PASS Summit: Things to Do, People to See
PASS Summit is nearly upon us. I’m excited to be attending my second Summit in Seattle and cannot wait to get there to see everyone. With one Summit and a few SQL Saturdays under my belt I’ve got a laundry list of things and people I can’t miss, and very little time to pack it all into.
Let’s Meet!
The greatest part of Summit (and SQL Saturday) for me is meeting people and exchanging ideas. If you haven’t experienced it, #SQLFamily is amazing. When I reached the convention center two years ago, the first feeling that hit me was “I finally found my people!” We’re all friendly, I swear. Just say “hi, I’m
You can even connect strangers with common interests. In 2012, I met someone over a power outlet who asked if I’d done anything with a particular piece of hardware and what I thought of it. Turns out that I hadn’t, but I knew that a former co-worker was also in attendance and he had used the hardware, so I gave them each others’ contact information.
Ping me on Twitter, find me at one of the places/events listed below, breakfast or lunch in the dining hall, or if you think you see me passing in the hall (picture on my Twitter profile), say something (and if it’s not me, you’ll meet someone else, which is still awesome). Maybe even dinner at the airport on Friday evening.
Get on Twitter
So many things happen at Summit which are announced and/or organized via Twitter. The main hashtag to follow is (I think) #summit14 but once you hit the ground you’ll start figuring out who and what to follow to get all the dirt.
Schedule
Tuesday
I’m arriving in Seattle late Tuesday morning and doing some sightseeing before checking into the hotel and Summit late in the afternoon. Then it’s off to the welcome reception. The first of several visits to Tap House Grill may be in order too.
Wednesday
Wednesday starts dark & early with #SQLRun at 6 AM. I had a great time getting a 5K in before dawn at my first Summit and I’m sure this one will be great too. Don’t forget to bring the right gear; it’s pre-dawn and right now the forecast is for 50°F and rain (in Seattle. Go figure).
Aside from the sessions throughout the day, I’ll probably be found in the Community Zone. I’ll also be serving as an Ambassador helping to direct people to the dining hall for lunch, posted outside room 4C so stop by and say hi.
Wednesday evening, I’m hosting a dinner for geocachers at the Daily Grill at 6:15 PM. If you’re a cacher, or just curious about it, stop by!
Once we’ve wrapped up there, I’ll go wherever the wind may take me; probably back to the Tap House.
Thursday
Thursday is my light day at Summit. I don’t have any sessions double-booked and the only event I really need to catch is the Argenis Without Borders folks in their fuzzy rainbow leggings.
Thursday evening I’ll be at the Ray Gun Lounge for Table Top Game Night. I’m looking forward to getting to know folks there and learn some new games. We don’t play a lot of table top games at home and I’d like to change that.
Friday
Lots more sessions on Friday, plus winding everything down. By the afternoon, I’ll probably be beat and just trying to rest at the Community Zone.
I fly out late Friday night, so I’ll be trying to find dinner somewhere between the convention center and airport. I’ll probably kill a lot of time in the terminal by wandering around, playing Ingress.
Packing List
At my first Summit, I learned a few lessons about what to take and what not to take. The most important thing to bring: empty space for all the stuff you’ll bring home. SWAG from the exhibitors, souvenirs, books and more. Next most important: power! Electrical outlets are few and far between, and there will be 5000 people vying for them to top off their phones and tablets. A quick rundown of some of the stuff that might not be obvious to bring (or easily forgotten) that I’m packing:
- Small (1 pint) widemouth water bottle. I’m partial to this Nalgene bottle I got at a 5K earlier this year.
- NUUN electrolyte tabs. Water gets boring after a while. These will help you stave off SQLPlague (don’t forget your vitamins too!).
- Comfortable shoes. You’ll be on your feet a lot and walking even more; the convention center is big. Not to mention the evening activities.
- A small notepad for taking non-session notes - phone numbers, names, etc. I love my Field Notes notebook.
- A larger notepad for taking notes in sessions. Oh, and don’t forget a pen or three. I’ve tried doing notes on a tablet and on a computer, and it just doesn’t work as well as paper & pen for me. Bonus: no batteries!
- Hand sanitizer. Because when you have 5000 people in one place, germs get around in a hurry no matter how careful you are.
- A good wall charger for your devices. I found myself short chargers last time and had to buy one at Radio Shack. It didn’t cut it. This one has two USB ports that charge at 2.1A, which will give you a good boost when you get near a plug, and you can share with a friend. It’ll also recharge pretty much anything while you sleep. Best of all, it’s really compact.
- A good external battery pack. Matt Slocum (blog | twitter) got me hooked on the Anker E5 15000 mAH battery. 2 ports so you can share with a friend and it’ll recharge most phones 4-5 times from a completely empty battery.
- Plenty of USB cords to go with both of the above.
- Business cards! I ordered mine at the office too late last time and had to get some made at Staples in a pinch.
- A small, light backpack to carry all of this in (well, not the shoes). Session rooms get cramped, so carrying a big pack can be a pain.
- A lock code on my phone and tablet. I normally don’t use one but at any large gathering like this, it’s better to be safe.
- A list of the people I need to see/find/meet/reconnect with.
This Summit is going to be a blast. I cannot wait. There’s only two things I don’t look forward to:
- Having to sleep (I’ll miss stuff!)
- It’ll eventually end
Next Tuesday cannot come soon enough.
