This past weekend was the first SQL Saturday in San Antonio, TX. I was lucky enough to get the chance to go, and I was happy to do so. I like to support new events in new cities, and hopefully I can help keep them going in the future.

I went a day early. Traveling Friday during the day would have eaten up most of my day, so I got a late flight down Thursday night and spent Friday learning about SSIS from Tim Mitchell, as well as getting a little work done here and there.

The facility for the SQL Saturday was Texas A&M University – San Antonio. It’s a small, but beautiful school. The entrance to the campus is above. Below, the doors greeted me as I walked up, opening automatically.

Friday night the speakers had a nice dinner, with live entertainment.

And we each received a cowboy hat to wear. Some fit better than others.

As much as I’d like SQL Saturdays to be cost-conscious and slimmer, I am not complaining if organizers decide to do more. I just don’t want anyone that puts on a SQL Saturday to think that myself or other speakers won’t come. We will.

In fact, we had a nice discussion about this at our dinner. We don’t volunteer and teach for food or gifts. We do it because we enjoy it.

Anyway, the event was fun. There were over 300 registrations and I think there were 200+ people out for a day of learning. I delivered my Branding Yourself for a Dream Job talk to a full room. I heard a couple people say they didn’t come in because there weren’t chairs.

Please, always come in. Unless the Fire Marshall stops you, I have no issue with you standing in the room, sitting on the floor, or finding a space anywhere.

I had some nice chats with people, which is one of the reasons I like these events. I attended a fun talk from Chris Hyde on R, which was a good way to open the day. I also saw Tim Costello do a fantastic Agile Data Warehouse talk, including the live affixing of post-it notes to the projector screen to demonstrate how to analyze your requirements. Go see Tim if you can. He does a good job and has a lot to teach.

I did leave a touch early, since I hadn’t had a chance to go by the Alamo and know almost nothing of Texas History. I wandered over, too late for a tour, but I had the chance to see the compound and the beautiful gardens, as well as learn a bit about the siege, battle, and how Texas was formed.

It was interesting, and if you get an hour when you’re in San Antonio, go by.

I hear the tour is really good, and hopefully I’ll get back someday and get the chance to experience it.

The after party was fun, though I saw relatively few attendees there. I think fewer people come when there isn’t a place near the venue, but I enjoyed myself before getting to the hotel and ready for an early flight.

A good couple days in San Antonio, but back to work today. Sporting my hat.

Filed under: Blog Tagged: speaking, SQL Saturday, syndicated