Blogging from the PASS Summit : WIT Luncheon

AaronBertrand — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 20:08:00 GMT

SQL Sentry is very proud to sponsor the 10th annual Women in Technology Luncheon at the PASS Summit.

Probably 700 people in here - pretty crowded house. This luncheon is growing year over year and is always a refreshing and interesting event to attend.

Bill Graziano kicks things off and introduces our moderator, Wendy Pastrick. The panel is made up of Stefanie Higgins (actually the founder of the WIT Luncheon event), Denise McInerney, Kevin Kline, Jen Stirrup and Kendra Little.

Stefanie talked about her experience in college when a CS professor essentially shunned her in class until he realized that she knew what she was doing. He later admitted that was exactly the reason - "he didn't think girls could be good at this."

Denise talked about how far PASS has come in terms of female attendees and speakers and how the industry is changing (but perhaps not fast enough).

Kevin talked about technical conferences in the past and how, when he was a large part of PASS, conferences seemed cold and unwelcoming. He also talks about how in a lot of cases females are challenged by peer pressure as much as, or even more than, workplace or institutional restrictions.

Jen brought a European flavor (and great accent!) to talk about the low percentage of female IT workers in her part of the world, and her focus on encouraging other women in the community to pursue their careers in IT.

Kendra talked about her desire to learn, how she long felt that she was just showing up at work, and how speaking at SQL Saturday changed her outlook on her own career and her ability to inspire others.

Lots of great questions and discussion. At one point Wendy said she was overwhelmed by the love in the room (I think Buck Woody might have brought a few to tears with his quick story about Christina).

Where will you find me at the PASS Summit?

AaronBertrand — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:29:00 GMT

I wanted to lay out my rough schedule at PASS Summit 2011, so you'll know where to find me. And this is as much for me as it is for you - this is an easy reference point for me to remind myself where I'm supposed to be. :-) To avoid trying to influence your social calendar or your education, I'm not going to list potential extra-curricular after-hours activities, or which sessions I plan to attend.

Sunday, October 9th

I arrive in Seattle on Sunday. I will probably take it easy, decompress and rehearse my sessions.

Monday, October 10th & Tuesday, October 11th

During the day on Monday and Tuesday I will be over on Microsoft's campus, talking with <NDA> about <NDA>. I'd tell you more, but I really can't.

At 6:30 PM on Tuesday, we'll be at the Welcome Reception. You won't want to miss the Quiz Bowl, where SQL-ebrities - along with lucky audience members - will test their knowledge and compete for the grand prize, $700 worth of a 32GB iPad 2 + smart cover, and other prizes provided by SQL Sentry:

Wednesday, October 12th

Wednesday's Keynote, featuring Ted Kummert and Rushabh Mehta, is from 8:15 AM - 10:00 AM in the Dell Ballroom.

SQL Sentry will be running the booth in the Expo Hall, from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Please come by the booth to get some face time with our team members, see the latest versions of our software, enter our giveaway, and hopefully pick up our new swag!

Also, we have happily committed to help support #SQLGive. You can read more about this effort from Chris Shaw and Kendal Van Dyke:

http://www.kendalvandyke.com/2011/10/going-to-pass-summit-can-i-have-your.html

http://chrisshaw.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/sqlgive/

We'll have a collection box so you can bring any of your toiletries to our booth during Expo hours, both Wednesday and Thursday, and help support the local homeless.

From 1:00 PM - 1:30 I will be in the Expo Hall somewhere, along with a few dozen other MVPs, signing copies of MVP Deep Dives Volume 2. Swing by for this event, and feel free to bring your copies of Volume 1 as well! Both volumes should be available in the bookstore. This will be the best way to get autographs from all the authors, though you are of course free to try tracking us down one-by-one. :-)

I will be presenting "What's New in Denali - Engine and Tools" in Room 2AB, from 4:45 PM to 6:00 PM.

Finally, the Exhibitor Reception is in the Expo Hall from 6:15 PM - 8:15 PM. Please use this time to come and visit with sponsors and vendors before moving on to the other parties!

Thursday, October 13th

The Day 2 Keynote, presented by Quentin Clark, is again at 8:15 AM in the Dell Ballroom.

SQL Sentry will again be manning our booth in the Expo Hall, from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. We'll all be wearing kilts on Thursday, so - even though it is Seattle - sunglasses might not be a bad idea.

From 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM, SQL Sentry is proudly sponsoring the Women in Technology Luncheon, in Room 6B.

I will be presenting "T-SQL : Bad Habits to Kick" in room 4C1-2, from 1:30 PM - 2:45 PM.

Friday, October 14th

The MVPs are hosting another book signing for MVP Deep Dives Volume 2, from 7:15 AM - 8:00 AM, in the South Lobby. You can catch up with the whole crowd here if you missed the event on Wednesday.

Friday is the Keynote you won't want to miss - Dr. David DeWitt. Again, 8:15 AM in the Dell Ballroom.

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Blogging from the PASS Summit : WIT Luncheon

Where will you find me at the PASS Summit?