 (please indicate which day you would like to attend), and we will announce the names of our two lucky winners in next week’s edition of iNEWSWire UK.

For the full lowdown on the Common Europe Congress, go to www.ibm-cua.org.uk/CEC2007

Seamus Quinn, editor.