DemoFall swag: Meh
I hate to sound shallow, but I was expecting more loot.
Usually an indicator of the success of a conference is the heft of the goody bag you get when you check in. But although DemoFall 2007 (more) looks to be well-attended and well-supported by sponsors, the "swag bag" at this event is paltry: A hat. Some mints. A pen. Some surf wax (the sole cute item, from Qualcomm). And magazines.
I know that Demo grande dame Chris Shipley is trying to run a high-class joint here and doesn't want to cheapen the event by throwing a load of useless trinkets into our bags, but come on, Chris, let the sponsors load me up with stuff to take home to the wife and kid.
See this video report on the D5 conference's swag, by comparison. It doesn't take much to make a swag bag memorable and fun. Case in point: YouTube tube socks. Arguably a more enjoyable item than the (likely remaindered) Maxtor hard drive everyone got at D5.