Friday the 13th - Will it be Lucky or Unlucky for You?
Superstitions and folklore in many parts of the world say that Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. In fact, there's even a word to describe the fear of Friday the 13th: paraskevodekatriaphobia. In fact, this Friday the 13th of July could be a very unlucky day for you ... but you have the opportunity to change your luck for the better.
This Friday is when the "early bird" discount for TechEd'07 in Las Vegas ends. That means that on Friday registration is $2195 until 5:00pm Pacific (U.S.) time, but at 5:01pm, the price jumps $200 to $2395. You can make this Friday your lucky day by registering early and saving a couple hundred dollars.
The Value of TechEd is Legendary
If you don't know about TechEd, you're missing something big. It's SAP's annual conference series (held in Las Vegas, Munich, Shanghai, and Bangalore this year) where thousands of SAP technologists, business process experts, consultants, partners, customers, product managers, bloggers, the media, industry analysts, and others join together to learn about the latest SAP products, services, strategic direction, roadmaps, features, and much more.
On the current SDN homepage there's a great story from David J. Rutt of Yorktowne Cabinetry in which he talks a little bit about his TechEd experience. He says: "I attended my first SAP TechEd in November 2006. I had no idea of the vastness of information I’d find there! I still have booklets from the sessions I attended. I use them as quick reference texts all the time. The brain trust at SAP TechEd is so mind boggling. When I’m among those people, I feel like I’ve made it!"
There are plenty other quotes, testimonials, and reasons to attend on the TechEd'07 section of SDN and BPX. Other SDN and BPX community members talk about their experiences and their plans in the TechEd blogs.
Add-On Community Day to Your TechEd Plans
Last year, we had "SDN Day" at three of the TechEd events for the first time ever. It was an opportunity for 200-or-so members of the community to meet each other in a smaller, relaxed, informal setting on the day before TechEd got underway officially. They shared their successes and their challenges, made connections with people they had known previously only thru the online portion of the community, brainstormed ideas, gave us feedback that we took to heart in our planning for the year ahead, and they had a better conference experience the rest of the week because they knew more people and had closer professional connections than ever before. Plus, it was a lot of fun.
This year, we're expanding to include both SDN and BPX community members in a "Community Day" at TechEd'07 in Las Vegas, Munich, and Bangalore. When you register for the big conference, you are invited to also register for the smaller and more personal "Community Day."
Other Great TechEd Stuff -- Too Much to Detail
TechEd is huge and multi-faceted. In addition to the hundreds of hours of educational sessions and expert presentations there is much more to the whole event, including:
Attending TechEd in Munich, Shanghai, or Bangalore?
If you're planning to attend TechEd'07, but not in Las Vegas on October 1-5, you have the advantage of time.
- For the Munich event, which takes place October 17-19, registration is open, but "early bird" registration doesn't close until August 8th. (That shouldn't stop you from registering extra-early though.)
- For Shanghai TechEd'07, which happens November 6-7, registration opens later this month (July).
- For Bangalore TechEd on November 28-30, registration opens in August.
We Hope to See You There!
Please register for TechEd'07 in Las Vegas by this Friday the 13th to capture some good luck.
We're planning a fantastic event and look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.
