Tech·Ed SEA 2007, perhaps the biggest and most lively conference had ever hosted, was the best ever Tech·Ed for me.  I was in the running to “Mark You Way to USA or Europe” contest and I won a trip to attend VSLive! Austin Conference in USA VSLive! Conference comprised 4 mini conferences which is ASP .NET Live!, LINQ Live!, Best Practises Live! and .NET 3.0 Live!

VSLive! Austin offered the latest information about the technologies for Visual Studio developers.  Majority of the speakers were top-notch experts in their respective fields. Richard Hale Shaw, the VSLive! Conference chairperson was one of them.  He is also a C# MVP and a distinguished member of the C# Customer Council, a Microsoft advisory body that looks after the direction and future of C#. 

I found the most interesting topics were .NET 3.0 (i.e. WPF, WF and WCF) and LINQ. LINQ was particularly the hottest topic as almost everyone talked about it. There was also an interesting presentation on VS2008 and .NET 3.5 by Microsoft. Although the topics discussed in the conference are familiar to me, the speakers’ presentation skills have made the topic more interesting and refreshing. 

Other than attending the conference, I visited few interesting places in Austin. For example, the Downtown E. 6th Street, there was filled with live music from the pubs and clubs every night. Of course, I would never let go the opportunity to visit to the Texas Capitol Building which is the major landmark in Austin. It looks breathtakingly majestic especially at night when it illuminates.

The trip was truly an unforgettable experience for me.  My sincere thanks to Microsoft Malaysia and Crystal Edge for making it happened. 

Thank you and I am looking foward for Tech·Ed SEA 2008!

I could not believe myself when Tyson Dowd, the Team Lead of Microsoft Tech·Ed SEA 2007 announced I have won “Mark Your Way to USA or Europe” contest. I could hardly believe that I won a conference pass to Tech·Ed Europe: IT Forum 2007 in Barcelona, Spain!

Everything was well planned at Tech·Ed Europe: IT Forum 2007. It was so happening I had a hard time deciding on which activities to attend – Track Sessions, Hands On Lab, other activities... Inside the exhibition hall, there were booths with demos and presentations on the latest IT technologies from Microsoft and their partners. Other activities in exhibition hall included “Ask the Experts”, Community Lounge, Focus Groups and Speaker Idol contest where you can demonstrate your presentation skills to win prizes.

Needless to say, I learnt a great deal about Microsoft. I had nothing but a wonderful time.

I would like to thank CIMB Bank and my supervisor who nominated me to attend Microsoft Tech·Ed SEA 2007 thus making all these possible.

Once again, I would like to say a big THANK YOU to Microsoft Malaysia & Crystal Edge for turning everything into reality. I will forever treasure the experience in my heart.