With the release of SharePoint 2013 just around the corner thoughts are turning to the SharePoint conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 12-15th and I’m really pleased that I shall be attending my third MS SharePoint conference. Of course the main reason for attending is the amazing content that is going to be available, the deep dive technical sessions will be my main focus and with the switch to a more architectural role in my day job, I’ll be exploring some of the aspects of SharePoint that I haven’t really looked at during conferences before.
However one of the other driving factors for attending the conference is the community itself, Over the last few years of being a consultant, I have made some great friends in the SharePoint community and these events are really the only chance we get for the majority of the community to get together and see each other in person. With the SharePoint Community hub stand in the Exhibition hall this year, Mark and Joel have really created a focal point for us to come together and grow our community even more. I hope during this conference to make the acquaintance of even more SharePointers this year, some will hopefully grow to become good friends as others have in the past others might just be a familiar tweet handle or blog commentator, but whatever happens, I know my own social network will grow even more this year as it did previously.
A lot of this socialising of course doesn’t happen during the conference sessions, but outside of the lecture halls, in the booths, the meal room and of course at the various parties and events that run alongside. Some of these are the corporate sponsored events, some of them are just community driven, but you can guarantee that pretty much all of them will be a lot of fun!
My week in Vegas is going to be pretty full on from Sunday lunchtime, with #ShareSurfing by the Mandalay wave pool until we attend the #ShareInk Sunday evening where I’m having a very special tattoo done. (No, I’m not having ‘It Depends’!). After #ShareInk, there’s #SharePint and the #PassportParty.
I’ll be around the SharePoint community hub booth from time to time, publishing the work of the UK SharePoint User Group and trying to attract new members from the UK contingent that will be at the conference, I’ll also be making a SharePoint survival bracelet thanks to @MarkMiller! There’ll also be a group of us giving out the NothingButSharePoint personalised T-Shirts if you were lucky enough to register for one!
Tuesday night will of course be the Microsoft party which has been confirmed will be on the Mandalay Beach as it was in 2009. Nothing confirmed yet about what the theme is or if anyone is playing. 2009 had Huey Lewis and the News, so who knows who could show up this year, although I have heard that Guns n Roses and Santana are both playing in Vegas that week!
Wednesday sees the SharePoint NBSP community authors meeting at the community hub at 14:00 and the Community meets again at the Tryst nightclub that evening thanks to a selection of sponsors!
Thursday sees the close of the conference, always a good time to hit the exhibition hall to hoover up swag to dispense back at the office to those unlucky enough to be able to attend. By now the vendors are looking to get rid of everything to save shipping it back!
And then for me anyway, on Friday is the main event of the week as it’s my 20th wedding anniversary while we’re there! My wife and I will be renewing our vows at the Little White Wedding Chapel at 11am on Friday morning. (It has to be early so the folks back home can watch on the net! And also hopefully catch some of the Friday flyers before they go..). There’s still some space in the Chapel, so ping me a message if you’d like to come to #ShareWedding, or if not, then meet us at the Ice Bar in the Mandalay bay at 12:30 for some vodka slush!
I’m really looking forward to this conference there’s going to be a lot of knowledge work going on, and just a little bit of fun too!
Paul.
