SYSK 242: PDC? TechEd? What about MIX?
Ok, so, probably are not going to be able to go to every professional conference… Which one should you choose?
My personal view, formed based on content from previous conferences (read: this is not an official Microsoft statement) is that the PDC’s (Professional Development Conference) target audience is pretty much the hardcore "doers". PDC is very much about upcoming technologies… the “cutting” and “bleeding” edge stuff. At this point, I’m not aware of if/when/where PDC 2007 will be held.
TechEd is another great training event. In my opinion, the TechEd’s target audience includes a mix of devs, ops, business, trainers, etc. TechEd 2007 is schedule for June 3-8th in New Orleans, LA. Visit http://www.microsoft.com/events/teched2006/default.mspx for more information.
However, if you’re a web developer, check out the MIX conference. MIX like PDC, is very much about upcoming technologies, but it’s specifically targeted to web developers. MIX is Microsoft’s new (2006 was the first year for MIX) consumer web focused event, a 72-our conversation with developers, designer and business professionals to explore high-fidelity commerce, content, media, service and security.
MIX07 will be held in Las Vegas at The Venetian hotel on April 30 – May 2, 2007. Check out http://visitmix.com/ for more information.