One of the more interesting conference phenomenons is the informal court. These tend to spontaneously form around the some of our more well-known luminaries. Here’s a picture of Ed Merks holding court in the common area of Eclipse Summit Europe. The group has grown by another three people since I started typing.
Ed is the technical lead for the EMF project.
Eclipse Hints, Tips, and Random Musings 
Ed also likes long walks on the beach 😉