Maxx Dopp here. Today is day two of TechEd. When compared to yesterday, it seems much slower paced. I don’t know if too many people partied last night, or if the initial excitement is already over. Or, maybe it is because most of the swag was given away already and there little more to collect. For example, the TechEd Database Development and Administration desk gave out 2,500 free tee-shirts in just a couple of hours on Monday. On the other hand, perhaps everyone was attending sessions.

This morning, I sat in the first of four heats of Speaker Idol. This is a new event to TechEd in the United States, where speakers who have never spoken at TechEd get a chance to win a guaranteed speaking spot at TechEd 2008. Each heat involved three pre-selected speakers, and one wild-card speaker from the audience. At the end of each five minute presentation, four judges provide feedback to the speakers, and then vote for a winner of the heat. Each of the winners of the four heats will perform a final time on Thursday to determine the top speaker.

Unlike American Idol, the Speaker Idol judges provided valuable feedback, and many good comments to the speakers. This is a good experience for the participants and audience alike. The only downside I saw in the judging was that it seemed that the judges and contestants weren’t given the same rules, so some of the judge’s comments were not applicable. Otherwise, it was a great opportunity for people to practice public speaking.

Also, today, I saw Brian Knight (SQL Server MVP and author), Fernando Guerrero (SQL Server MVP and author), Kalen Delany (SQL Server MVP and author) and Joe Young (SQL Server MVP). Unfortunately, most of the “Ask the Expert” tables have not been very busy this morning. There is a goldmine of SQL Server knowledge available, and it is barely being tapped.

More later,

Maxx

11:50 AM Orlando, FL

Tuesday, June 05, 2007