The biggest HP conference of 2011 has announced a Jan. 20 deadline to submit a proposal for a technical paper at this summer's HP Discover conference. The Connect user group, the last one serving HP's enterprise customers including the users of the 3000 alternatives HP-UX and Windows, is to be part of the HP Discover content experience. The verb used is "partnering," but we don't know much about what that involves yet. There's some speculation a Memorandum of Understanding is being worked out between the group and HP.

The vendor is taking much more of a lead in running this year's show. HP has final approval over all sessions. Last year's lineup showed that about two of every three papers offered came from HP or its very largest solutions partners. But there's a place for customer-delivered papers at the show, although none of them are likely to be approved from 3000 managers unless they're talking migration. (There's an opportunity there for a 3000-focused event, with room for both homestead sustaining advice as well as migration.)

HP's email of today points to an FAQ on the Web that outlines the areas where the conference will welcome papers. "sessions describing implementations of HP products, services, or solutions are particularly welcome. Sessions that share tips and best practices on innovative uses of technology that others can adapt are also very popular."