Corey Roth [MVP]

It’s true.  I admit it.  I have a sickness.  I am a SharePoint person and proud of it.  I’m attending Microsoft TechEd in Orlando next week (and in Amsterdam at the end of the month) for the first time.  Although I am a noob to this conference, I thought I would share my thoughts on what you can do to maximize your SharePoint experience.  TechEd covers all sorts of Microsoft technologies but there are plenty of SharePoint things to do.

Be sure and check out my TechEd Readiness Checklist as well.

There are over fifty sessions and hands-on-labs about SharePoint being offered.  Take a look at some of these sessions:

• Building Federated External Access for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 (Pre-conference Sunday 6/10 10:00a – S210A) – If you happen to be around for the pre-conference this session looks really exciting.  Unfortunately, I won’t be arriving in time to see this session.
• Advanced Architectures for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 (Monday 6/11 1:15p – S329) – This is a Bird of a Feather (BoF) session that goes deep talking about service applications, cross-farm services and search.
• 36 Terabytes: How Microsoft IT Manages SharePoint in the Enterprise (Monday 6/11 4:45p – S330A) – I always find it interesting to see how Microsoft is managing SharePoint internally.
• Exploring the Power of Page Layouts in SharePoint 2010 WCM Sites (Tuesday 6/12 10:15a - S210E) – MVPs John Ross and Randy Drisgill will teach how to do great things with page layouts.
• Advanced Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Upgrade Troubleshooting (Tuesday 3:15p – S210A) – MVPs Shane Young and Todd Klindt explain how to get past common upgrade issues.  That and the fact that Todd gave me crap on twitter. :)
• Why Microsoft SharePoint and Windows Azure are Just Plain Better Together (Wednesday 6/13 8:30a – S230A) – I’ve seen Steve Fox speak a number of times and it always entertaining.
• Code vs. "No-Code": Exactly Who Gets to Call Themselves a SharePoint Developer? (Wednesday 6/13 10:15a – S319) – This is always an interest debate and this BoF is sure to provide a great discussion.
• Building and Customizing My Sites with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 (Wednesday 6/13 1:30p – S220G) – Another session with Ross and Drisgill showing you how to make your My Sites look better.
• Making the Most of Search in SharePoint Online (Wednesday 6/13 3:15p – S210E) – The guy that is giving this session is awesome.  I of course have to plug my own personal session. :)  Come see how you can make search in SharePoint Online rock.
• Configuring Kerberos for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 BI in 7 Steps (SQL Server 2012) (Wednesday 6/13 5:00p – S331A) – Configuring Kerberos can always be a challenge.   This session can help.
• I’m a SharePoint Developer in an Enterprise World! (Thursday 6/14 8:30a – S319) – I’m a fan of all of the Birds of a Feather sessions.
• Step-by-Step: Building Search Driven Applications That Matter (Thursday 6/14 2:45p – N220A) – Great session on how to build SharePoint applications built around Search.

If I didn’t list your session, no offense.  I can’t cover them all.  That and I wanted to actually get this post out before the end of the conference.  :)

TechEd has some great opportunities for certification.  If you are looking to get certified, be sure to check out the following session.

• Exam Cram Session on Exams 667 and 668: Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 (Tuesday 6/12 1:30p) – MCM Shannon Bray will be there to help you study for the exams.

There’s a whole heap of Hands-on-Labs (HoL) for SharePoint.  This is a great way to work through a scenario in SharePoint while being able to raise your hand for help.  Here are a few examples (see the link above for the complete list):

• Installing and Configuring Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010
• Developing for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 with the Client OM and REST in Microsoft Visual Studio 2010
• Deploying a SharePoint Online Sandbox Solution in Microsoft Office 365

Of course there are a lot of other non-SharePoint things you should consider attending as well:

• Opening Keynote (Monday 6/11 9:00a – N. Hall A1) – Of course you don’t want to miss the keynote
• Windows Azure Today and Tomorrow (Monday 6/11 11:00a – N310) – When Scott Guthrie talks, you listen.
• What’s New in Visual Studio 2012 (Monday 6/11 1:15p – N210) – If you are a developer, you need to know what’s coming in Visual Studio 2012.  Be sure and check out my Visual Studio 2012 series for SharePoint as well.
• PowerShell Remoting in Depth (Monday 6/11 3:00p – S320E) – We use a lot of PowerShell in SharePoint.
• Tuesday Keynote (Tuesday 6/12 – 8:30a – N. Hal A1)

Hopefully this is a good list to get you started.  Is there anything that I missed that should be on here?  Leave a comment and I’ll get it added.  Also keep an eye our for my TechEd Readiness Checklist post as well as a similar post for TechEd Europe.  I look forward to seeing everyone there next week!  Have a good TechEd!