Just had a few minutes to speak privately with Jim Balsillie who is speaking today at 12:15 at The Canadian Telecom Summit.

Regular readers know that I have complained about the density of Blackberries – meaning that they don’t float when they fall in the lake. Jim suggests that you just let it dry out. Usually, it will recover.

Yesterday’s Post called the event The Super Bowl of Telecom. A hockey metaphor may be more appropriate, given the presence at the event today of new team owner Jim Balsillie and Competition Bureau chief Sheridan Scott tomorrow.

The Globe and Mail and National Post both carried first day reports from The Canadian Telecom Summit.

Wow – way busier than I expected to be yesterday at The Canadian Telecom Summit.

Think of it as trying to organize a wedding for 550 guests, with 70 brides and grooms. And the wedding lasts for 3 days.

Sorry that I wasn’t able to get around to updating the blog yesterday.

We had great opening day coverage in the National Post, referring to our event as the Super Bowl of the telecom industry. The Post has a special 10 page Telecom Summit supplement in today’s paper.

As the Super Bowl of telecom, it was especially fitting to have John Tory, Ontario PC leader and former Rogers executive – and former CFL commissioner – as our luncheon speaker.

Other highlights through the day included the video lead-in to the keynote address by Michael Moskowitz from Palm. Interesting trivia – like the percentage of people who have interrupted sex to take a mobile phone call and the percentage of people who have interrupted a phone call to have sex.

No wonder people in the market research business like their jobs!

It’s showtime! Registration opens at 7:00 this morning – sessions get going at 8:30. The weather is supposed to be clear and warm.

The theme of the conference this year is Competing with Converged Communications. The morning starts with perspectives from a service provider, an edge device innovator and a core network supplier: keynote addresses by Nadir Mohamed of Rogers, followed by Michael Moskowitz of Palm and Dragan Nerandzic of Ericsson.

I plan to update throughout the week from the floor of The Canadian Telecom Summit.

I have an early version of a mobile blogging tool designed for the Blackberry and I will put my thumbs to work during my free moments. I understand that jules.ca is going to be attending, so we get to read her viewpoints as well. Watch this space.

We have opened our on-site office at the The Toronto Congress Centre, home of The 2007 Canadian Telecom Summit.

I like watching the set-up that is underway. Yesterday, there were about 25 people working on getting things ready for tomorrow’s opening. The big screens are up, the stages have been built and the registration kits are already prepared.

Something about watching all those people swinging from the rafters, stringing lights, sound equipment and WiFi hot spots. I need one of those scissor-type lifts to change my front hall light – what are the chances I could drive it home this evening and bring it back in the morning?

With more than 600 attendees this year, there is a lot of set-up required. Hall C is being transformed into our main meeting room with a breakout room being built at the back. There are a couple receptions in the courtyard on Monday and Tuesday evenings. It is also where we will have breakfasts and coffee breaks.

Coffee is one of the little details we look after with personal attention, right down to picking the specific roast from the supplier.

You will be able to catch daily news coverage in The National Post and other papers. The Post plans a preview in Monday’s paper and there is a special Telecom Summit supplement on Tuesday.

Watch this site for updates.