SharePoint Conferences Q1 2011
There are a lot of options to learn some SharePoint at a conference this year. I am not going to try and sway you on which ones to go to (even if I happen to be speaking at certain ones), but you can see which ones I will be at on my web site www.sharepointninja.com. I will just list them chronologically and give the URL and any information I might know about it. This is probably not a complete list but these are all I know of at the moment. This list is sure to grow as the popularity of SharePoint continues to grow across the world.
SharePoint Saturday Virginia Beach – January 8th
This one is significant because this is where SharePoint Saturday got its start. That being said it has a lot of speakers that you find at larger, more well-known conferences. All that and it is Elvis’s birthday to boot. And as with all SharePoint Saturday’s it is free.
SharePoint Saturday Vietnam – January 22nd
I don’t know much about this one but it sounds like a good reason to go to Vietnam.
SharePoint Saturday EMEA (online) – January 22nd
This one is online but in the European time zone. Anyone can attend and the speakers are pretty top notch. The online ones are always good because you don’t have to get out of your house.
SharePoint Saturday Hartford – January 29th
Excellent opportunity to get some free SharePoint training up in New England. Hartford is also pretty easy to get to travel wise (at least in the Eastern half of the US).
SharePoint Summit 2011 (Toronto) – January 31st-Februrary 2nd
The first “large” SharePoint conference of 2011, it is also the largest SharePoint conference in Canada. The venue is the Four Seasons so you know it will be a comfortable environment to learn in and Toronto is an amazing city, even in the winter. This is the fifth annual SharePoint Summit so they have had time to work out the kinks. This conference has a good mix and brings in a lot of international talent as well as a lot of speakers from the United States.
SharePoint Saturday Philly – February 5th
There are a lot of good SharePoint speakers in the area so this should be a good way to stay warm during the winter and learn a few SharePoint pearls of wisdom.
SPTechcon San Francisco – February 7-9
SPTechcon has a lot of speakers and is one of the larger conferences. It feels big, but not too big. Downtown San Francisco is pretty close and it is a great place to take a break from soaking in all that SharePoint. If I had to pick a side, I would say this conference is more on the technical side but it seems to have something for everyone.
SharePoint Saturday Johannesburg – February 26th
It is a long way to South Africa but if you are in the area, this should be a great stop to meet some excellent SharePoint people.
SharePoint Saturday New Orleans – February 26th
New Orleans is always a good place to visit and the people that put this on really have their stuff together. A great opportunity to learn a lot and enjoy some post Mardi Gras fun. Definitely worth the effort to get to if you are anywhere close.
SharePoint Saturday San Diego – February 26th
Anything on the West Coast brings out a lot of good speakers. The weather is almost always great in San Diego and this looks to be a fairly sizeable outing. As always, the price is free for SharePoint Saturdays and San Diego is easy to get to (and probably a lot warmer than wherever you are).
SharePoint Saturday Redmond – March 5th
Next to the source, this should be a great one. Redmond is not super simple to get to if you are flying in so be prepared to rent to car. It is sure to be packed with all the Microsoft people in the area.
Best Practices Conference (La Jolla, CA) – March 7-9
Like the name says, it focuses on Best Practices and has a number of speakers that don’t normally speak at SharePoint conferences. These are usually case studies and show not only what to do but what not to do. La Jolla is near San Diego and the conference is at Torrey Pines so you can play a few rounds (if you have the money) when you take a break from learning.
Australia SharePoint Conference (Sydney) – March 8-9
THE SharePoint conference in Australia, it is a great excuse to go “down under” and learn some SharePoint. If you live in Australia, this is your only chance of the year to go to a major SharePoint conference in your country. If you are coming from far away, I suggest staying and extra week and go to the New Zealand conference the week after. The list of speakers is impressive as the location attracts a lot of speakers looking to work/play in an exotic locale.
New Zealand SharePoint Conference (Wellington) – March 16-17
The biggest SharePoint conference in New Zealand, this is a great excuse to see a wonderful country and learn some SharePoint while you are at it. Combined with the Australian conference you get four days of excellent SharePoint knowledge and a great trip. The prices of the conferences are extremely reasonable. Wellington is the second largest city in New Zealand. If coming from the United States I suggest Air New Zealand since they let you go to both Australia and New Zealand for about the same price as going to one or the other.
AIIM SharePoint Summit @ INFO 360 (Washington, DC) – March 21-24
Part of the larger AIIM conference in DC. AIIM has really put a lot of emphasis on having a SharePoint presence and this proves they are in it for real. Plus, March is the perfect time to visit DC and try to catch the cherry blossoms bloom.
SharePoint Saturday Lahore (Pakistan) March 26
This one is probably far for almost anyone but it shows how SharePoint is spreading around the world.
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