From October 28-29, 2013, Vancouver will host the first ever western edition of Canada’s esteemed SharePoint Summit. Coming off the success of the Quebec City and Toronto events earlier this year, SharePoint Summit Vancouver is sure to deliver the same diverse and informational speaking sessions as well as valuable networking opportunities.
As a member of SharePoint Summit Vancouver’s board of directors, I’m proud to have played a role in the organization of the Summit series’ western debut. With the event quickly approaching, I asked my fellow members of the event board of directors what to expect from the show, what they’re most looking forward to, and why Vancouver was ultimately selected for the event. Conference Chair and Alcero CEO Danny Boulanger, Avanade SharePoint Architect and MVP Yaroslav Pentsarskyy, and Director of AvePoint Client Services Sag Baruss share their thoughts below.
For the first time ever, SharePoint Summit is coming to western Canada! What made Vancouver stand out as the ideal city to host the event?
Yaroslav Pentsarskyy: Vancouver has a vibrant MVP and SharePoint professional community with many customers in the western region. We see a lot of interest and excitement from both customers and professionals, and this is a great opportunity to get together for some of the local folks who couldn’t attend some of the key events this and last year.
Danny Boulanger: Vancouver is one of North America’s great tourist destinations. It is a modern, travel-friendly city with a unique mix of cultures. It is a great location with an energetic nightlife scene. Vancouver’s hotels, restaurants, and business community offer outstanding levels of service and product quality. Learning in such a great city will be easy.
What do you think the “hot topics” will be at the Summit?
Sag Baruss: With the adoption of SharePoint continuing to increase and organizations becoming more sophisticated in how they use SharePoint, I see the focus shifting from “how to do it” toward “how to make it better.” Social, information management, governance, and risk management is a logical progression, so I’m predicting these topics to be hot.
DB: With the current SharePoint market knowledge maturity, people are expecting to learn how to build a business solution, how the cloud will or should impact them, and where the SharePoint platform is heading.
How do you feel an event like SharePoint Summit Vancouver benefits the Canadian SharePoint community?
DB: With more than 40 speakers coming from different countries, there is no doubt that attendees will have plenty of discovery to bring home. Lessons learned, pitfalls avoided, and SharePoint success stories will be very beneficial for the audience to hear.
SB: Hosting events such as this one connects the local SharePoint community with outside talent and draws attention to the strength of the SharePoint market and technical resources that are found in Canada. We have an awesome SharePoint community and it’s nice to be able to show it off from time to time.
What is your favourite part of attending SharePoint Summit?
YP: Networking and connecting with professionals in the region.
SB: The “you’ll never guess what my client is doing” and “what not to do” stories I get to hear from the presenters and attendees. They always make me feel better about the SharePoint projects I’m working on.
What do you recommend conference attendees see and do in Vancouver when they’re not at the event?
YP: Fall in Vancouver is beautiful, so those who are from out of town should definitely catch some of the West Coast “vibe.” Among other things, there is a Heart of the City festival happening through Sunday, November 10 with tons of music, theatre, and comedy events. There will also be plenty of networking opportunities while you’re at the Summit, so there is definitely no time to be bored.
SB: Vancouver is a great place to eat out, so be sure to sample the local food and drink. Beer from Granville Island Brewery, Steamworks Brew Pub, R & B Brewing Co., Yaletown Brewing Company, and Storm Brewing are highly recommended (…with apologies to the other great local breweries that didn’t come to mind immediately).
Interested in joining us in Vancouver? Visit the event website and register today!
