On the bus to TechEd this morning it struck me as to how many international attendees come to TechEd every year. Interestingly, several of the international folk had the title of architect. Not surprisingly many of the international attendees I talked to are here for the more then the full TechEd week. Many are staying over to enjoy a few vacation days in sunny (and hot!) Florida.
Speaking of hot, Sheila, Jeff and I presented SQL Server Magazines Best of TechEd Awards at the T2 Theater in Universal Studios. After the presentation all of the finalists went through the new 3D T2 ride which was surprisingly good. One of my other favorite attractions in Universal Studios was the new Simpsons ride – lots of fun. BTW, the winners were:
Developer Tools: AVICode Intercept Studio 4
Software Components and Middleware: /n software Red Carpet Subscription
Database Development: ComponentOne Studio for WinForms
SharePoint Development: K2 black pearl
Breakthrough Product: Developer’s Express CodeRush
Attendee’s Pick: Developer’s Express DXperience
Session-wise I found that most attendees are well behind the technical agenda that Microsoft is pushing. For instance in the session on the ADO.NET Entity Framework the speaker asked an almost full room of attendees, how many were using the Entity Framework. Out of a couple of hundred only about three hands went up. Then the presenter asked “How many are here to learn what the entity framework is”. Almost every hand in the room went up. Unfortunately the session only had one slide introducing the .Net Entity Framework and a whole bunch showing how to use it which was way past where everyone was at. Microsoft, it’s time to listen to where your customers are at. Most are still in the learning about phase.
While a few leading edge topics may have missed the mark, overall this developer’s week has been great albeit less busy than I’ve grown to expect from a TechED. Seeing next week’s IT Pro week will make a fascinating comparison. Do you think there are more developers or more IT Pros?