The Engine That Powers IDUG
The temperature may have dropped 10 degrees
outside, but here in the Denver Convention Centre there's still plenty
of hot stuff going on. Even though we're half-way through the event,
the general level of buzz and energy here hasn't diminished. I've been
attending IDUG conferences for the past ten years now - the cities and
the themes change from year to year, but one thing remains constant:
the people. And IDUG people are a pretty special bunch.
The attendees are some of the most passionate, dedicated IT
professionals you will ever come across. Many of them not only have
deep knowledge of DB2, but an innate enthusiasm for their craft that is
incredibly infectious. With the main conference lasting close to four
very full days (five if you include the full-day education seminars
that were held on Sunday) believe me you have to be pretty committed to
stay the course. But the formal technical training is only half the
story here - most of the attendees I talk to agree that the networking
opportunities are every bit as valuable. Whether its a quick
conversation over a coffee break or a longer session over several beers
in one of IDUG's legendary vendor "customer appreciation events", the
ability to swap experiences with hundreds of your DB2 peers is
amazingly valuable.
Then of course there are the IDUG speakers. There is a huge variety of
nationalities, backgrounds and levels of previous speaking experience
on the grid, but every one of them has put a significant amount of
effort (and usually a whole truckload of nervous energy) into
delivering a presentation that will allow others to learn and benefit
from their experiences. From IBM developers and professional
consultants to first-time user speakers, they are one of IDUG's
greatest assets.
Finally, there is the IDUG volunteer community. IDUG's very existence
depends upon a small army of people who willingly give up large chunks
of their own time to help run the organisation. Members of the
Conference Planning Committees work all year round to put together the
technical programmes for each conference, and help organise the
million-and-one details that are so important in making a conference of
this size run so smoothly. The Board Directors (of which I am one) put
in similar amounts of time to set the strategic direction of the
organisation and ensure that we continue to deliver on our mission of
delivering high quality DB2 education to DB2 users all over the world.
There is also a huge number of volunteers who serve IDUG in many other
capacities, from helping to administer the various Listserv discussion
groups to co-ordinating the activities of local DB2 user groups
worldwide. These folks are the engine that powers IDUG's success, and I
am constantly in awe of their enthusiasm, dedication, professionalism
and capacity for alcohol while still making it back to the conference
on time the following morning!
