Although the BlackBerry World 2012 keynote presentation is always a big highlight, there’s a lot more going on at the show. Each day is filled with panels, breakout sessions and guest speakers. This year, Spencer West of Free the Children spoke to attendees and shared lessons he’s learned along his inspirational journey.

Spencer is a fascinating guy. Yes, he’s a diehard BlackBerry smartphone user, but he’s also an accomplished speaker. A university graduate. A natural prankster. A former cheerleader. And a young man without legs who refuses to let that stop him from redefining possible. I had the chance to sit down with Spencer at the show and ask him a few questions. Take a look – I’m sure you’ll be as impressed as we are:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Today we’re launching the Take Me To #BBWC Contest, in which you can enter to win* one of three free passes to BlackBerry World 2012 in Orlando, Florida, taking place from May 1, 2012 to May 3, 2012. Check out the video below for more details! The contest is limited to North America only; check out the full contest rules on the BlackBerry World web site.

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

As part of the entry process, you need to follow @BlackBerry4Biz on Twitter® and tweet the following information from your Twitter account:

• One reason why you deserve to go
• The phrase “Take me to #bbwc”

Good luck!

Why do you want to attend BlackBerry World 2012? Share here the comments as well as on Twitter!

*No purchase necessary. A purchase will not increase your chance of winning. Entry deadline: 11:59:59 Eastern Daylight Time (“EDT”) on April 19, 2012). Open to residents of the United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who have reached the age of majority in the province, state or territory where they reside. Skill-testing question applies for Canadian entrants. Three (3) Prizes (ARV of each Prize: USD$1,399.00) available to be won. Limit of ten (10) entries per person per Twitter account. Odds of winning depend on how well each entry meets the judging criteria as per the judges. See Official Rules available here for complete Contest details.

Sessions are one of main reasons BlackBerry World™ attracts so many attendees. People who’ve been to this conference before tell me they learn so much more by hearing BlackBerry® product news first-hand and directly engaging with the experts. I want to give you an inside look at some of the outstanding sessions we have in store for you this year – so you can register before the conference fills up!

You can already review and search all of the posted BlackBerry World 2012 sessions, but the sessions that stand out for me focus on some of the really hot topics.

If you’re interested in the future direction of BlackBerry® Enterprise Server – and managing BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablets and non-BlackBerry devices along with your deployment of BlackBerry smartphones – you’ll want to attend the sessions on BlackBerry® Mobile Fusion. There are good overviews like Introduction to BlackBerry Mobile Fusion, as well as more in-depth sessions like Support iOS and Android Devices with the New BlackBerry Universal Device Service.

Read more at the Inside BlackBerry for Business Blog »

After attending many years’ worth of BlackBerry World™ conferences – not to mention countless other huge events like CES, Mobile World Congress and our very own BlackBerry® DevCon – it’s fair to say that we’re old pros at the whole conference-attendance thing. Now that BlackBerry World 2012 is on the horizon (coming up fast on May 1-3rd 2012, in Orlando, Florida), we thought it’d be a good idea to compile a list of all the knowledge we’ve gained and tips we’ve learned for ensuring that your BlackBerry World experience is useful, educational, and above all – fun!

Whether you’re a BlackBerry World newbie or a seasoned conference veteran, we think you’ll be able to take away at least a few ideas from the below. Of course, if you haven’t yet registered for BlackBerry World 2012 and still need to be convinced, give this video a watch first:

[ YouTube link for mobile viewing ]

Now, read on for our top survival tips, and don’t forget to register for BlackBerry World if you haven’t yet done so:

• Battery swap stations are available for you, but always carry a charger or spare battery just in case. You could purchase a spare battery or an external charging kit or get a USB to AC adapter that can be used with your USB cable to recharge on the go.
• Make sure you have a good supply of business cards with up-to-date information on them to hand out to new contacts. If you and the new contact each have one of the NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones with the latest BlackBerry® 7 OS update, use BlackBerry® Tag to exchange your contact information with each other.
• Review your current sound and alert profiles – you don’t want to be the one whose ringtone goes off in the middle of a session!
• Set up a BBM Group for BlackBerry World attendees in your contact list, and use the group to organize meeting times/places as well as swap thoughts on the best sessions to attend.
• Use the Calendar on your BlackBerry® smartphone or BlackBerry PlayBook tablet to set reminders for sessions that you want to attend. (The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet calendar even has social integration, so you can keep track of which of your colleagues and friends are going to the same sessions!)
• If you’re on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, you can set your Out Of Office using your smartphone. Here’s how to do it for users with BlackBerry® 7, BlackBerry® 6, and BlackBerry® 5.
• During the conference breaks, make sure to load up on free snacks – and stock up so you’ve got a supply handy throughout the day.
• Download apps like Poynt (for BlackBerry smartphones and BlackBerry PlayBook tablets) and Foodspotting for BlackBerry to help you find the perfect local place for a business dinner or team get-together.
• There will be plenty of after-parties and chances to mingle with other attendees, but be sure to drink water throughout and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. We know you’ll be busy – especially those of you working – but making sure you’re hydrated and well-rested is important!
• If you’re not on a BlackBerry® Enterprise Server, you can install BlackBerry Protect on your BlackBerry smartphone, just in case you accidentally leave your device somewhere you can’t remember. If you can’t locate your BlackBerry smartphone, you can use BlackBerry Protect to wipe your data remotely. Check out Jason’s post on BlackBerry Protect tips, and be sure to also read Ty’s post for five reasons why you should be using BlackBerry Protect.
• Take every opportunity possible to network and meet with new people, whether in your industry or not. The Solutions Showcase is a perfect spot to meet conference sponsors and other industry professionals.
• If you’re looking to network with friendly faces, definitely stop by our Social Media Desk – we’ll have staff handy to engage in random giveaways throughout the day. Keep an eye on @BlackBerry4Biz during the event for more details! (Also be sure you have foursquare installed on your smartphone so you can check into the Social Desk, find friends, meet people and find out about specials in the area.)
• As you’re en route to BlackBerry World (hopefully using BlackBerry® Travel to keep your trip organized!), take a moment to determine your business or personal goals for attending, then make a list of what you want to learn or accomplish. Being focused on your end takeaway will help you get the most out of your experience.

Those are just a few bits of conference-attendee wisdom we’ve accrued over the years. If you’ve got any handy tips for having a successful BlackBerry World experience, let us know in the comments!

We love working with governments, law enforcement, and the public sector worldwide, having been a longstanding pillar of security and reliability for those using our products and services in this space. Not only do we provide enterprise-grade management solutions to these areas, but we also work on some pretty cool projects too (remember how helpful the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet was to a police force?) Now we’re excited to remind you about the upcoming Government Day, which showcases some really innovative applications and helps you face the ever-present challenges of mobilizing the workforce in your industry.

Government Day at BlackBerry World™ is taking place on April 30th, 2012 in Orlando, Florida, and targets the unique needs of government organizations with content that highlights how BlackBerry solutions are used to help mobilize teams, streamline operations and efficiently deliver public service.

We have a great line up of speakers and sessions:

• Scott Totzke, Senior Vice President of BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion Limited (RIM®) will provide a welcome address and opening remarks
• Thorsten Heins, President and CEO of RIM will deliver an executive address
• Michael K. Brown, Director of Product Management at RIM will provide more insight about how RIM addresses the security and mobility challenges for public sector organizations
• Alan Panezic, Vice President of Enterprise Product Management & Marketing at RIM will speak about how BlackBerry solutions are meeting the needs of governments
• A variety of government customers representing North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America will share their experiences with deploying BlackBerry solutions and apps

Government Day is on us: all Government and Public Sector customers who have a full conference pass for BlackBerry World 2012 can attend Government Day at no additional charge.

For your calendars: Government Day will be held on Monday April 30, 2012 beginning at 8:30 a.m. EST.

For more information about BlackBerry World 2012, check out http://www.blackberryworld.com. We’ve also got more details on BlackBerry solutions for government.

Do you work in the government or public service? What are some of the mobility challenges that you’re currently facing? Share in the comments below.