I write this from the perspective of experience. I’ve helped organize dozens of events over the past ten years. Feel free to take the parts of this advice that help and discard the parts that don’t. Enjoy! Planning an event is hard work. If you’ve never volunteered to help your local User Group or SQL Saturday, I encourage you to get involved. ...

I volunteered to help out and present a keynote at SQL Saturday #250.  It worked out that they couldn't find anyone better.  :-)  I am really looking forward to it and hope that I do not disappoint. The time available is about 40 minutes so it can't get too technical. Although I have been a part of 2 keynotes at the PASS Summit, I ...

As a friend of mine tells ''The first time that something happens is a fortuity, the second time that it happens again is a probability and the third one is a certainty!'' Therefore, this year, SQL Saturday in Italy is a certainty! From October to December in Italy there will be three SQL Saturday events! The first one: October 8th 2013, ...

Well, 8 days not including lead and lag travel time. A quick summary of the three events, and the flights it took to get me to each: SQL Saturday #105 - Dublin, Ireland Flights on March 21st:Providence -> Philadelphia (236 miles)Philadelphia -> Dublin (3,260 miles)Time zone change: +4 when we got there, plus Daylight Saving Time kicked ...

Today I presented my ''What's New in SQL Server 'Denali''' deck to about 40 attendees at SQL Saturday #65 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Attached below (and here) are the slightly updated slides and samples.

It hasn't been 24 hours since I left behind a slew of new and old friends in Seattle, and I already feel - as someone else put it - that I've left summer camp for another long, cold winter.  Okay, it's not going to be that bad - I'll soon be heading home to my new wife, and ramping up in my new job.  But still, it is weird to be ...