We’re closing in on our October 17th SQLSaturday #21 in Orlando and I thought I’d share a few things about the event this year:

• 54 hour sessions plus 5 five mini (15 min) sessions – our biggest schedule ever
• Fund raising has been much more difficult than in previous years. I attribute this to the economy of course, but it does make it harder to do the nice to have stuff.
• We’re charging the lunch fee and it’s only had – so far at least – a minimal impact on registrations. I wish we didn’t have to charge for lunch, but given the sponsorship reductions I’m glad we did.
• We’re seeing a trend toward book publishers donating ebooks instead of real books. I get the economics, but there’s nothing like taking home something tangible.

Next week we’ll be starting the final leg of the effort, working on logistics and assigning volunteers to tasks. We’re in the same location as last year which definitely helps.

One more reason to visit Orlando this fall!