Here are the things you must/should probably know about PASS Summit 2019, as told by me. Included:
- Advice for first timers
- Prioritized schedule at a glance
- Sessions we recommend
- A quick look at my 10 years of PASS Summits.
First Timers
- Read this blog, of course.
- Register for Denny Cherry’s attendee orientation on October 18.
- Sign up for the PASS Buddy Program.
- And their advice about travel.
- Get on Twitter and meet people. Check out the #PASSSummit tag. I’m still @MidnightDBA on Twitter…start there, and see some of the folks I follow/that follow me.
- Check out my blog about SQL Saturdays! PASS Summit is more than just a big SQL Sat, but a LOT of the same principles apply.
- And here is a list of things I recommend you do in Seattle with your free time, should you have any. (I should really update the list with the best vegan options soon….)
You can also look over these old videos…I made them 8 years ago, but they still apply!
- Twitter! – Why you should sign up.
- WIT Luncheon – Why you should care.
- A MidnightDBA Summit – Planning, kilt day, etc.
- We’re not doing this giveaway this year, we’re doing a different one. See us at the @HeyMinionWare booth.
- No Inappropriate PASS Sessions, this is a thing of the past.
- SQL Saturdays and UGs – Things you need to know.
- It’s a PASS Thing – The SQL community is actually…pretty fantastic.
- First Timer Program – Filmed in Austin, co-starting Tom LaRock!
- Phoning it in w/Emma – A film starring my dog.
- SQL Starstruck – Talk to people at the Summit. They like it.
- How to Stay Alive at the Summit – Conferences can be exhausting, and for some reason, DBAs are always in danger of “being run over by a bus” (inside joke, ish). So take care of yourself! This video features the phrase “competitive drinking”.
- SWAG-a-rama! – Get Stuff We All Get (SWAG). Come by the @HeyMinionWare booth to get some of our fantastic new stickers, AND two pieces of the best SWAG at the Summit (no joke).
Schedule at a glance, prioritized
Here’s the full session schedule, and a PASS Schedule at a Glance. This schedule is prioritized, though!
Note: I’m not seeing Speaker Idol on the boards yet, but I’ll update if/when they schedule it.
Monday:
- Precons happen Monday and Tuesday! You have several good options. Itzik Ben-Gan is always an excellent choice, if you could use some T-SQL love in your life. Otherwise, you’ll just have to choose based on subject matter.
- Donuts! If you’re in town Monday evening, hit up the MidnightDBA Donut Meetup at Top Pot on 5th Ave, 5-7pm. Sponsored by MinionWare.
Tuesday:
- More precons.
- #PASSWIT happy hour, 4-6:00pm! This event is open to women & allies. Register here.
- First-Timers’ Orientation Meeting is probably today. In 2018 it was at 4:45pm in ballroom 6E.
- The Welcome Reception is tonight in the Microsoft Azure Keynote Room, from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM.
- SQL Karaoke happens tonight, 9:30pm-2:00am. Big fun, but get your tickets early!
Wednesday:
- There’s always a 6am #SQLRun before the conference day starts. The run is about 3 miles, fast or slow, from the conference center down to the waterfront and back. (See my PASS Summit #SQLRun 2017 blog for details.)
- The keynote, with Rohan Kumar comes first, 8:15am. This will probably be streaming either at PASSSummit.com and/or on PASStv.
- The PASS Community Zone (Skybridge, 4D) is open all week, check it out.
- So is the Exhibit Hall; that’s where we’ll be, and it’s where to get all the conference swag!
- The Birds of a Feather lunch is today, 11:30-1:30. Go talk to experts in your area of interest.
- The 2018 PASS Summit Photo Walk started today at 4:45pm, in 2018. I’ll keep an eye out for the announcement on this year.
- The Exhibitor Reception happens 6-8:00 PM; go and get some food and prizes.
- There will be a number of community events afterward (click on “Community Hosted Events”).
- PASS Summit Games Night is one of those community events! 8-10:30 PM in the convention center, board games and nerds. I love this event.
Thursday:
- Very likely #SQLRun again.
- Keynote2, with Tarah Wheeler starts at 8:15am. This will probably be streaming either at PASSSummit.com and/or on PASStv.
- The Women in Technology Luncheon starts at 11:15am in the Keynote Room, 4A. Same lunch, better content than the dining room (which has none). This will probably be streaming either at PASSSummit.com and/or on PASStv.
- Last year the LGBTQ meetup was on Thursday. I’ll keep an eye out to see if/when it’s renewed for 2019. Either which way, consider donating to the named charity, The Trevor Project.
- PASS Summit Games Night!! 7-10:30pm in the convention center again.
Friday:
- Very likely #SQLRun again.
- The Birds of a Feather lunch is apparently every day. Today it goes from noon-2pm.
- Speaker Idol Final Round …?
- I’m giving a lightning talk in room 618-620 during the 3:30pm time slot.
Sessions we recommend
I am particularly excited about a brand new feature of Summit: Learning pathways. You can choose from among 10 different pathways, and learn all about (for example) data security over the course of several sessions. VERY cool. I imagine these will be popular, so show up early for included sessions.
Our list of recommended sessions will grow as the conference gets closer. Submit your recommendations in the comments, or ask my opinion on a session!
The most popular speakers’ sessions may fill up; I’ll mark these with an asterisk (*). Note: I won’t post days and times, as these can change. Check out the Guidebook mobile app to help keep track of schedules and changes.
General sessions:
- TBD
Session in specific sections:
- TBD
10 years of PASS Summits
Every year at PASS Summit has looked slightly different for me. Let’s look at the bookends, shall we?
2009
PASS Summit 2009 was my first Summit, as it turns out:
In 2009, I started blogging on MidnightDBA.com. I got my first SQL 2008 certification, the MCTS in Database Development. My goal is to get MCITP in the next couple of months, by the way. In August I started back to work, and in October I won the SQLServerPedia contest…that got me a trip to the SQLPASS Summit in Seattle! Just a couple of personal notes, and then back to the geeking out: Sean and I celebrated our 5th anniversary this year with a great trip to Los Angeles, and my sweet kidlets turned 10, 4, and 2. I’m also apparently taking up the guitar (got one for xmas), which I’ve always wanted to do.
Note: I did not, in fact, pursue the guitar.
That first year I went, I already knew a ton of people from Twitter. Meeting them in person was seriously great. This is why I encourage everyone to join Twitter and follow some folks, before going to an event like this.
That yer, Sean and I had our first interview with Itzik Ben-Gan, a talk with Allen White, a big group interview with Buck Woody, Joe Celko, and half a dozen other big names, and a good many other interviews. I tried to go to all of the events and all the sessions I could, and tweeted an awful lot.
2018
Last year, I:
- blogged a lot
- was a mentor for some Summit first timers
- was an exhibitor for our company MinionWare
- hosted a MinionWare donut meetup at Top Pot on Monday night, again
- spoke at the Seattle Freecon
- hit the keynotes
- walked the #SQLRun on Wednesday morning
- worked the Birds of a Feather lunch
- caught the end of Speaker Idol
- attended a Women in Technology (WIT) event AND the WIT luncheon
- published a SQL Yearbook, raising money for Doctors Without Borders
- hit up the game night event
- had karaoke with friends
2019 will probably look a lot like 2019, except that I am not putting together a SQL Yearbook this time around. See you there!