April 12th marked the first edition of Seaql Saturday in the Netherlands, the inaugural event situated in the southern part of the country. The event focused on SQL Server only; as advertised, it was a Fabric-free event. This blog post will discuss my experiences and why you should attend the next edition.
Before the event
Every event has its style and way of communicating with attendees and speakers. The number of emails and their content usually say a lot about the organisers’ experience and confidence in the process. For me, the number for this first event (remember, as far as I know, this was the first conference these people were organising) was perfect. I was kept up to date on the progress, and there were plenty of teasers. As a speaker, everything I needed was available on time, and the information was clear.
Speaker dinner
The speaker’s dinner was held at a cool place near the so-called Brouwersdam. It was close to the sea, resulting in excellent views and a stunning sunset.
Besides the view and the company (the most important part), the food was very good as well. Something that really spoke for both the organisers and the restaurant was the special dinner set apart for one speaker who came in late. These details are remembered and stand out.
Main event
When I chose my hotel, I didn’t check when breakfast would be served, so I had to rush to be on time. Luckily, there are plenty of places very close by, so with a 10-minute drive, I got to the location on time. With a coffee and a little snack, it was time to start the day!
After a short keynote, the event started with a list of excellent speakers. They came from all over Europe and spoke on different parts of SQL Server, so there was a lot of knowledge to be found. If you need some depth, join a session with Hugo Kornelis.
Or learn from Karim Ourtami on cool tricks with databases and controlling your website.
The most challenging part of the day was the weather. It was a glorious day outside, so people stayed outside to bask in the sun and have nice chats. However, as the day progressed, attendee numbers for sessions dropped a little. Again, the organisers noticed and encouraged people to join sessions if possible.
Just like my session at SQL Konferenz in Hanau, my session took place in the last timeslot. But, contrary to Hanau, many people attended my special session on Copilot for SQL. It was special because I was allowed to show recorded demos of the latest experience. Thank you again, Microsoft, for giving me this opportunity!
The speaker’s gift was sourced locally from a care farm. This not only helps a charitable institution but also presents local delicacies. Needless to say, my family loved it as well!
The day closed with a fun raffle and networking event, sponsored by Twintos.
Why attend?
As you’ve probably noticed, there’s a lot of talk nowadays about Microsoft Fabric. And yes, it’s an amazing toolset for data engineers and data analysts. But to my dismay, the number of sessions on SQL Server seems to suffer in favour of this. So if your work is on SQL Server, this is a great event to visit. This event would be excellent for you if you did your data engineering on-premises. If you just carry a lot of love for SQL Server (like I do!!), this is a fantastic event for you.
Tonie and Peter, I truly loved the experience, content and your personal twist. I genuinely hope it will take place next year!
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