The last two days were spent in Germany. In a small, rural town called Lingen you can find a lot of the smartest minds presenting, teaching and drinking beer. The latter whilst presenting. That’s… different. But in a way sums up the event.
In a few years William Durkin (B|T) and Ben Weissman (B|T) have built a fantastic event. Last year it was a single day, this year there were two days of learning available. Thank you for your awesome work!
Sessions
The session lasted for 75 minutes, giving the speakers ample time to dive deep into the session and deliver a lot of content. For me it looked like the speakers were more relaxed. There was enough time for questions during the session and after. But the usual 50 minute limit wasn’t there so enough time to digress or take a little side step. Every session i attended seemed to benifit from this setup. This gave this years event an even more relaxed atmosphere.
There were sessions in a number of different tracks, ranging from sql security to front-end PowerBI things, from query optimizer to fun use of Azure Data studio notebooks.
Breaks
Between every session, there was a 30 minute break. What a relief! This gave me the time to get some coffee, a bit of fresh air and time to relax before heading to the next session. Usually there’s a 15 minute break between sessions which is technically enough but gives a bit of a rushed feeling. This 30 minute break add to the relaxed atmosphere and helps me digest the new things just a bit more. And i get a chance to speak to the sponsors without checking my watch for the next session.
Meeting people
This is one big part of this event. You get to meet and know a lot of people. William and Ben are very clear at the beginning, be excellent to each other. And everybody is from what i’ve seen. The people i’ve spoken with are nice, open minded and interested. If you’re a bit active in the #sqlfamily you will find a lot of other members of this family. And it’s fun to meet them!
But there’s no pressure or obligation to keep talking to people. If you want, you can walk out and enjoy the quiet. I need that. I sometimes hit the limit of new people and impressions i can process. At that moment i’m going to MAXDOP = 1. And that’s ok. Being excellent to each other also means you give people space when they need it.
Sponsors
Yes, the event has sponsors and can’t function without them. For me as attendee it’s a free event. I love that, and so does my employer. But the location, food, drinks and all kinds of things around that cost money. That’s where the sponsors come in.
Thank you Solisyon, datamasterminds, SentryOne, PowerBi Sentinel, dbWatch, Rosen, Shop Apotheke Europe, Redgate, Hedda and IT Emsland
Next year?
The event will be a bit earlier in the year, at the end of may 2020. I will do my best to be there again. A number of people have asked me when i’ll start speaking at conferences. The “itch” to do that is certainly there. Who knows what will happen in the near future…
I sent my wife a few pictures and told her what was happening. She’s starting an IT traineeship in october and wants to go next year. Datagrillen most certainly isn’t a male only event, it’s an inclusive event.
For now, a huge thank you to Datagrillen for an unforgettable experience, an excellent event and top of the bill speakers.
Are you going next year? Or do want to know more? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for reading 😀
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