When we first announced the return of SQLSaturday to NYC (after 2 long years), we knew we'd get a decent amount of interest, registrants, and speakers.  Yet, so early on, it is amazing that we received over 150 speaker abstracts, 15 sponsors, and almost 200 registrations. We fully expect another 200 or so registrations as we get closer to event time.  Almost 100 events later (SQLSaturday #59 in 2010), SQLSaturday #158 marks the return of SQLSaturday NYC, one of the biggest venues for such an event We have met our sponsor budget ahead of time, and lunch will be FREE to attendees.  And our speaker schedule is finally out!  You truly won’t believe the super sizzling summer SQLSaturday extravaganza that we have planned for you!

We are so grateful to the sponsors who are on-board with us for SQLSaturday #158!  Mark your calendars for a date not to miss. On August 4, 2012, at Microsoft HQ in NYC, we will be hosting a fantastic day of fun, learning, networking and more!  We will be having lots of SWAG, so generously donated by our sponsors, and so many prizes to give away!  Please, do stop by and visit ALL our sponsors, drop your raffles in for a chance to win, and talk to them about their great products and services – you never know when your company may need them – and, who knows, maybe they’ll be looking to hire a new database professional someday.  At least, grab a few flyers, some pens, candy and say hello to the folks that are making it possible to host this great event.  To see our list of wonderful sponsors, check out our sponsor page here.

For you SQL Server aficionados, juniors, seniors and accidental DBAs alike, we present to you eight excellent tracks of SQL learning.  We have SQL Server 2012, SQL Azure, Big Data, BI, Performance Tuning and more! 

I am proud to be a part of this history-making event, with an awesome line-up of your favorite topics and speakers.  You will not be disappointed as the greatest collection of high-caliber speakers, MVPs, and experts descend on the Big Apple this summer, from all parts of the US, and across the pond!

So, without further ado, I am pleased to give you our SQLSaturday speaker lineup, plus our special keynote speaker.

Think I’m exaggerating?  Don’t believe me?  See for yourself!  To view our SQLSaturday #158 schedule of sessions, click on to plan your delightful day accordingly.

Come see and learn from the best!  In addition to having the good fortune to hear from Brent Ozar, Kevin Kline, Andy Leonard, Hilary Cotter, Allan Hirt, and so many more excellent speakers, we start off the event, with our keynote speaker - Co-founder of SQLServerCentral.com, and technically co-founder of the SQLSaturday event circuit, SQL MVP/Pragmatic Works Founder & Principal, Brian Knight!

I’m honored to be playing my part on the SQLSaturday #158 team, with NJSQL.org leader, SQLDiva Melissa Demsak, Alec Lazarescu, Natasha Gupta, Deb Takash, and the valiant volunteers to help with the logistics of the event, and for you to find your way around!

You can follow the Pearlknows blog here for the latest event updates, as well as follow us on twitter with the #sqlsat158 hash tag.

Make sure you register just as soon as you can, because we will be filled to capacity!

SQLSaturday is a training event for SQL Server professionals and those wanting to learn about SQL Server. This event will be held on August 4th at Microsoft New York Metro Office, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, Sixth Floor, New York, NY 10104.

I truly look forward to seeing you all there!