Everything IT

Sunday is when the keynotes are taking place.  This is a switch from last year and I think a good decision.  The reasoning behind it is to allow for more session times.  We need to get the rest of our room setup and configured.  One of our sessions will require subnetting to work correctly so we need to physcially seperate the computers by using the switches.  Not a great amount of work but hey, get it done today rather than Thursday night or Friday morning.

The venue is a pretty cool place.  Of course the arrangement this year is designed to reduce the amount of walking you have to do by placing everything in color coded, categorized locations.  This is a pretty cool idea I think.  The breakout sessions and other conference sessions are located in various locations througout the conference center so there will still be some walking required.  Although not as large as the Orange Country Conference Center in Orlando, the BCEC is still a large place.

A few more preparations and verifications for the room and then some more prep time tonight and we should be ready for kickoff tomorrow.  The time zone change is still playing a little on the body just yet as well so it would be nice to get caught up on some more rest before tomorrow.  Once we kick off in high gear, there won't be any downshifting until Friday. :-)

See you at the BCEC!

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Well, day 2 for us anyway.  We found our way to the Boston Conference and Exhibition Center and registered for the conference first thing.  There were a grand total of 20 people registering when we arrived so the lines haven't started yet.

The first couple of sessions were strictly speaker and staff training sessions.  After that we had our training session with the MCT Ambassadors who will be helping us deliver the Instructor Led Labs this year.  I think we have an awesome group of MCT Ambassadors for these sessions which will definitely help to make the ILL's a success, regardless of the acronym. :-)

Unfortunately our room was not completely set up asthey were waiting for more monitors and keyboards to arrive.  Not a problem, we did get our instructor machine configured and setup with the necessary PPT decks in preparation for Monday's first session.   I guess I have the honor of starting of the sessions with Administering BizTalk Server 2006 Applications.

Once we got the work out of the way, it was time for a tour.  We went to Faneuil Hall based on the recommendation of one of the BCEC staff and were happy we asked.  This was a great district that had tons of shops, pubs and restaurants.  Our chosen spot to dine was Cheers.  A little busy in Norm's Cafe but the food was good, the beer was better and we even enjoyed entertainment.  Boston was hosting Texas at Fenway and they had the game on the big screen.  Behind us, live entertainment from a gentleman playing piano and all the classic piano tunes you might expect from Elton John, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton and on and on.

After dropping of our TechEd luggage we hooked up with another colleague and made our way around to see some more sights in Boston and check out the night life.  Word to the wise who haven't been here before, the driving is just a tad bit aggressive.  It's apparent right off the bat.  Watch you step in crosswalks.

Overall, a good day.  And now, prep for Day 3.  Getting PPT decks in final order and practicing sessions as appropriate.

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737-800s are no more comfortable than an Airbus A319.  About the same amount of leg room and seat room (Not nearly enough).   Otherwise, very happy with Alaska Airlines.  A 5 hour non-stop flight and we found ourselves in Boston.  We are staying at the Hilton Boston Logan which is actually quite nice.

Our first trip into downtown Boston resulted in a cabby not only taking us for a ride, but taking us for a ride!!  We found our way to McCormicks and Schmicks, I think I spelled that correctly, for some fine dining.  I have been out on the west coast for almost a year now and I must tell you that the taste of a Maine Lobster brought me back to home in a real quick way.  I really missed the taste of East Coast seafood.

We took a small tour of that area of Boston before heading back to the hotel for the night and finished the day off with a night cap.

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