So now that PASS is over and life is getting back to normal I thought it would share my final thoughts and evaluations of the event.  This was my first year at PASS so I don’t have much to compare it to other than SQL Saturday, which isn’t a fair comparison because SQL Saturday is a free event for attendees. 

Here’s my thoughts on the event broken down by the things that were most memorable and important to me.

Education:

I hope I added to making this better.  The session Brian and I gave seemingly went very well or at least it felt like it from the feedback I got throughout the week.

My favorite session I attended was by Donald Farmer of Microsoft called ‘Integrating Predictive Analysis Throughout the Data Lifecycle’.  He showed how data mining can be used in many more places than are commonly thought.  The best part of the presentation was using the Titanic passenger list and description to predict whether or not the passenger survived. 

Entertainment:

The best moment in entertainment was Thursday night there was a nice after party which included the band The Flock of SQLs and about 8 or 9 Guitar Hero or Rock Band games set up for everyone to play.  Here is a nice picture of Brian and me jamming (of course I look a lot more smooth than Brian) provided by Trish Lewandowski.  Thanks Trish for the photo!

Location: 

This was my first time in Seattle and I loved it.  I was pretty amazed to be in a city that isn’t dominated by abandoned buildings.  I had little time for sightseeing other than the Space Needle but it was pretty amazing.  The convention center was impressive and those who set it up for PASS did a great job. 

Overall:

This was probably the most fun I have had at a professional event.  I meet lots of people that I would have otherwise never spoken with.  The whole event was impressive and a little overwhelming for a first timer.  I hope I’m lucky enough to be come back next year as a speaker again.