Microsoft Ignite Session Catalog is Live!
The news out of Microsoft about this year’s inaugural Ignite conference has been non-existent for the last several weeks, but that all changes today. With 95+ days to go, the Ignite Session Catalog and list of Featured Speakers went live this morning. The news was announced in a post on the Microsoft Ignite blog today, but the news was already out as people saw that the links were live hours before.
Microsoft teased us earlier with a sneak peek at the catalog, but starting today, you can see all the details for hundreds of sessions covering cloud infrastructure and management, big data and analytics, and more. Looking for deep technical dives into products? They’re there. Want guidance and best practices? You can find those too. Ignite is going to be the top enterprise tech conference this year, and the session catalog reflects that. And stay tuned because more sessions will be added in the weeks to come, so be sure to check back regularly.
Last year, I put off looking at the catalog until it was nearly time to go to Houston, but I’ll be checking things out earlier this year. As a Roundtable member, I’ve been able to get a view behind the curtain so to speak, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this all comes together. As you may recall, Microsoft’s approach this year was new, with separate calls for content and for speakers. I’m interested to see how everything falls into place. With the catalog live, we get our first glance at the results of that process.
Take a look at the speakers list to see who will be presenting. Many long time favorites like Mark Russinovich, Johan Arwidmark, Jeffrey Snover, Paula Januszkiewicz, Tony Redmond, Mikael Nystrom, Michael Van Horenbeck, and many more. I see Joe Belfiore is on the list as well, so that should be interesting. It looks like a good mix of Microsoft and non-Microsoft people as well.
As you work your way through the session list, note that there is an option to share the session via social media. Needs a bit of work though since the 300+ characters it wanted to Tweet when I tried it is a bit over the limit. A work in progress I suppose.
If you haven’t registered yet, make sure you get that done. And while you’re there, consider signing up for a Pre-Day Session on Sunday. These sessions go all-day, starting at 9 Am and running until 5 PM. They are a great chance for a focused session one of several topics, and they only cost $500.
Microsoft also announced that an #IgniteJam will take place on February 3rd at 11 AM Central Time. The Ignite team will be there with speakers ready to talk Ignite and find out what you’re hoping to see and do in Chicago this year. This will be a great chance to engage the people who are working to make Ignite the best conference of the year. I’m going to be there. Are you? Make sure you don’t miss it by adding the event to your calendar. To take part in the #IgniteJam do the following:
- Join the group on Twitter, or head over to Twubs at http://twubs.com/ignitejam for a better real-time experience. You will need to sign in on Twubs, but it’s free.
- Be there at 11 AM Central Time on February 3rd.
- Follow on Twitter at @MS_Ignite.
- Jump right in and tweet away, but make sure you include #IgniteJam in your tweets.
The last month has been a bit challenging for me due to a health scare with our dog Shaggy over the holidays. Things have been pretty topsy-turvy to say the least, but things seem to be back on track, and this news about Ignite is a great boost. Now that we’re well into 2015 and under the 100 day mark, I expect the pace of announcements from Microsoft to pick up. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we start hearing some rumors about the return of The Countdown Show and seeing Rick and Joey on our screens once more. It’s real folks, and it’s getting close. Can’t wait to see you all in Chicago!
Almost forgot to mention… If you want to keep tabs on the countdown to Ignite, Follow @IgniteCountdown on Twitter for a daily tweet and bookmark the Ignite Countdown site.