So this past weekend was SharePoint Saturday DC at the Microsoft facility in Chevy Chase Maryland (close enough to DC). My company (
Xgility.com) was a sponsor so we had a booth with Pint Glasses as a give-away. I was also tasked by my boss to take some photos from the event. Although I didnt attend as many sessions as I would have liked (between manning the booth and walking around with the camera), it was a fun time and I encourage anyone who is interested in SharePoint to attend as many of these free events as possible. It's a great opportunity to meet people you follow on twitter, or just talk about how your companies can help provide services to others. I find its a great way to spend some time with team members that you dont normally get to work with. I always walk out of these events with more knowledge than I had walking in, whether that's learning new technology or just simply learning about a product/business that I didnt know existed. It's all about the networking, baby!
So here are the top 10 things I got from Saturday's event (in no particular order):
- Pistachios are NOT just tasty snacks
- Parking is much easier when someone else is driving
- If you bring a pint, they will fill it - SharePint can happen anywhere, at any time
- Always prepare questions in advance for the "Ask a Microsoft Expert" Q&A session - use it as an opportunity to stump them and watch them squirm, dodge, and ask to follow up with you after the event
- Always grab extra SharePint tickets because they will come in handy later
- Even the most annoying/uninteresting SharePoint conversations are better with beer
- You can customize SharePoint Search in 2013 to really screw with people. For example, when someone searches on a commonly used term, have it return the results of something oddly fascinating but not at all relevant - then let the fun ensue
- If you get 10 people from your company to show up to a free event on a Saturday, you're gonna have a blast, especially if at least one of them is from out of town
- Always pack breath mints and a spray can of deodorant, just in case someone in your group is a little funky
- Visit vendor booths early to get the best swag
Thanks again for everyone who came, saw and conquered the lastest installation of SharePoint Saturday DC. The next event in this area is scheduled for Saturday December 7, 2013 in Reston Town Center. You can sign up for updates/register here:
http://spsevents.org/city/wash-dc/Pages/SPSDC2013.aspx
