I could hardly wait to see Tim O’Reilly, the man who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0, give his keynote on Wednesday. I expected to hear about cutting edge innovations in business models, groundbreaking developments in software, and the effect that Web 2.0 is having on the world offline; there was just so much to talk about! I’m sad to say it was a disappointing speech. He talked about a narrow version of Enterprise 2.0, data mash-ups. He mentioned Wesabe a company of which he happens to be a Board Member.

I walked out half way through, bored and wanting more. So I headed down to the Expo floor with my partner in crime, David Preciado, where I was met with more disappointment. It was a typical expo set-up. Rows of booths with huge displays staffed with personnel in branded t-shirts reciting memorized pitches. And, of course, TONS of brochures, hand-out, pens, foam balls, stuffed animals and other useless crap with company logos splattered all over them. Much of this stuff would end up in the collection cans outside the Schwaggin’ Wagon.

It was very disheartening, while O’Reilly was calling for Silicon Valley to take on bigger challenges (a part of the keynote I admittedly missed); the companies represented at his conference were anything but innovative. Now, I’m not a tech expert by any means, my specialty is marketing and from that perspective – there was no innovation or revolution or new standards setting happening, except in the white van parked in the loading zone outside the Mascone Center.