PASS Summit 2010 – Reflections

It’s been a month since the PASS Booth Opened at the Summit, so it’s time for me to briefly reflect on my experience with wearing a “First Timer” badge.  Also, this post is a reminder that there’s a 2011 PASS Summit early registration offer ending this month… $1295 for the three-day Summit plus two pre-cons.  This is a significant savings, and since I pay my own way to events I’ll be taking advantage of this offer.

This year’s Summit started for me on the afternoon of November 8th (Monday).  I didn’t sign up for a pre-con, so my goal was to get to Seattle, check into the Sheraton next door to the event, and register before the evening festivities started.  Registration was easy, but the First Timer Orientation wasn’t very informative.  Fortunately the door guards let in some alumni from the Organizing Committee, so the Orientation was a valuable 30 minute time slot for standing around and talking with them before the room got crowded for the Welcome Reception.  The Quiz Bowl was hilarious, and it was great to wander around and bump into folks I’d met at other events this year.

Tuesday I hit sessions by Grant Fritchey (after meeting him for the first time earlier that morning), Buck Woody, and Kevin Kline.  I also went to that day’s Lightning Talk session and caught Matt Velic‘s performance as emcee (a role I’d be filling the next day).  The Birds of a Feather MVP lunch is a great idea, and I spent most of my time at Allen White’s table discussing Powershell.  The evening Exhibitor Reception was another good opportunity to visit with friends, plus I spent a fair amount of time with some exhibitors (especially one who has a product I’d love to get budgeted for next year).

Wednesday I went to sessions by Kathi Kellenberger and Bob Ward.  The Women in Technology Luncheon was very well attended and extremely interesting, but I had to sneak out before it was over to prepare for the Lightening Talk session.  I was the emcee that day, and it was a very fun experience that was over in a flash.  I’m very appreciative that Jeremiah Peschka provided me with this opportunity to volunteer, and I’m thankful that the audience didn’t boo me off the stage when my attempts at humor bombed.

Thursday’s sessions for me were those by Paul Randal, Karen Lopez, Andy Leonard, and Kalen Delaney.  How impressive is it to have a lineup of learning like that in one day?  With this, the regular conference was over.  However, there were post-conference full-day training sessions on Friday, and both Tamara and I signed up for a business intelligence class taught by Davide Mauri.

So what did I get right?  First, the hotel choice was a good decision.  For me, this event was an opportunity to see in the real world those people I mostly know online.  By staying in the hotel next to the convention, every time I left my room I’d see someone I knew and could have a discussion in the lounge, lobby, elevators, restaurant, etc.  Second, as I mentioned in a prior post, buying the conference DVDs meant that I didn’t labor over picking the right sessions, worry about being late or not getting a seat in sessions, or even care if I went to sessions.  This meant I could focus on meeting and talking with people, which was my main goal for going to the Summit.

What will I do different next time?  First, I’ll come to conference with many more questions and issues for the multitudes of Microsoft experts that are readily available.  I had a few questions, and I asked them of a few Microsoft folks, and I had some good and helpful discussions.  However, that was a drop in the bucket compared to what I could have brought along if I’d put more consideration into it.

The second thing I’ll do differently next year is fly straight to the conference from home so that I arrive fresh.  When I arrived in Seattle on Monday afternoon, I was in fifth day of traveling and checking into the fourth hotel of the trip.  I had fun in those days leading up to the conference, but next year I’m planning to do that kind of activity after the conference instead of before.

About that fun activity leading up to the conference… we had some out-of-town business for a couple of days, and then flew to Portland, Oregon.  We mostly walked around catching the sights such as the Saturday Market and did some shopping including, of course, Powell’s Books (amazing store).   We stayed on the club floor of a hotel at Pioneer Square, and while hanging out in the club room met Dr. Melody Stapleton, a database professor at Cal State.  We talked about topics such as growing your technical skills, business intelligence, cloud computing, and women in technology (including the decrease in female students she’s observed in her courses).  After Portland, we headed north towards Seattle and spent a night in Astoria, Oregon.  If you’ve read Snow Crash then you probably remember that Juanita went to Astoria to get on the Raft.  Well, it turns out there’s quite a bit to do there, so we are planning to return next year and do some site seeing.  But after the conference, not before!