I couldn't book something in Death Valley on July 31, so I had to settle for the cooler climes of Phoenix -- but if you're a CIO from the greater Phoenix area (or happen to be visiting that day), I invite you to join me and up to eight CIOs for the first in this season's series of informal CIO Nation Breakfasts.My blog of April 2 described the CIO Nation Breakfasts thusly:

I've stayed in touch with a great many of you through informal breakfasts and lunches I've held throughout the country with a half-dozen or so CIOs at a time. I'm putting together a schedule of more breakfasts for the spring and summer, and I hope to meet you for some great conversation and networking among your peers. This season's theme: "CIO 2.0." Even though we try not to structure the conversations too much, the next-generation of the CIO in the business seems to be on everyone's radar. So, if you're interested in getting together with me -- and in some regions I'll be joined by Optimize/InformationWeek editor Stephanie Stahl or Optimize executive editor Paula Klein -- as well as some of your colleages, let me know ASAP (provide your feedback on this blog, or e-mail me at bgillooly@cmp.com). We'll try to configure the schedule based on responses and try to fit the visits to your schedule, but the first breakfast is in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 1. We also plan on visiting New York, Boston, Atlanta, Phoenix, and San Francisco. This is sponsorship-free, the only obligation is an appetite for good food and good conversation. Believe it or not, I just want to know what's on your mind! And I'd be happy to share with you what's on mine (for example, how to shift to dynamic budgeting so you can better fund growth opportunities and stop plowing so much money into maintenance...)

Space for these breakfasts is limited, so please contact me ASAP if you're looking for a seat among the eight. My friends at the Arizona Tech Council are also pitching this to their membership, so I expect the seats to go fast. Breakfast is 8:00 to 10:00 local time (isn't Arizona in some special time zone that only Arizonans can sense?) at the Pointe South Mountain Resort. You can post a blog response here or e-mail me at bgillooly@cmp.com if you're interested in attending.

Coming next: Washington, D.C., and New York. Watch for dates.