Wow … SharePoint Saturday Utah … Rocked!

I don’t get to write about every SharePoint Saturday I attend (15+ in 2011), but I’ve got to give a shout out and a big hand to the organizers of the SharePoint Saturday Utah event. Christian Buckley and Joel Oleson did a great job as hosts and organizers. I know I am missing at least a few people that worked hard behind the scenes to insure this event was so successful.

Notably, Josef Nielsen --- Josef leads the Utah SharePoint User Group. The picture to the left is how you can recognize him. It was below freezing outside and there was a light snow falling, but Josef was taking it all in stride (literally). Anyone that can pull off Birkenstocks in the cold is A-OK in my book.

Sessions I Liked

I rarely get to sit in on other speakers sessions. However, at SPSUtah I was able to slip into a few of them and get a feel from the other side of the stage. A few of the sessions I saw with a few comments are listed here.

Note: This is just a sampling of a few speakers. There are multiple tracks occurring simultaneously to address different attendee needs. There are tracks for Developers, IT Pros, Business Users, Real-World Use Cases and for Newbies to SharePoint.

Erica Toelle @EricaToelle How to Staff the Adoption Resources on your SharePoint Project	This was a great session on the organizational dynamics needed to insure your SharePoint solutions are successful
I really liked Kipp’s interactive approach to the idea that SharePoint deployments always have some give and take	Kipp Sorenson @kbes SharePoint Jiu-Jitsu: Success through governance and adoption
Becky Isserman @MossLover Epic SharePoint Battle: Silverlight vs. HTML5	I was very surprised by Becky’s opening points. After hearing her logic I tend to agree. You’ll have to see her session to get the details.
Owen is leading the charge for what SharePoint can and should become. He’s driving the message that SharePoint is much more than a technology.	Owen Allen @owenallen SharePoint as a Platform for Internal Business Applications
Carsten Winsnes @skifaster123 Mastering SharePoint Calendars and Tasks	This session showed  how to sync calendars and contacts in a predictable and repeatable manner.

Of course, as has become a tradition with SharePoint Saturday events … No event would be complete without a SharePint event to wrap it all up. Thanks to RackSpace for making that happen. The Jeff’s (K and D) and Javier (of RackSpace) are staples at the SharePoint Saturday events (much like Christian Buckley, myself and quite a few others have become).

What? You’ve Never Been to a SharePoint Saturday event?

If you’ve never been to a SharePoint Saturday. Check the SPSat website for an event near you and go. You will not regret it. Even if you are new to SharePoint you will find the community is open and embracing. If you are an old hat --- perhaps you should sign up for a speaking slot to share what you know.

If you’ve ever wondered why SharePoint continues to grow … it’s the Community. If you have ever wondered why The Clan of Raving Fans keeps going to SharePoint Saturday events … It’s the community baby!

My Session --- Paper and SharePoint Belong Together is posted to SlideShare here and below.

Share point saturday utah --- sharepoint and paper - 2 dec 2011

View more presentations from Jeff Shuey

See you in 2012

I just attended my 15th or 16th SharePoint Saturday in 2011. It was the last one of the year (that I know of). For 2012 --- There are a lot of SharePoint Saturday events being scheduled now. Virginia Beach and Austin are in January 2012. More will be added --- keep an eye on the SharePoint Saturday web site.

If you see me please come by and say hello. I love to hear what’s happening whether it’s good or bad in the SharePoint world. We are one big community. Knowing what’s going on, what works and what doesn’t is what keeps the community engaged and strong. I encourage you the be a part of it and I look forward to seeing you in 2012.

image credits: @PinkPetrol

About The Author:
I have spent the last 20 years working in various aspects of the ECM industry. I am currently with Kodak as a Director of Business Development. In my past I have spent time at Kofax, Microsoft, FileNet, K2, and at Captaris (which was acquired by Open Text). Prior to that I was a Unix VAR running my own company. Follow me on Twitter, check my blog, send email or find me on Facebook or LinkedIn.