Thoughts On The 2014 PASS Summit Selections

The session lineup for the 2014 PASS Summit was announced today and I'm honored to be selected as a presenter. This will be my 6th year at the Summit and 5th as a presenter, and every year it's tougher to be picked as the PASS community - and the number of sessions submitted (over 900 this year!) - grows.

The increase in submissions year over year also makes it tougher on the program committee to review, select, and schedule the lineup. The committee is made entirely of volunteers who put a ton of hours into the selections - often a thankless task done behind the scenes - so I want to make sure the acknowledge their efforts. Every year there are people not happy about how the selection process works, that they didn't get selected, etc...and while there are things that can be improved on I don't fault any individual on the committee for having put the time and effort into trying to put together the best lineup of sessions possible.

As I look over the selections there are a few things that stand out worth mentioning. But first, a eye-candy filled analysis of the numbers for this year:

What do I take away from looking at the numbers and the list of accepted sessions?

• Most speakers are scheduled for 1 session. The majority of speakers with 2 (or more) are because they're delivering a full day precon in addition to a regular session.
• There are some notable names missing from the list of Summit regulars who submitted but were not selected. I'll avoid naming names so I don't play favorites, but I think it shows that you don't get a session just because you're well known in the community. I do hope people who weren't selected are able to find other ways to attend.
• No 90 minute spotlight presentations this year. First year that's happened?
• No 500 level precons - maybe in part due to lack of submissions, maybe the ones that were submitted weren't the right fit...still, I'd easily pay for a 500 level DBA precon. Maybe next year?
• Comparing the list of accepted speakers against the current PASS Board Members shows two sessions accepted, one by Jen Stirrup (a half day session) and one by Adam Jorgensen (a precon with John Welch and Buck Woody). I wish it were none - the Board has plenty to do that week on behalf of PASS without having to worry about delivering a session on top of it. I can understand why Jen wants to make the trip worthwhile since she's travelling to the US from Europe, but the other...
• 3 Preconference sessions by Pragmatic Works employees are on the list, including one delivered by PASS Executive Vice President, Finance & Governance Adam Jorgensen who is also President and Managing Partner of Pragmatic Works. I know a lot of folks that work at Pragmatic and they're good at what they do, but having 3 precon sessions (where presenters usually make good money from the sales) selected for the same company as one of PASS's execs...smells. I'd like to give PASS the benefit of doubt on this one, but I'll it's very hard to ignore, even if Adam wasn't one of the presenters.
• The last chart highlights that 39% of the General sessions are BI focused. If the Summit were the only paid conference organized by PASS I'd be OK with that number, but now that we've got the Business Analytics conference I'm wondering if that percentage should be lower. I'd also be curious how many BA conference sessions are repeats at the Summit, though I realize that most of the people who attend Summit probably do not attend the BA conference.

All in all it looks like a good lineup - one that I'm happy to be a part of. I'm looking forward to this year's Summit and I hope that you are, too!

EDIT: Buck Woody is not one of the speakers for Adam's precon as I had initially written.

I'm A Candidate For The 2014 PASS Nomination Committee

The 2014 PASS election cycle begins today when voting opens for the Nomination Committee (NomCom) and I'm one of eleven candidates running for three seats on the committee.

Why am I running for the NomCom?

• It's a chance to use my time and experience to do something good for PASS.
• This year's NomCom will have the chance to review the election process and recommend changes. I was vocal about this after last year's election and I'm putting my money where my mouth is - I'd like to help improve the process.
• It's a change for me personally to do something new while doing something to help PASS.

Why am I qualified?

I have been involved with PASS since 2007 at all levels: speaker, chapter leader, regional mentor, SQLSaturday organizer, and I served as a member of the Board in 2012. I have also run for the Board of Directors twice so I have a good understanding of how the NomCom works. My familiarity with PASS from the grassroots all the way up to HQ gives me invaluable experience to draw on when evaluating the candidates running for the Board. I was also called on as an advisor for the original Election Review Committee a few years ago; that means I know how we've gotten to where we are today and can use that to make recommendations for improving future elections.

What can you expect if I'm elected?

• I'll ask difficult - but relevant - questions. In past NomCom interviews I expected tough questions about strategy, vision for PASS, etc. and being surprised that they weren't asked. I appreciate that Board members are volunteers, but we're asking them to be a part of managing a community with an annual budget of $8 million USD and it's the NomCom's job to ensure each candidate has the right mix of business acumen and connection with the community that make them qualified to run for the Board.
• I'll be fair to all candidates. No bias because I may know someone or passing judgment because I don't agree with how they think PASS should be run.
• I'll push for changes to the voting process that reduce the possibility of duplicate votes. The current NomCom process works (for the most part) and doesn't require any major overhaul, but having the possibility exist for duplicate votes is a problem that we cannot ignore and need to fix. I understand that it's not a simple effort so understand that any changes will likely take effect in the 2015 elections.
• I'll be transparent about the NomCom experience - if elected I commit to blogging once every 2 weeks (or more) about NomCom timelines and progress, lessons learned, and what to expect next. Note that some parts of the NomCom process are under NDA so I can't blog about them, but I will be as open as possible.

Ballots should be mailed today and I encourage you to take a minute to review all 11 candidates along with my application and qualifications before casting your vote.

Thanks for your support!