July 29, 2016 at 11:01 am
~95 km; Bonn (Germany); once a year (in June)
God is real, unless declared integer.
July 29, 2016 at 11:33 am
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (7/29/2016)
I don't like limiting events, even in close proximity, to enable speakers to go to both. Make a choice. I always contact one or both events if there are two on the same day.
My opinion is these events are for people that struggle to otherwise get training, not for organizers or speakers.
I mostly agree (allthough I also consider especially the user groups and SQL Saturday as a breeding ground for fuiture speaking talent, but that's s secondary target - audience comes first, always).
What I apparently didn't explain well enough in my previous post is that I believe that the audience, too, suffers when two conferences are held at the same time within a relatively short distance. Take a look at the schedules of the Iceland and the Dublin events. In Iceland, some of the speakers were (in random order) André Kamman, Oliver Engels, Mark Broadbent. In Dublin, I see Chris Testa O'Neill, Jen Stirrup, Neil Hambly. I selected these speaker names (and there were a few more I could have selected but I wanted to limit it to three per event) because they are all European, they are all greaet speakers, and I have seen all of them at many events - so they are willing to travel at least in Europe. If the events had been planned on different dates, then chances are that all six of them would have been to both events, giving the audience an even wider selection of top-notch sessions from top-notch speakers.
That's why I believe that the audience also loses out when events coincide like this.
July 29, 2016 at 11:46 am
I have driven from Cincinnati to Indianapolis, Columbus and Louisville for SQL Saturdays several times over the past several years. About 100 miles to each city. The events were well worth the time and expense.
July 29, 2016 at 12:38 pm
130 Miles is the farthest I've traveled, Pittsburgh to Cleveland
I signed up in previous years for Richmond and Philadelphia and had planned on hitting them as part of other plans, but in both cases they fell through.
If Detroit (300 miles) every has another one, I would go there. Not necessarily to learn, but to be able to torment Jeff Moden and Ed Wagner in person.
I've spoken at Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
I've read this notice from PASS multiple times. I can't figure out what problem was being solved.
It almost seems that there is an effort to make hosting a SQL Saturday more difficult so that the "brand" will be stronger.
Michael L John
If you assassinate a DBA, would you pull a trigger?
To properly post on a forum:
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/61537/
July 29, 2016 at 12:54 pm
Michael L John (7/29/2016)
I've read this notice from PASS multiple times. I can't figure out what problem was being solved.
<speculation>
The following come to mind:
1. Keeping sponsors happy. SQL Saturday cannot run without sponsor money. Sponsors will only pay if they feel they get bang for their buck. If there are mutliple events going on at the same time, it takes them a lot of effort to staff booths at all those events. If there are two events very near to each other, both of these will have a lower attendance which reduces the value for the sponsors. If too many of these events take place in general, the audience will water down and again the sponsors will feel they get less value.
2. Resources at PASS HQ. I am not involved with organization of events, but I assume that PASS HQ makes resources available to help - I cannot recall the number of times and the number of locations where I have ran into Karla Landrum (or into Niko Neugebauer before he moved on to his next job). At one point, all that travel will wear out even the sturdiest.
Value for attendees. An imaginary attendee who is willing to travel at most 150 miles might have three SQL Saturday events within that radius. If these are all in the same month, they'll probably pick just one. If they are all three to four months apart, they might go to two or even all three, increasing their learning (and the attendee numbers, which nicely wraps back to point 1 above).
Of course, your more cynical theory also has its merits.
</speculation>
(For the record, I have absolutely no inside information on this; the speculation above is nothing but my thoughts and mine alone).
July 29, 2016 at 1:04 pm
Hugo Kornelis (7/29/2016)
Michael L John (7/29/2016)
I've read this notice from PASS multiple times. I can't figure out what problem was being solved.<speculation>
The following come to mind:
1. Keeping sponsors happy. SQL Saturday cannot run without sponsor money. Sponsors will only pay if they feel they get bang for their buck. If there are mutliple events going on at the same time, it takes them a lot of effort to staff booths at all those events. If there are two events very near to each other, both of these will have a lower attendance which reduces the value for the sponsors. If too many of these events take place in general, the audience will water down and again the sponsors will feel they get less value.
2. Resources at PASS HQ. I am not involved with organization of events, but I assume that PASS HQ makes resources available to help - I cannot recall the number of times and the number of locations where I have ran into Karla Landrum (or into Niko Neugebauer before he moved on to his next job). At one point, all that travel will wear out even the sturdiest.
Value for attendees. An imaginary attendee who is willing to travel at most 150 miles might have three SQL Saturday events within that radius. If these are all in the same month, they'll probably pick just one. If they are all three to four months apart, they might go to two or even all three, increasing their learning (and the attendee numbers, which nicely wraps back to point 1 above).
Of course, your more cynical theory also has its merits.
</speculation>
(For the record, I have absolutely no inside information on this; the speculation above is nothing but my thoughts and mine alone).
All of what you are saying makes sense. But, one can also argue that a sponsor being able to hit 3 or 4 in a short period may be desirable. If, as an example, Washington DC was one weekend and Richmond was the next, hitting both may also make sense.
Michael L John
If you assassinate a DBA, would you pull a trigger?
To properly post on a forum:
http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/61537/
July 29, 2016 at 1:40 pm
The last several SQL Saturdays in Houston were also 3 miles from my house but the location prior to that was about a 40 mile drive.
I have presented a session at most of the Houston SQL Saturdays and have recently started a new job which should allow me to travel to events in other cities to present as well.
Kris Hokanson
July 29, 2016 at 3:22 pm
Tony++ (7/29/2016)
My local SQLSat in Minneapolis (Minnesota USA) is fantastic & I get to every one.I've been able to time my work at the company plant so I can attend Oklahoma City. Be in town working for the week, stay for the weekend, company pays for it!
Haven't yet been able to have enough work at the right time to justify a trip to the plants in Portland Oregon or Montreal, but I keep trying and will succeed someday.
Good luck and hope they send you on a combined trip at some point
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July 29, 2016 at 3:24 pm
peden (7/29/2016)
I would be interested in attending an SQL day, but have never gone to SQL Saturday because it is on Sabbath.
I understand, and I am sorry for having made the default choice to exclude you based on the day of the week.
A few cities have held Friday events, and I support that as well. Perhaps you can work with a few people to organize a Friday event in your area.
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July 29, 2016 at 3:30 pm
Hugo Kornelis (7/29/2016)
Steve Jones - SSC Editor (7/29/2016)
I don't like limiting events, even in close proximity, to enable speakers to go to both. Make a choice. I always contact one or both events if there are two on the same day.
My opinion is these events are for people that struggle to otherwise get training, not for organizers or speakers.
I mostly agree (allthough I also consider especially the user groups and SQL Saturday as a breeding ground for fuiture speaking talent, but that's s secondary target - audience comes first, always).
What I apparently didn't explain well enough in my previous post is that I believe that the audience, too, suffers when two conferences are held at the same time within a relatively short distance. Take a look at the schedules of the Iceland and the Dublin events. In Iceland, some of the speakers were (in random order) André Kamman, Oliver Engels, Mark Broadbent. In Dublin, I see Chris Testa O'Neill, Jen Stirrup, Neil Hambly. I selected these speaker names (and there were a few more I could have selected but I wanted to limit it to three per event) because they are all European, they are all greaet speakers, and I have seen all of them at many events - so they are willing to travel at least in Europe. If the events had been planned on different dates, then chances are that all six of them would have been to both events, giving the audience an even wider selection of top-notch sessions from top-notch speakers.
That's why I believe that the audience also loses out when events coincide like this.
Fair enough, but I'll disagree. I think it's amazing that two audiences on the same day got free training, rather than one audience.
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July 29, 2016 at 8:00 pm
I live in NW Louisiana and don't have a problem traveling to SQL Saturday.
This year I drove to:
Nashville(560 miles)
Atlanta(595 miles)
Pensacola(463 miles)
Houston(241 miles).
I will drive to Baton Rouge( 261 miles ) next week, San Antonio (413 miles) the following week and Oklahoma City (390 miles) the last week of August.
Dallas ( 210 miles ) in September!
SQL Saturday is well worth the drive and money for what I get out of it!
Mind you I am a JR Database Administrator and still climbing the ladder, but the quality of sessions and networking make it worth it!
Baton Rouge next week! SQL Server and Jambalaya!
Not a speaker.
July 29, 2016 at 9:04 pm
200 miles to Cleveland, OH, every year, speaking or not (usually speaking).
317 miles to Pittsburgh, PA, every year, speaking or not (usually speaking).
750 miles to Providence, RI, one year, to speak and see Grant.
All paid out of pocket. I don't own a business and I have no sponsors.
--Jeff Moden
July 30, 2016 at 6:48 pm
butcherking13 (7/29/2016)
I live in NW Louisiana and don't have a problem traveling to SQL Saturday.This year I drove to:
Nashville(560 miles)
Atlanta(595 miles)
Pensacola(463 miles)
Houston(241 miles).
I will drive to Baton Rouge( 261 miles ) next week, San Antonio (413 miles) the following week and Oklahoma City (390 miles) the last week of August.
Dallas ( 210 miles ) in September!
SQL Saturday is well worth the drive and money for what I get out of it!
Mind you I am a JR Database Administrator and still climbing the ladder, but the quality of sessions and networking make it worth it!
Baton Rouge next week! SQL Server and Jambalaya!
Not a speaker.
Wow, and that's great.
Grab me and say hi in San Antonio
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/way0utwest
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July 30, 2016 at 8:11 pm
I will definitely do that!
July 31, 2016 at 2:55 am
For just one day? The only time I did this it was to SQLBits 7 in York, about an hour from home. But that was the first one I went to, and part of my rationale for going was "it's not that far away, so if the worst comes to the worst, I can get home without having wasted too much of the day"... That was the first SQLBits I went to - the others were for the full event, and I went to the next few for the full event.
For a SQL Saturday - just shy of 300 miles, to Exeter. Disclaimer: I go to this one pretty much every year as I'm on the committee - it's expected of me... 😉 But again, that's for the full event - both days (plus a user group meeting the night before). And that's the only one I go to, despite there being others closer to home (Cambridge, Manchester, Edinburgh) - the reason I don't make the others is usually down to timing clashes with other commitments.
Thomas Rushton
blog: https://thelonedba.wordpress.com
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