---
layout: post
title: Alcatel-Lucent's Laura Merling at API Strategy & Practice
image: >-
  http://kinlane-productions2.s3.amazonaws.com/api-evangelist-site/blog/laura-merling.jpeg
author:
  name: kinlane
tags:
  - Strategy
---
When [3Scale and I first decided to do the API Strategy & Practice Conference](/2012/10/20/the-right-partnership-for-the-api-strategy--practice-conference/) in New York, one of the first people I reached out to about speaking and sponsoring the event, was Laura Merling ([@magicmerl](https://twitter.com/magicmerl)), SVP Applications Enablement Platform and Strategy at [Alcatel-Lucent](http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/open-api-platform/).

As soon as I told her about the event, she said “We are in! What do we need to do, to support it!”

I’m stoked to have Laura kick off the event on Thursday, November 1st with a keynote as well as having [Alcatel-Lucent as a gold sponsor.](http://www.apistrategyconference.com/sponsors.php)

[![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/kinlane-productions2/events/api-strategy-practice-conference/sponsors/alcatel-lucent-logo.jpeg)](http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/open-api-platform/)

If you’ve never heard Laura speak, I highly recommend making sure you are there. She always has great insight into the success Alcatel-Lucent is having within emerging markets and the telco space.  Also, her talks are always positive, energetic and demonstrate leadership in the space--something I want my daughter Kaia to experience.

During Laura’s keynote I’m sure we will here more about [Alcatel-Lucent's new open source offering, API Grove](/2012/09/06/alcatel-lucent-open-sources-their-api-management-platform/), as well as their openly licensed [API lifecycle and methodology](http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/16/alcatel-lucent-creates-methodology-for-apis-and-makes-available-under-creative-commons/).

Make sure you [get registered](http://www.apistrategyconference.com/register.php) today, before the event is sold out--there aren’t many tickets left.  I'll see you there.