TechEd 2012 was my first TechEd conference that I’ve had the pleasure of attending. Truthfully, the scope of the conference was so far above what I had expected, it was somewhat overwhelming. Between the 5 AM flights, the shuttle stops in the rain, the 15,000 TechEd attendees, as well as meeting some very important people in the IT industry and getting to speak with them, it was disorientating at times. But in spite of it all, it was an experience I would not have traded for anything.
That's me on the right with my coworker Stephanie Swift talking to Mark Minasi at the TechEd 2012 Closing Party.
The phrase “work hard, play hard” came to mind during the conference a number of times. A 7 AM roll call after a 3 AM Karaoke night with my TrainSignal coworkers was tough, but oh so worth it. It seemed like I was running on electricity through the entire blur of the week-long event. And if you’ve never attended TechEd or a similarly large tech conference, and got to see the after-hours events, I have two words for you — it’s amazing. So many dancing men and women in their finest khakis and tucked-in button-downs just having the time of their lives!
TrainSignal's President and Founder, Scott Skinger, is on stage with me performing Intergalactic Planetary at Karaoke
I’d like to thank TrainSignal for allowing me to attend TechEd this year, and if any of you reading this are on the fence about attending the next great conference, whether it be TechEd, VMWorld, or Tech Mentor, my advice is — do it. I promise you, the connections you’ll make and the experiences you’ll have will be well worth the time and expense.
Here I am with my coworkers Bill Kulterman and Stephanie Swift with Mark Minasi at the Best of TechEd 2012 awards show