Getting Your Employer to Pay for the PASS Summit

It’s just over 30 days to the 2020 PASS Summit and that is plenty of time to get the boss to say yes, but you have to ask! I point that out because a lot of people don’t ask and if you don’t ask, it’s the rare manager who is going to remember (or care) […]

Thinking About the 2021 PASS Summit

I know that we don’t yet know how the 2020 Summit will turn out, but I’ll make some guesses: A lot of people like it for the lower cost, no travel, and lower stress A lot of people will still want the in-person option if it’s available next year (or whenever) I know, not exactly […]

Cancelling SQLSaturday Orlando 2020

I’m sure it’s no surprise, but we’ve decided to cancel SQLSaturday Orlando 2020. We decided a couple weeks ago but it’s been tough to summon the energy to write it down – we’ve had a continuous run since 2007 and we hated to break the chain. We considered a virtual event, but for me it […]

Thoughts on the PASS Virtual Summit

Some thoughts on the PASS Virtual Summit this year: Clearly the in-person option wasn’t doable. Just too hard to know infection rate, local rules, employer travel guidelines, attendee and speaker risk tolerance – all factors. Plus, social distancing is really the antithesis of what the in-person event is about. That leaves the option of going […]

Covid Thoughts, So Far

I’ve gathered a bunch of notes from conversations and time reflecting, thought I’d write them down to at least be able to look back at them once the storm has passed. I’m mindful about how much news I consume per day. I want to know how things are going and what has changed, but I […]

SQLOrlando Update

We’ve cancelled our upcoming Meetups in April and May due the loss of our venue (due to corona virus worries) though we would have probably cancelled them anyway. Our lunch meetups – typically 5 to 10 attendees – remain scheduled, but we’ll evaluate those as we get closer to the dates. For the most part […]

Notes from SQLSaturday Tampa 2020

The notes! Attendance was the speaker dinner was great! Always nice to have a lot of people there. During the day logistics all went well, though it’s still a struggle for first time attendees to find the rooms that in are in the other building Lunchtime sponsor announcements didn’t work very well – if you […]

Building the Monthly Newsletter for SQLOrlando

One the things I’ve been doing over the last year is sending out a monthly reminder email of upcoming events. Not revolutionary, I know. I’m sharing what we do now to make that newsletter happen. It’s definitely a process that continues to evolve as we balance effort and value to those on the various lists. […]

Call for Speakers for Orlando Code Camp 2020 is Open

Code Camp will be March 28th, 2020 at Seminole State College. The fifteenth consecutive year! They are definitely interested in developer/end user SQL content and would like at least one full track of SQL topics. So…submit something! Call for speakers closes Feb 17.

SQLSaturday Tampa 2020 (On Leap Day!)

Feb 29, 2020 is the date for SQLSaturday Tampa, number 951. The call for speakers is open through January 10th, so you don’t have much time to get something submitted! I’ve submitted a couple of sessions already and may also be on a panel that Dale and team are working on.