Jun 05, 2014

The word has gone around, and the faithful have been called to the annual technical pilgrimage. Yes, Microsoft TechEd Australia 2014 has opened its doors for bookings by the assorted hordes of geeks, nerds, techies and developer types throughout Australasia. TechEd Australia - due to kick off in Melbourne on the 7^th & 8^th October, and in Sydney on the 27^th & 28^th October 2014 - is by far the largest gathering of developers and IT personnel in our region, and has been a staple of the IT industry here in Australia now for the last eventful 20 years. Now, I cannot say I have been to every expo, but I have been to the majority of them since the 90’s, both as a 'regular' attendee and sometimes as a TLG (Technical Learning Guide, 'mentoring' in the Hands-On Labs). The single most descriptive word I can find for these events, as a Microsoft Certified Trainer, is manic. Other words that spring to mind include lots of fun, late nights and a constant hectic rush. Most attendees tend to specialise in one particular area or product. As an Infrastructure MCT, my specialties include a wide and diverse range of subjects from Windows Servers and services such as Active Directory, DNS and other networking infrastructures, to desktop systems and deployments, through all the versions of Exchange, SCCM going back to the SMS days, SharePoint, Small Business Server (now extinct) and new(ish) technologies such as PowerShell and the latest cloud technologies. TechEd to me has always been like Ginger Meggs going into a large candy store and being told “only what you can fit into this small paper bag.” Since the beginning, rushing from one session to another (and there have always been so many great and relevant sessions each time) and trying to assimilate a huge influx of knowledge over a particularly short interval, has always left me rather 'brain dead' and exhausted after the 3 days of each TechEd, but still regretting all the sessions I didn't have time to attend. Yes, there are session recordings and sometimes follow up events, but they are not the same as being there in person, seeing the demos and being able to ask the presenter questions as well as hear other participants' comments. I haven’t even got the ability to try out all the new features, procedures and products in the huge variety of 'Hands-On Labs' that are also available at TechEd. That's the thing about TechEd – it has always been more than just a 'roadshow' presentation (not that I am deriding roadshows in any way, they are great in themselves). Just as important to me as the many technical sessions, is the ability to network with my peers from across Australasia, to find out what the world is doing outside the classroom and my two biggest personal pluses:

1. The ability to talk to the actual Microsoft product developers, experts and evangelists about their products and gain their insights, and
2. Being able to browse through the TechEd Expo, to see and talk with the various third party vendors about their products, see how they work, and again talk to the experts there as well.

For me, the last two points on their own are worth the price of admission, and are big, big factors in allowing me to bring context and extra value to my classes. Now sure, over the last 20 years there have been lots of 'ups and downs' at TechEds, as well as some truly great and historical product launches (remember the Millenium Bug era, or the launch of Windows 95 to the tune of the Rolling Stones “Start Me Up”?). I really wish I had been there when Bill Gates himself demo-ed the Blue Screen of Death at a TechEd US session! The ups for me include memorable parties such as a blackened theatre in Brisbane, listening to Rose Tattoo live on stage while getting a sausage sandwich and playing Xbox games, or having Dreamworld all to ourselves for the night. TechEd is on again this year, but this year there has been some major changes to the way TechEd is run. Here in Australia, TechEd has always been run as one big event each year, over 3 days with possibly some pre-event kick-off sessions the day before. This year, it is being split between two cities (Melbourne and Sydney) and, quote:

"Furthermore, to align with the increasing speed of technological progression seen in the IT industry, additional dates and venues are already being planned for early 2015. With constantly evolving content based on up to the minute trends and issues, more frequent TechEd conferences equates to a superior learning opportunity for all technical professionals."

Of course, there is little detail as yet on the TechEd Australia website as to what sessions are actually going to be run in which city, what will be in the kick-off sessions before the start of the 'official' TechEd expo (and just how are they going to cram it all into only 2 days now), the hands-on labs, the exams, the 'Meet the Expert' sessions, the TechEd Expo and of course, the traditional TechEd party night. Microsoft have however assured us that:

"This new approach will provide the opportunity for more people to benefit from the TechEd experience throughout the year."

So, it looks like we are going to be in for some interesting times over the next few months. If you are interested in finding out more about TechEd Australia 2014, you can view their website and register your interest here. In the meantime, I will try and keep you all up-to-date with what is happening at TechEd 2014. Maybe I will even see you there! Also, as per usual, New Horizons will again have a booth at the TechEd Expo, so drop in for a chat (hint: it will pay you to make sure you have a QR reader on your smartphone). Please let me know what experiences you have had at TechEd (good and bad), what would you like to see at this year’s TechEd, and what is it about TechEd that makes it the biggest IT event each year for you?