TechEd North America 2009 is happening a little earlier this year: May 11-15, 2009 in Los Angeles, California.
And this year Microsoft is offering the biggest early-bird discount they’ve ever done: $300 off the registration if you register by December 31st, 2008.
“Have you ever been to TechEd, Kevin?”
Does the bear [live] in the woods? Are you kidding?! I love TechEd! I’ve only missed three of the North American TechEds in their 16-or-so year history. (1993 was the first one, right? I missed that, plus ‘96 and ‘97) I’m the biggest fan of TechEd around.
Go to the TechEd 2009 home page for all the details.
(I love this: We even have a “convince my boss” option for you. I could have seriously used that back in ‘96 and ‘97. )
“Hey.. are they doing a separate TechEd for Developers and IT Pros this year again?”
No.. this year they’re going back to the one-week, one unified conference format. Personally, I saw both benefits and drawbacks to the way we did it last year. On the one hand it was nice to know that pretty much everything I went to and participated in had something for IT Pros specifically. But on the other hand I felt we were missing out on doing things together. And since I started as a developer some [text representing a very large number deleted] years ago, I still have a lot of interest in that side of the world.
“Are you going to be there?”
I’m going to do everything I can to get there. I hope to work there again in some capacity. But it might be fun to go as a non-employee again sometime, too; which means paying my own way. (No.. I’m not at all interested in or planning on leaving Microsoft. That was NOT an announcement.)