I began attending PASS Summit in 2003. I had no idea that it would change the course of my career and, well, life. Becoming part of the community I found through PASS inspired me to take my career to the next level by presenting and writing. It also led to some wonderful friendships and lots of adventures.

Like many of you, I was sad to hear the news about the end of the PASS organization a few months ago. I thought there would never be any large conference for our community again. Fortunately, Redgate has stepped up to host the new PASS Data Platform Community Summit, November 8 – 12. The new name reflects the legacy of PASS while focusing on our diverse, global community. (Sign up here for updates)

This new event will be virtual this year, and it’s free. With no costs for travel or the conference, we hope that folks who could never attend before will take this opportunity to gain new skills and connect with other data professionals from around the world.

While retaining many of the best things about PASS, we are changing things up. We are making an extra effort to be inclusive and global. The top speakers you’d expect to see will present exciting and informative sessions, but more new speakers will get the chance to present as well. We’re planning new formats for sessions and new ways to promote networking and community engagement even though it’s a virtual event. Anyone from around the world will be able to attend with no travel expenses or conference fee. This is truly world-class training –  available for anyone.

If you are interested in presenting at this event, you find can more information here. You’ll be notified when the call for speakers opens if signed up for notifications about the event. We expect it will start in just a few weeks. A committee made up of experts from the community has been assembled to review submissions and come up with the best program possible. We encourage everyone to submit once the CFS is open, and there will be opportunities even for those brand new to speaking.

I’m excited about everything this year’s conference has to offer and look forward to opening the call for speakers soon.