On February 16th, Metro Vancouver will play host to its 3rd annual SQLSaturday. This will be the 198th SQLSaturday held on the planet. It will take place on the Burnaby Campus of the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).
Sometimes, Timing is Everything
This will be the second time that Metro Vancouver has the honors of holding a SQLSaturday the weekend before annual gathering of the Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). Why is this of any consequence you say. The MVP Summit 2013 takes place in Bellevue, Washington, a mere 3 hours drive south of Vancouver. This offers a unique opportunity for SQL Server MVPs to kill two birds with one stone and experience a small taste of Canada while enroute to the International gathering of Microsoft Community brand ambassadors. This offers the Vancouver IT Community the opportunity to connect with and attend world class presentations delivered by knowledgeable SQL Server MVPs while they are in town.
Bringing Together IT Communities
This year we are also sending out invitations to members of the .NET and SharePoint communities to present on data related topics specific to their technologies. Augmenting, the event with IT Professional with complimentary, yet unique skill-sets only further enriches the event by offering more perspectives and more opportunities for the communities to learn and grow together.
Get Social with Twitter – Use the hash tag #SQLSat198
Twitter is fairly ubiquitous in the SQL Server Community. Many SQL Tweeps use the social media platform to keep in touch throughout the year, 140 characters at a time. Sure some use Facebook but my unscientific conclusion would be that a large majority of social media engagement amount SQL Server Professionals happens with Twitter. Join the flock, and fly in formation.
Lightning Talks – a great way to get your feet wet?
Okay… perhaps, Lightning and wet feet don’t really a good mix. For that matter rain Vancouver and wet feet, again, perhaps we need to talk with Marketing…
Lightning talks are an opportunity for the first time speaker to boost his confidence and deliver a 10 minutes presentation in a safe environment, to a friendly audience. This could be your stepping stone to delivering a full length presentation at next year’s SQLSaturday? Lightning Talks are also an opportunity for experienced speakers to present a session injected with humour or triviality that perhaps wouldn’t be feasible for a full length conference session.