If you’re active on any form of social media, you’ve probable seen that a lot of MVP’s (Microsoft Most Valuable Professional) have been connecting with the mothership in Redmond, Washington. As I was awarded this january, it’s my first time at the Microsoft headquarters and coincidentally also my first time in the United States.
Flying in
Travelling to the US is an experience in itself, there are a number of things you need to prepare in advance, like visa and/or esta, hotels and maybe your credit card. Then there’s the TSA and immigration. The TSA can be done in advance in the MyTSA app, immigration is done on the spot. It scared me quite a bit but if you’re prepared, it’s not that much hassle.
The people
As hopefully many people know, the #sqlfamily and/or #datafamily is a close, open, welcoming group where you are accepted as you are (as long as you’re not a jerk basically). And this extended easily to Summit. It’s just as easy to be left alone and decompress as it is to remain in groups, have a drink and a lot of fun. But this went for all the Microsoft folk I interacted with as well. They’re open, understanding and patient. During the week, I got tired and the first thing to go is my ability to speak coherent English. Even when I was struggling massively to find to correct word, like quotation mark, there was help.
When I went up to Arun Ulag to ask him a question in person, he was kind, understanding and patient while there was a queue building up.
As a person who has chronic low self-esteem, this conference is a huge challenge. But there are people walking around to support you, those being the MVP’s.
Fun distractions
The welcoming party or dinners with peers are fun and don’t run late. That’s a good thing as I try to remain, at least for a bit, in the European time zone to minimise jet lag. Again, everyone is fighting that battle.
Stay hydrated!
Is it all happy then? Well, let’s just mention coffee. There’s a lot of it available but it’s not all excellent. Maybe I’m spoiled but you need to work a bit to find the right spots with the good stuff. The tap water has a distinct chloride smell and earthy taste. Not bad, just something you need to know. But there’s bottled and chilled water available in abundance.
Next year?
Now, as I was awarded in january, I’ve got a free extension for next year which means I’m allowed to go to Summit again next year. This makes me happy in advance because now that I know what to expect, which hotel to book and how to travel, the stress will be lower.
What doesn’t get reduced is de paranoia of not sharing information. Because I’m a techy and I love sharing stuff (hence the blog and MCT), it’s something to be very aware of. Again, talking to other MVP’s, they have the same struggle.
Thank you!
Finally, this event doesn’t just appear out of thin air. There’s a lot of hard work involved. Thank you so much Rie Merrit, Kelly Kaye and Buck Woody to do all that (and certainly more that I just don’t know about). You are amazing humans who help to make our community thrive. I can imagine that there are many more people working hard on this event. You must know who you are and I thank you for all you do.
Flying out
As I’m waiting at the airport for my flight home, I can only wonder how these days passed so fast, be grateful for all the inspiration I got from the sessions and privileged for being able to do this. It’s not something to take for granted and I can’t thank my wife and employer enough to allow me to do this.
Thanks for reading!
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