Thanks so much for the input – I really appreciate the candidness. Let me see if I can try to address each comment above...
Content being stale - yes from the outset the session titles look similar (and I can certainly understand) when compared to 2003/2004. Since many of our customers are just moving to Exchange 2003, the goal was to ensure we cover Exchange 2003 knowledge in all major areas of Exchange operations. Having said that, we still take it seriously when considering TechEd veterans like you get value out of attending the event – by making sure session topics within each presentation contain new and the most updated information about Exchange 2003. This is why it’s still important that you let us know what topics you want to see covered – being that we still have several months to edit content. We will have revamp materials – the OWA session this year will focus less on deploying OWA and more on customizing OWA (assumption is most people already know how to deploy, but not necessarily know the other things you can do). We’re going to update our secure messaging session significantly, a session that used to be a cabana session only. We’ll have new materials. We will have a general Exchange session on Exchange 12 investment areas and Exchange product roadmap for the future. We will talk about the improvements being done around Exchange Server 2003 SP2. We’ve included 2 new sessions on how Microsoft does IT – both in terms of best practices in operations and security. For those who haven’t used the Exchange Best Practices Analyzer (ExBPA), we’ll have a session delivered by the program manager who’s responsible for the tool. These are all sessions that were not presented at TechEd 2004, or to any large audience in the US this year. I understand that many of you have attended TechEd before, but I hope you’ll still find TechEd valuable this year – content will be revamped and you can always find the speakers (who are experts or directly work on the feature) who are willing to answer your questions and listen to your pains – let us see you there.
Not enough 400 level – this is an input I would seriously take back and consider. 2 things at play here that limits our ability to have as many as we wanted in the beginning…1) attendee stats tell us that the majority of the people feel the content is too hard at level 400. 2) going deep in 75 minutes is a challenge if the presenter wants to cover more than 3~4 topics. Having said that, level 400 conversations can still happen at TechEd (at the cabana lounge). This year’s cabana areas will be used specifically for that – technical, engaged and deep conversations about your environment.
Exchange Connections – we worked very closely with the folks that ran the Exchange Connections show down in Orlando (coincidentally) – and back in October we had a number of Exchange speakers deliver sessions down there. While both events are great, there are differences. TechEd is the place you will hear first about new products from Microsoft and enjoy the large conference crowd. Exchange Connections gives you the tight community feel and perspective on Exchange from the eyes of 3rd party experts.
Geo-clustering/VSS – I would make a note of that.
Future directions – mentioned above in my long comment, we will have a session on Exchange product roadmap, Exchange 12 investment areas and new features – stay tuned for more details on the TechEd site.
Anti-spam/Anti-virus – I know the marketing speak ‘hygiene’ doesn’t convey a whole lot, but it’s actually a session that will combine our thinking and guidance around anti-spam and anti-virus to date. I am committed to making sure the content is NOT filled with marketing hubris.
If you’ve never been to TechEd, definitely try to attend. But if you have in the past, want to give it a shot after reading this and need reasons to justify – I just provided some topics that are brand new. In addition, as some of you have noted, TechEd is more than just content (of course that’s the top priority), TechEd is also about engaging and meeting others like you, talking to experts, and enjoying some time away from the same ol’ office you go to everyday.
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