The communications landscape is in a state of rapid transformation, as businesses everywhere are laying the groundwork to compete in a hyper-connected world. For that reason, it’s everyone’s responsibility, from C-level executives to senior service and technology professionals, to stay on top of the latest innovations that are shaping the industry.

One of the best opportunities to catch up about the latest trends in enterprise communications will take place at the MEF17 global networking event, Nov. 13 to 16 at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in Orlando, Florida.

The event will be sponsored by MEF, which is the driving force enabling assured, orchestrated Third Network services. With a target audience of more than 1,000 attendees from more than 275 companies and over 35 countries, MEF17 is the world’s premier networking opportunity.

This event will focus on advancing the transition to Third Network connectivity and cloud services for the digital economy and hyper-connected world. These services enable an on-demand experience with user-directed control over service capabilities and cloud connectivity.

Third Network services are delivered over automated, virtualized and interconnected networks powered by:

  • LSO (Lifecyle Service Orchestration)
  • SDN (software-defined networking)
  • NFV (network functions virtualization)
  • CE 2.0 (Carrier Ethernet 2.0)

“Many leading service providers, technology vendors, open source projects, and standards organizations are working closely with MEF to accelerate the transition to the Third Network,” said Kevin Vachon, Chief Operating Officer, MEF. “We enjoyed tremendous support for last year’s event from 120 sponsor and partner companies — including 26 service providers — along with 120 expert speakers.  We will build upon this momentum for MEF17, and look forward to creating another world-class conference that will attract the best and brightest innovators dedicated to moving our industry forward.”

So, why else should you attend MEF17? The annual MEF conference has developed a reputation for empowering industry stakeholders with high-quality program content, live demonstrations of cutting-edge technologies and services, and extraordinary peer-to-peer networking opportunities. The event consistently ranks among the highest in the industry: 99 percent of surveyed attendees rated the previous conference, MEF16, as excellent, very good or good.

MEF17’s special program and activities are designed to appeal to executives and other senior experts from communication and cloud service providers, government organizations, enterprises, network technology suppliers, open source organizations, industry standards, analyst firms, and the media.

MEF17, a three and one-half day conference, will include:

  • MEF Workshops
  • Proof of Concept Service & Technology Showcase
  • Networking Hall
  • MEF Awards Party
  • Executive Forum
  • LSO Hackathon
  • Global Media Hub
  • Onsite MEF Training & Certification
  • UNITE Partner Activities – including open source projects and standards organizations

More information about MEF17 will be available in the coming weeks, so make sure to check the website for updates. For more information about Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, click here.

Plus, if you sign up before February 28, 2017, you will receive the Super Early Bird Savings of 25 percent on Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsor packages. Additional sponsorship options are also available. For sponsorship details, contact Alysia Bennett at Alysia@MEF.net.