The roadshow is over...

Last day of the MS/HP/Trend Micro SMB Partner Summit today. I'm sitting in the exhibition area looking at all the tired faces around me - it's been a long 5 weeks but certainly worthwhile.

Firstly, David Allinson (MS Australia SBS & Windows Server product manager) needs to be congratulated for having the intestinal fortitude to pull this off - it was a step into the unknown to conduct this roadshow, as it's not been attempted before.

Also, it was a big gamble for him to bring Jeff “Swing IT!!” Middleton out here, all the way from New Orleans (or “Noo Orlins” as he pronounces it) for 5 weeks. Let me correct that slightly - it wasn't a gamble bringing Jeff out as such, rather it was a gamble to bring out anyone from so far away, for so long, to an event that didn't have any track record to back it up. I guess it's testimony to this amazing SBS community we have around the world that made it an uncertain certainty of being successful (if that makes sense!).

Jeff did a great job of mixing in with the resellers at each event, and has managed to adopt some of our language colloquialisms and pronounce numerous words with the correct Australian accent. This helped to endear him more with the people he met - we all now realise that Superman does have a mild-mannered alter-ego (http://msmvps.com/bradley/archive/2004/11/29/21489.aspx).

All presentations have been well attended and received. The feedback has been great and we're looking forward to working on the next event - whenever and wherever it may occur.

And on the event management front - the girls from The Forum Group have been fantastic. Always smiling, patient, able to solve any problems thrown at them with extreme professionalism, and powering on even when the tiredness would take down lesser mortals. Well done girls - and thanks for the fashion tips!!

So, as we close the curtains on this roadshow what can we take forward? There's always more to learn, no matter how much you already know. There are a lot of SBS fans out there who are hungry for more information and amazingly didn't yet know of the user groups around the place - keep your eyes on http://www.sbsusers.net/resources.htm for more information as it comes available. There's so much more but I'll need to stop now as the tables are being packed away.

Thanks to all who attended - be it physically or virtually. We look forward to seeing you again.

SBS Rocks!