<Sorry for the delayed post, life sometimes gets the best of us all.>
A few things went through my mind as I made my way up the New Jersey Turnpike last month for SAP Inside Track New York City:
- Registration numbers: we decided to cap them, but with 'free' events, there's usually a good portion of people who don't show up without cancelling.
- Speakers: I thought we would have enough people volunteer for two tracks, but only ended up with one. Was the content we picked broad enough to interest people?
- Logistics: Did I know where I was going at all? I'm usually a midtown person and didn't know the West Village all too well. Was the space going to be too big if folks didn't show up? Or if everyone did- were we going to be cramped? Both of these options weren't appealing at all.
- WTH? Seriously, what was I thinking about when trying to plan an event 150 miles away from my own house? Was there a big SAP community in New York City? Did I really just use 'text speak' in a blog post?
Well, judging by the Tweet stream and attendees responses, I didn't really need to worry. (But we did have some worrying to do at the start!) We kicked off the first session a few minutes after 9am, with less than 10 people in the audience. As Peter McNulty was working the second half of his SAP Technology Overview keynote, I looked to see the room starting to fill. By the time Tammy Powlas kicked off her session afterwards, the room looked comfortably full! We had a nice cross-section of customers, SAP employees and partners. A healthy dose of SAP Mentor jerseys also was a big help in calming my nerves, too.
The day went off pretty much without a hitch. I won't go into detail over each session, as Tammy Powlas did an AWESOME write-up (with pictures) already on SCN. Overall, I think we did pretty well as a first-time event. The audience reaction was 100% in favor of doing it again next year, too!
So what is the most important takeaway for the whole experience? Simple- don't be afraid to try! While we had some 'polished' speakers, we also had some folks who've never presented before. If your local ASUG Chapter or SAP Inside Track are still looking for speakers- then think of a topic and submit. Not selected? Then try next time around! Did you miss NYC's event? No sweat!
'No sweat' about missing it? Sure! Because SAP Inside Track Newtown Square is right around the corner. Friday, August 10th at SAP North American HQ in Newtown Square, PA. By heading to the wiki, you'll find all the information you need to register to attend. And even better- submissions to speak are still being accepted. So, if you missed your chance for the Big Apple and feel like heading down to the City of Brotherly Love- then here's your chance.
Judging by the lineup as of today, it looks like SITNSQ is going to be a great day. Go ahead- sign on up and join in!
(P.S. Let it be know that this event could NOT have happened without the help of Marilyn Pratt and Tammy Powlas. A power duo of the community if there ever was one! Special thanks to Peter McNulty for his sessions, as well as being a great passenger for the ride home and NOT showing any anticipation as I drove down the New Jersey Turnpike in the 'hammer lane'. Many thanks to Russ Hill & Gerry Yeo from SAP Retail for their sponsorship and support, as well as a great session from Gerry. A shout out to Brandon Arbiter and the folks from Fresh Direct for some great catering (and company) is also due. And my personal thanks to SAP Mentor Eric Vallo (St Louis via Orlando) and Tammy Powlas (Virginia), as well overall good guy Greg Misiorek (Connecticut) for coming in special to attend. Finally- to those brave enough to speak: great job!!)
