Open Space Code day on Azure in Birmingham was great fun

On Saturday 35(ish) developers met up on rainy day in Birmingham to take part in an Open Space Code day on the Windows Azure Platform.

Around 5 of us had experience of Open Space meetings or developing for Azure prior to the day – and I think only two of us had experience of both :-) As I was on point to keynote the day and make sure it was a success, I did turn up with a few concerns matched by a good deal of excitement. My primary concern was that people would expect to be trained – and the Open Space format is most definitely not that. But it is about learning and it is about contributing and helping others to learn.

I have created a separate post on the Open Space Technology format if you are new to it.

To cut to the chase – it all worked out stunningly well. I had a great time throughout and everyone seemed to leave happy.

Me – near the end when it was clear people were having fun!

At the end of the session I went round everyone in the room to get them to share something they had learnt during the day (which I will post on later – the good and the bad). We also did a few show of hands which TBH blew me away.

100% managed to get a Windows Azure application running locally and deployed and running in the cloud. (Actually one chap didn’t – but he emailed me later on Sunday to say he had sorted out the problem – a typo)
100% would recommend the format of an Open Space Code day to a colleague
100% plan to spend more time looking at Azure in the future.

100% on all three is awesome and is a testimony to the openness of those who attended to try out something new, as much as it is to the Open Space format and the Azure technologies.

I did want to thank:

Dave Evans who made it all happen,from inception through to event registration, biscuits, fun lunch at the local pub and much more. Top man.
Hugo Russell for hosting us throughout the day and allowing us to use the building (the excellent Birmingham Science Park) – and for sorting out the powercut and the wireless!
Geff Lombardi for doing lots of “grunt work” during the day
My colleagues David Gristwood and Martin Beeby for sharing the load during the day
Everyone who attended for helping everyone to their left (You needed to have been there!)

On the day we had: