Top 5 Tips & Tricks for Surviving TechEd 2013

Introduction

On Sunday, June 2^nd, I will depart for TechEd North America held in New Orleans, LA. It is a four day event starting on June 3^rd thru the 6^th. TechEd is Microsoft’s premier event for IT Professionals and Enterprise Developers. This is my second TechEd representing Telerik, where I have a focus on our Line-of-Business XAML and mobile control suites. Since I have attended TechEd before, I thought I’d share a few tips and tricks for newcomers as well as the things I’m the most excited about. So here goes:

Tips and Tricks

1. The best advice I can give a first-timer of TechEd is to get there early for registration. Registration starts @ 7AM and the keynote begins at 8:30AM. There is always a long line and you don’t want to miss anything that TechEd has to offer.
2. I’d also encourage you to pack light while you are at the event. Just bring a light bag with a laptop and power cord. Walking around all day with a light bag is a lot easier on your shoulder than having things that you don’t need. Instead of taking a notepad, put it in a word document where you can easily share notes with your team when you get back. It will also allow room to fill it with Telerik swag found at our booth #517!
3. Take time before the event and use the “Schedule Builder” found on the official TechEd website to mark sessions that you want to attend. There is a lot of content over the four days and you want to make sure you are going to the sessions that matter most to your company. Besides the session, you will want to attend as many events as possible. http://www.techedevents.info/ has a list of them.
4. Speaking of events, there are parties and lots of them! Try not to overindulge during the parties as you will need to get up early every morning to attend sessions.
5. “Divide and Conquer” all the sessions – I experienced this one first hand. I came to TechEd with my team and we all attended the same sessions together. When we got back to the office, we were asked what sessions we attended and we all said the same thing. Not good from your employer’s eyes as they have spent a lot of money sending you there. So, if you come to TechEd with your team, split up and attend different sessions. Not only can you share notes with each other, but this gives you an opportunity to ask questions to the presenter relevant to your company’s needs. If you are coming to TechEd alone, use Twitter to find someone to share notes with by using the official Twitter hashtag #msTechEd.
6. Bonus Tip: It is okay to leave a session early – Don’t worry if you attend a session and figure out 10 minutes in that the session is not what you’re looking for. Simply get up and leave quietly.

What I’m Excited About

One of the best things about TechEd is networking. You literally have thousands of like-minded individuals to talk tech with and the opportunity to exchange contact information. With e-mail, twitter and other social media networks, the conversation continues even after the event.

Besides learning about new technology from the attendees, you also have the ability to learn directly from Microsoft by visiting the technical learning center. You can get hands on demos of Microsoft products and even have your questions answered by Microsoft staff. You can get certified and receive 50% off the normal fee, just by being an attendee.
The sessions range from Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, Azure, ASP.Net and much more. They are led by the best presenters in the industry. If you can’t make it to a session, then don’t worry as they are recorded and available online shortly after the conference ends.

Conclusion

I hope this blog post helps you get the most out of TechEd this year. I am certainly looking forward to the event. I would encourage you to drop by the Telerik booth (#517) to chat with all of our experts on anything tech. Feel free to send me a tweet @mbcrump, if you can’t find us or would like some personal time to chat regarding our tools. In the meantime, add your favorite tips in the comment section below. Thanks for reading and I hope to see you at TechEd 2013.