The year before a major release and probably the year of a major release coming out it is great to hear directly from Microsoft in Seattle.

If we had say 3 or 4 years between major releases then once the release is generally in use go somewhere outside of Seattle so thers can get the great content that PASS Summit offers.

As a Western Canadian, Seattle is one 90 minute flight away for me, but I have also gone to Denver and Orlando.

Just a thought.

Chris

– It provides a solid base in two Microsoft-heavy locations.
– It offers greater overall accessibility for community members.

Most of the other reasons have already been touched on so I won’t rehash.

Bill Graziano brought up some great points about “inconvenience sharing”, as well as costs and logistics issues related to moving away from Seattle since PASS HQ is in Vancouver. As an East Coast-based show sponsor for many years, I can say that we experience those every year, albeit on a smaller scale… so we are all about sharing 😉

If the show stays in Seattle every year, there will inevitably be stagnation in certain areas, and I think we witnessed some of this firsthand this year. It was the first time that I actually heard multiple vendors actually question the value of the show from a sponsorship perspective, other than the occasional random grumble. Many possible reasons have been thrown around for this, and in reality there are likely several factors, but a recurring theme is that many don’t necessarily view a very high proportion of Microsoft attendees as ideal from a marketing perspective. Note I said “high proportion” not “high number”, which are obviously very different.

Bottom line is the sponsors’ concerns need to be factored in at some level, since they help support the show, and I fear that much longer in Seattle exclusively and you are going to see some of that support wane.

There will be always be downsides and gripes to any location, but ultimately PASS is a global community and so needs to maximize its exposure and accessibility. It’s all about finding that balance.

I believe that is a common practice with Convention and Visitors Bureaus? (CVBs) I used to work for a software vendor that made sales and catering software that handled such events and also made software for CVBs.

If I recall correctly, it is a common practice for conventions to put out proposals or RFPs to several locations and have their events bid over by the various locations. Its big business for a city (Room taxes, meals taxes at the restaurants, increased business for tax paying businesses, etc.) and the conference centers and hotels so they can get into bidding wars. Sure we aren’t as big as a national political convention or Superbowl but…

Scott,

Not a bad idea, if only we could decide upon those other cities. With the NFL, cities put out bids for hosting. Maybe we could get cities to fight over hosting the PASS Summit?

Greg,

Rick Heiges has mentioned Charlotte a few times, and it is also in the back of my mind. You are correct, it is a venue that is worth exploring.

– CLT is #9 international airport in the world in terms of # of flights.
– Airport 10-15 minutes to downtown & convention center.
– One of the largest Microsoft U.S. Support office is here, including the #2 SQL Server support operation behind Dallas. Microsoft campus is 10 minutes from the airport and downtown. Every time I fly to Seattle and back to it seems like a significant percentage of the travelers are Microsoft.
– A plethora of great hotel options downtown a short walk from the convention center.
– Relatively inexpensive city for dining, transportation, etc.
– Very active nightlife downtown. Similar in size and activity level to Denver, maybe a bit bigger now with the Epicenter. You also don’t get hassled on every street corner like some other cities 😉
– I believe the Charlotte Convention Center would have no problems at all handling the current PASS size. From the specs on their site it seems to be as big or bigger than WSCTC.
– Very mild climate, esp in Oct/Nov.
– Central East Coast location much more appealing for the European crowd. I always feel for those folks that make the trip to Seattle. With Charlotte or any other eastern location you’d almost certainly see dramatically increased European attendance.

I agree with Tim that having PASS in Seattle is HUGE when it comes to Microsoft attendance. Would Charlotte see the same? Definitely not. Would it be higher than other cities without a significant Microsoft presence? Likely so.

Again, I’m biased… but the above sounds reasonable, no?

Go Charlotte! 😉