Tuesday was the first real day of the Summit for me, and a long, all day event. First, a lovely breakfast with Micky Steuwe, during which she presented me with a lovely glass art piece she made herself.

I’ll treasure this, as personal, thoughtful gifts are touching. Thanks, Mickey.

Then it was the annual SQL Saturday organizers meeting. I had a short, 5 minute talk about trying to create slimmer, more affordable events. I indulged myself with a couple snaps from the stage.

After that it was booth setup day. I’m not sure I did a lot, especially during the laptop setup since I don’t usually do the fine technical work here. I’m usually involved in carrying things, and with nothing to carry for awhile…

It’s something to see the raw exhibition hall, which is really a construction zone. People are everywhere, working to get various booths assembled.

When it comes together, things look really good and it’s a much different space. That’s good because I’ll spend most of Wednesday and Thursday in there.

I also got to go prize shopping for the #RedgateRocks event on Thursday. It’s fun to try and be creative and find things people might enjoy. I also got to see our SQL Prompt playing cards, which are really cool.

Then back to the convention center for the evening. Conversations with lots of old and new friends, and even a few selfies.

A very long day, and off to bed relatively early for me. Then up again this morning, a short working, and now time to head back.