[There's a reason that Yoda is the unofficial mascot of SBS. Size indeed matters not.] Sleep now, you'll need it - THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS DIVA
Mon, Apr 30 2007 18:37 bradley

Sleep now, you'll need it

http://www.conference2007.sbsmigration.com/

So Jeff is on IM telling me about the latest updates on the New Orleans IT Pro conference....and I think I'm going to start an extra hour of sleep each night in preparation starting now.  I'm pooped just hearing about the entertainment he has planned let alone the sessions.

First off the room rate of $119 a night is guaranteed until the end of this week (which, as a conference hotel person and high maintenance female that I am is a STEAL btw) but the hotel will honor that rate until the hotel runs out of space...good for us slow pokes who haven't booked yet... and then he's telling me that he's going to need to let people know about the live performances that will be the Entertainers for the weekend.... Friday night is a Jazz trio led by a 12 time NOLA Jazz Festival performer, Tim Laughlin, Sunday night is a band led by the rhythm guitarist who did the studio and tour for Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint together with his 4 piece rhythm section and two female vocalists on the riverboat dinner cruise ship that is sponsored by the Microsoft Small Business Server product team.

Mind you this is the same weekend that Pirates of the Caribbean comes out in the cinemas, so skip the long lines for Johnny Depp's latest flick and instead come to the real home of the Caribbean.  I think we'll have lots more fun.  (Besides ... Dean Paron is planning to be there... and he is way more interesting than Johnny Depp and cuter too don't you think?)

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# re: Sleep now, you'll need it

Wednesday, May 02, 2007 9:24 AM by Jeff Middleton

Susan,

I'm not sure if it's more improbable that you would start a debate on Johnny Depp vs Dean Paron or either of those would become a central argument for going to this conference. :)

I am quite pleased with how the conference is taking shape, and proud of the effort all the MVPs and community leaders are making to empower this event. Getting 30 of these folks to New Orleans should be impressive enough for an event, but the cool part about this conference is that it's almost entirely open dialog format sessions. It's going to be like a 2-day ask the experts session that are so popular....all of these folks as IT Pro consultants/gurus with valuable experience an insights.

On the topic of the music and food....I was at New Orleans Jazz Fest openning weekend last Sunday and saw Tim Laughlin performing with Pete Fountain. Pete announces Tim as "this guy is the best in the country". Pete's about the only jazz clarinettist who could say that without an argument because clearly, he is the legend to match up to.

As a bit of trivia, at several conferences I spoke to last year, I was as usual playing some music to the room just before my session would start. In several places, I was playing cuts from "River in Reverse", the Costello/Toussaint CD nomitated for best album Grammy last year. (This album is a tribute to the music of another New Orleans legend Allen Toussaint as well as a reference to Katrina as the background in the title reference.) Anyway, I was quite surprised to arrange for the Sunday night party to have performance by the local jazz/blues/rhythm band lead by Anthony "AB" Brown who performed on the CD I was playing last year. It's a nice treat for me, and it came about by coincidence, or maybe karma.

Part of the reason I added these mini-concerts to the event is that about 30% of the signups (last time I looked at it) are bringing a spouse along...so music is always good, better when there's someone to share it with!

If anyone out there is on the fence about coming to this event, feel free to drop me a line. Email to YCST@SBSmigration.com or you can use the phone number on the contact page of SBSmigration.com.

- Jeff