Tag Archives: Community

Guard rail along side empty road and green fields.

That Diversity, Continued

By Riley Major, 2018-09-12

Clark Sell opened That Conference up this year with a video about community, reminding us that they didn’t set out to be event organizers but rather to help bring us together. For them, these three days at a water park are just the spark to ignite year-round engagement with our fellow technologists. That’s what sets this event apart for me– its inspirational and encouraging vibe. Continue reading

NDC Minnesota Micro 2018

By Riley Major, 2018-04-04.

NDC has been “inspiring software developers since 2008”. Based in Norway, they host large conferences in Oslo, London, Sydney and for the first time this year, Minnesota. To introduce the Twin Cities to their conferences, they hosted a “micro” conference at the Saint Paul RiverCentre on Thursday evening, March 29, 2018.

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Midwest PHP 2018

By Riley Major, 2018-03-13

Radisson Blu and L.L. Bean at Mall of America

Midwest PHP — a Friday and Saturday $275 conference with three tracks of PHP-themed content — was hosted again at the Radisson Blu at the Mall of America on March 9th and 10th, 2018. In addition to 30 individual sessions, the conference opened and closed the event with keynotes highlighting community, inclusion, and accessibility.

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SQL Saturday 682 - Minnesota - October 7th, 2017

PASSMN SQL Saturday 2017 – Call for Speakers

PASSMN’s SQLSaturday #682 on October 7th, 2017 has been published!

There are a relatively short 5 weeks for speaker submissions, which will close on July 23rd. So don’t delay! We plan on announcing selected speakers August 4th. As a reminder, the event is on October 7th.

We are looking for some unique contributions from the speaker community. In addition to 60-minute standard sessions, we’re hoping to offer one or more panel discussions, lightning talks for new speakers, and guided conversation over lunch. We also hope to host pre-cons on Friday, October 6th. Continue reading

No one wants to eat you.

T-SQL Tuesday Logo

“When are we going to see you up there?” Mark Vaillancourt had just finished presenting DANGER: The Art and Science of Presenting at SQL Saturday #238. He and Mike Donnelly had put the question to me as they were packing up. I demurred; surely that was best left to experts like them. They persisted, noting how I was always at our user group meetings and how a novice viewpoint was often more helpful for beginners. Being an audience member was one thing, I protested, and speaking was quite another. They kept on the offensive but I managed to slink away without any firm commitments. Nonetheless, they’d struck a chord. Continue reading

No Walls. No Emails. Just SQL.

PASSMN LogoAfter the dust has settled from our national brouhaha, the PASSMN SQL Server community will hold elections for 3 of its 6 board positions. Paul Timmerman (Board Chair), Jim Dorame (Director of Program Development), and Riley Major (Director of Technology) are ending their 2-year terms. Cecil Spivey (Director of Membership / Treasurer), Eric Zierdt (Director of Corporate Development), and Jim Horn (Director of SQL Saturday) will stay on to finish the second year of their terms. Continue reading