Being the sole IT person for an organization, I have often wondered where the value in technical conferences lies. Is it in the interaction with other IT professionals or the opportunity to meet those who work in similar (and dissimilar) environments or perhaps it falls in the training and support gained from attending.
I have been to a few tech conferences in the years since I took this position and no year was more filled with them than 2009. I started slow, attending Microsoft Convergence for a few years to get the latest on the Dynamics line of products (some of which we use) and to see what new BI might help my organization be better.
Convergence was great, I met a great many people who helped me understand more about the application I was supporting and determine that a change in Microsoft Partners was a good move for us. Since the partner change, life has been much easier, at least in the "Who ya gonna call?” sense.
In 2009 I attended a customer interaction session at Microsoft for the System Center Online Desktop Manager product (still in beta) and because of some pure geek miracle the MVP Summit, which puts awarded MVPs on the Redmond campus for a week early in the year to learn about what’s here, what’s coming, and how/why Microsoft does x and y with those products the way they do.
Summit was awesome and there were tons of great people to meet and new opportunities I could never have imagined. Being an MVP has taught me this fundamental principal: use your technical skills to help those around you and be willing to share the information you have. Good things come to helpful and willing people.
Following the MVP Summit last year I attended Microsoft Tech Ed North America for the first time. I had previously wanted to attend Tech Ed, but the cost was prohibitive for me and my work schedule made it difficult as well. Participating in several panels at the event was a great experience, although I was a bit nervous when getting started.
In the future, perhaps not in 2010, I will be returning to Tech Ed, the benefits and learning opportunities are amazing.
Technical conferences are a rather big expense, especially for individuals, but the possibilities for learning and networking with others are very high. I think the bottom line is to look at the things you are interested in or use in your job and determine which conferences will advance your knowledge of the topic to better your job skills and work to attend these shows. With the skills you acquire at the conference may well be worth the price of admission.
