Whether you are looking to escape the sub-degree weather and chilling wind shield sweeping the Northeast, or hoping to bask in the company of leading CIOs and CTOs from across the globe, now is the time—if you are not already doing so—to pack your bags and get in route to Miami, Fla., for ITEXPO East 2014, the business technology event of the year. And if you are not, there is still time to join us!

So what are three reasons this year’s conference will be truly bleeding-edge? Let’s take a look:

1. Case Study U Attracts Top-Notch Leaders

If you joined us in Vegas last August for ITEXPO (News - Alert) West, then you probably vividly remember the electric energy that dominated the Case Study U track of ITEXPO. Case Study U is back for the second time in ITEXPO history this year, boasting some of the major league CIOs and CTOs of the technology world. Designed to equip attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to get through to upper management—and possibly steal a seat at the table—Case Study U covers the ever-changing tech business environment and highlights why making the right decisions are so critically important in driving ROI.

This year’s track will cover a range of topics from big data to enterprise security to BYOD and boast an impressive roster of speakers. Industry-leading talent will take center stage Thursday, Jan. 30, at 10 am for a special keynote CIO roundtable titled “Rationalizing the Dataverse – How Big Data is Changing Everything” featuring speakers Tery Howard, senior vice president, CTO, of the Miami Dolphins; Herman Nell, CIO of Rent-A-Center; and Ramon Millan, vice president and CIO of Carnival Cruise Lines. An A-list roster of presenters? Check.

2. Asterisk (News - Alert) World Bound for another Record-Breaking Event

For the past five years, ITEXPO has been home to the largest Asterisk event in the world—Asterisk World, the conference that addresses "Everything Asterisk" for business users, resellers and executive decision-makers. And this year is no exception.

In just a few days attendees from all over the world will come together to learn about how the world's most widely used open source telephony software can save you money and empower you to create more flexible telephony solutions. This year’s conference will feature a variety of sessions, including:

• “Asterisk and the Community,” taking place Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 12-12:45 pm featuring David Duffett Director, Worldwide Asterisk Community, Digium
• A keynote presentation by IBM (News - Alert) taking place Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 3:30 pm featuring Dr. Angel Luis Diaz, vice president of Open Technology & Cloud Performance Solutions, IBM Software Group
• “FreePBX: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” taking place Thursday, Jan. 30, from 1:30-2:15 pm featuring Preston McNair, vice president of Sales and Marketing, Schmooze (News - Alert) Com Inc.

3. Networking, Networking, Networking

Did we say networking? With tens of thousands of participants in attendance, ITEXPO is hot, hot, hot when it comes to networking.  Whether you are looking to schmooze on the trade show floor, wine and dine at one of the savory restaurants on Lincoln Road or catch up with Coca-Cola and cookies in hand in between trade show sessions, there exists ample room and time to network at this year’s convention.

With the sun shining and temperatures rising there is no better time to embrace your sunny disposition, rub elbows with your fellow neighbor and strike deals at ITEXPO. Got your best networking face on?

It’s not too late to join us in sunny Miami. For more information on how to register and how you can help us bring the heat this week—click here!