Hello Dear Reader! We are at that time of the year again. SQL Saturdays are popping up all over the country, spring is beginning to give way to summer, and the planning for SQL Saturday Orlando 2013, aka #SQLSAT232, is gearing up.
This year our team of unbelievable SQL Server professionals Shawn McGehee (@SQLShawn | Blog), Karla Kay (@karlakay22 | Blog), SQL MVP Kendal Van Dyke (@SQLDBA | Blog), SQL MVP Andy Warren (@SQLAndy | Blog), and Ben Cork are working to bring you an incredible event.
Leading up the speaker track are myself and SQL MVP Rodney Landrum(@SQLBeat|Blog). That brings us to you Dear Reader. I need your help, I need YOU to submit to be a speaker for SQL Saturday 232.
“So Balls”, you say, “What is SQL Saturday and why should I submit to be a speaker?”
That my Dear Reader is the $50,000 question. The short answer, let’s go make a little history together.
COME MAKE SOME HISTORY
What is SQL Saturday? From its humble beginnings, SQL Saturday was started as a way to give back to the SQL Community. The statement “give back”, is over used and often clichéd. It is used to give meaning to deeds, when people have trouble justifying “why” they did something with greater substance than going with the truth and saying they did it because “it was popular to do”. True justification rolls off the tongue like drops of rain water fall off leaves. In this case, however, I find to “give back” fitting.
The professionals that assembled saw value in sharing knowledge. Turning hard learned lessons, production level victories, and new and unexplored concepts into group discussions and learning. In the end it created an amazing support group. We are one group of professionals, which have a particular job. Sometimes we are on a team, other times alone, the people we interact with outside of our field do not often understand our challenges.
The one thing I hear over and over again from first time SQL Saturday goers is, “I feel like I arrived at a home that I never knew I was missing”. I share that feeling, it was how I felt on my first day. My first was SQL Saturday 49 Orlando 2010. You can see, I arrived late to the party.
The very first SQL Saturday happened in Orlando on November 10th 2007. It was the brain child of Andy Warren. There was only one SQL Saturday in 2007. The concept was simple, get MVP’s, Authors, first time presenters from the SQL Community, and put on a FREE day of training.
Six Tracks, Seven different time slots, and a total of 37 different sessions throughout the day and we had our first one in the bag. The very next Year saw SQL Saturday 2 in Tampa, followed by SQL Saturday 3 in Jacksonville, SQL Saturday 4 back home in Orlando, and SQL Saturday 5 (the first one out of Florida) in Olympia Washington. Five SQL Saturdays in 2 years. Last year in 2012 there were 50 in many different States across the US and 32 in other countries and US Territories, for a total of 82 different events.
Now it’s time for SQL Saturday to come back home. Now it’s time for SQL Saturday Orlando. Once a year we do this. We come back home to where it all started. It is fitting that Orlando is associated with attractions from far across the globe. There is a magic here that draws us in (no not just the Mouse). This is where it all began and this is your chance to be a part. I wouldn’t want you to miss it!
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
If you want to give a talk but don’t know where to begin, read this blog I put together ( I WANT YOU to Present at SQL Saturday 85). I discuss Abstracts, how to write one, and how to put together an author biography.
Once you’ve done that all you need to do is click here to submit, the call closes 7/23/2013 so get yours in now!
“So Balls”, you say, “I already see some SQL BAD @$$es like Tim Ford, Devin Knight, and Andy Warren have already submitted? What chance do I have?”
Not just good, but a GREAT chance Dear Reader! SQL Saturday not only has the goal of educating people for free, but we grow local speakers. I was in charge of speakers for SQL Saturday 85 and my mission was to give everyone a slot especially first time speakers. Rodney and I have talked about this, it took longer to drink the beer than it took to set our guidelines.
I want you to succeed Dear Reader, and so does the rest of the SQL Saturday Team. If you have the fire in your belly to go out and give a talk to a group of IT professionals, newbie or Pro, you cannot find a better venue than SQL Saturday Orlando.
I hope to see you there! As always Thanks for Reading!
Thanks,
Brad
