This is a guest blog from IBM VP, Worldwide Marketing, IBM Power Systems. Thank you, Lisa Johnston, for contributing to Linux.com.

As many of you know, IBM has a long standing commitment to open source innovation and Linux in particular. We have been part of the Linux Foundation and all its exciting events from day one.  Of course, IBM will be part of LinuxCon 2013 – again as a Platinum sponsor.  A large team of IBMers is heading to New Orleans next week, where we look forward to connecting with both creators and consumers of the open technology that we come together to celebrate.  We have a variety of interesting sessions and fun activities planned for you.  Here are some of the highlights:

•    On Tuesday, September 17th, please join us in the main tent at 9:15am for the keynote by Bradley McCredie, IBM Fellow and Vice President, IBM Power Systems Development.  Bradley will talk about IBM’s continued investment in Linux and recent steps we’ve taken to build better platforms for open innovation, such as OpenPOWER.

•    Visit us at the IBM booth in the technology showcase, where you can take the famous IBM Watson Jeopardy! Challenge.  We will have tons of giveaways and a crack team of experts ready to help you tackle the big data, cloud, and social business challenges you face.

•    We’re excited to be a part of LinuxCon’s Wild Goose Chase contest!  We have two missions for this mobile scavenger hunt: (1) Play the IBM Watson Jeopardy! Challenge Game – Head to the IBM booth in the technology showcase and take a photo while playing the Jeopardy! Challenge trivia game, and (2) Spell it out – Spell out the word “IBM” in the most creative way possible and submit your photo.

•    Our experts from the IBM Linux Technology Center will be running numerous sessions delving into a variety of topics such as KVM, parallel programming, memory compression, OpenStack development, storage performance, concurrent software, and file mashups.  Check your session guide for details.

•    Help us identify the Next Power App!  Beginning this week, send IBM Systems Magazine your ideas for the next great Linux application that would leverage the unique capabilities of IBM Power Systems.  For more details or to enter, visit http://www.ibmsystemsmag.com/nextpowerapp. You can also tweet us your idea using the hashtag #nextpowerapp.  If you are attending LinuxCon, add #LinuxCon and come see us in the IBM booth for a prize while supplies last.  

If you see one of us in a session, at the booth, or even walking down the hallway, please stop us and say hello!  We’d love to connect with you. And be sure to follow IBM Power Systems on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook for updates throughout the conference. 

Have a great conference!