Check Out This Lineup!

I've posted before about the Business Intelligence Virtual Conference I'm helping to organize. Even though I have not had much to say about this exciting event in the last few weeks, this doesn't mean that I haven't been feverishly busy making sure that the conference will be great. We're still finalizing the session schedule, but we have the speaker list nailed down[1]. Check this out:

• Donald Farmer: Donald is the Principal Program Manager for SQL Server Data Mining at Microsoft and was the Program Manager for SQL Server Integration Services for the SQL Server 2005 RTM release. Donald is always a much sought-after and highly rated speaker, especially when he's talking about his favorite topics like data mining and fish farming.[2]
• Brian Knight: Brian is a SQL Server MVP and the author of multiple books on SQL Server Integration Services. He's presented regularly at major conferences like TechEd and PASS, and is a great speaker all around.
• Ted Malone: Ted is a Visual Studio Team System MVP, but knows more about the Microsoft BI stack than most SQL Server MVPs I know. Ted is also a great speaker who has presented at various conferences on lots of SQL Server related topics.
• Matt Masson: Matt is a developer on the SQL Server Integration Services team at Microsoft, and worked at Cognos before joining Microsoft. As an SSIS insider, Matt has great insight into the inner workings of the product, and will be sharing them during his sessions.
• Sonya McNeal: Sonya is a Microsoft Certified Trainer and consultant who specializes in the Microsoft BI stack. She presented some of the highest rated instructor led labs at the TechEd conference in Orlando this June, and will be bringing her many years of training and presenting experience into play for the virtual conference.
• Scot Reagin: Scot is a SQL Server MVP and a mentor with Solid Quality Mentors with more than 20 years experience in the database and BI field. Scot has presented at many major conferences including TechEd, PASS and SQL Connections.
• Matthew Roche: If you're reading my blog hopefully you have some idea who I am, but just in case, I'm a SQL Server MVP, MCT and experienced BI speaker and consultant. I'm honored to be the conference chair for this conference, and will be doing everything in my power[3] to ensure that this conference sets the bar for BI conferences to come.
• Craig Utley: Craig is a mentor with Solid Quality Mentors, and used to be a Program Manager on the SQLCAT team at Microsoft and is the author of several books. These guys are the best of the best - they're the ones that get called in when no one else can solve the problems. Craig is also a regular presenter who can make even the most complex BI topics easy to understand.
• Erik Veerman: Erik is a SQL Server MVP and a mentor with Solid Quality Mentors who has co-authored several books on SQL Server Integration Services and is responsible for the SSIS ETL best practices in Microsoft's Project REAL. Erik is a regular author and presenter on all facets of the Microsoft BI stack.
• John Welch: John is a SQL Server MVP and is the Chief Architect at Mariner, where he is responsible for the full end-to-end Microsoft BI stack. John is an experienced presenter with deep insight into all of Microsoft's BI products.

What an amazing lineup - I can't adequately express how excited I am to be working with this team. Each speaker will be presenting three sessions (and I'm just as excited about the session list as I am about the speaker list - I can't wait to share it with you) for a total of 30 sessions plus three keynote presentations - one for each day of the conference.

And remember - the entire virtual conference is just $100 for the full three days, and as I mentioned in an earlier post, if you attend the virtual conference you also get a $150 discount off the Dev Connections Fall 2008 Conferences this November in Las Vegas.

How could it get any better than this?

[1] As of this writing, the speaker list on the conference web site isn't complete - we're still waiting on a photo from Matt Masson, but everything else is there.

[2] Don't ask. Trust me. ;-)

[3] And of course, because I listen to Manowar, my power is pretty much limitless.