Every year, Microsoft invites thousands of IT professionals to its hometown turf, puts us up in nice hotels, and puts up with us, period. They conduct sessions led by Microsoft staff who let us in on upcoming stuff, and we complain about all the ways it won’t work. We throw things, we drink a lot, and somehow Microsoft grits its teeth and keeps bringing us back.
There’s really only four benefits to being an MVP:
- Free software
- A cool badge on your bio slide
- The MVP email distribution list
- The MVP Summit
They’re all cool, but it’s probably the MVP Summit that I value the most – and this year, I’m skipping it. It pains me to write those words, because I’m going to miss shaking hands with many people in the community who I really admire and appreciate.
They’re like my family – except they’re not my family, and that’s where the decisions get tough. This year I’m trying to spend more time at home with the folks I love, and that means doing less travel. I try to only travel one week per month, and I’ve been averaging over that, so I have to make some tough decisions. Between SQLCruise, Connections, paying client trips, and the MVP Summit, I had to cut one event. I’m flying out to Seattle for one day of meetings on Thursday, but then flying back out, so I’ll miss most of the MVPs. And believe me, I will miss them – hopefully I’ll catch some at Connections.
Between SQL Server 2012 coming out and the cool Microsoft guys involved with the event (shout out to Chuck Heinzelman), I bet this is going to be the best MVP Summit yet. Have a wonderful time, everybody!