The 2011 version of SQLSaturday Orlando (officially SQLSaturday #85), a joint effort between Orlando's PASS chapters OPASS and MagicPASS, is taking place on September 24 at Seminole State College. The call for speakers is open through July 24 and there are still spots available. We've got two ways for speakers to get involved this year: regular sessions and an all day preconference session. We're looking for speakers with all levels of experience, from first timers to experts, and for all topics related to SQL Server.
Why Speak?
Whether you're a first timer or a pro there's some great reasons to come speak in Orlando this year:
- Networking…SQLSaturday started in Orlando and it's become a favorite for many people to return to every year. In addition to speaking about your passion you'll get the chance to hang out with other speakers at the Friday night speaker party; we've got the perfect venue with good food and an atmosphere that's great for networking.
- Great weather…While the rest of the country is cooling down the average September temperature in Orlando is just above 80 degrees. It's also one of the least busy times of the year for the theme parks so if you've got family consider bringing them with you for a day of fun and short lines.
- Cool speaker gifts…Last year we gave out hand crafted coffee mugs; this year we're cooking up something truly unique. Trust me, it's something you won't find at any other SQLSaturday.
- Cheap travel…If you're coming from out of town flights into Orlando are inexpensive compared to other cities. There's a billion hotels here too so you can generally find a decent one at a good price without too much effort.
- You'll learn something…It's not just the attendees that benefit from the sessions; as a speaker you'll learn more than you thought you knew when you're putting together your presentation.
Step It Up A Notch
The preconference session is on Friday, Sept 23, and is a great opportunity for more experienced speakers to take things to the next level with an all-day deep dive into a topic. We've already got Microsoft's Buck Woody (Blog | Twitter) coming to talk about performance tuning and we're looking for a second person to present an all day session to ~50 attendees. We'll pay your travel and hotel expenses, take care of collecting funds, and after expenses you pocket 25-50% of the profit depending on your level of experience as a speaker. Full details are on the SQLSaturday 85 front page. This is a great place to start if you're interested in taking your speaking efforts to the next level as it will open the door to presenting precons at a future SQLRally and PASS Summit.
I'm looking forward to this year's event and I hope you'll consider coming!
