Learn more about PowerShell at TechEd 2011

TechEd North America 2011 is coming up fast next month, so I wanted to let you know how you can learn more about PowerShell while at the conference.  PowerShell has continually had a great presence at TechEd events, and this year is no exception.  Just searching the TechEd schedule builder using the keyword “PowerShell” reveals 7 pre-event online webcasts, 2 pre-event virtual labs, 4 pre-con seminars, 2 birds of a feather discussions, 5 interactive discussions, 16 breakouts, and 9 hands-on labs this year!  Those are not all specifically focused on PowerShell, but they definitely show the amount of attention that PowerShell gets at a conference like this.

PowerShell content at TechEd 2011

Below you will find a list of all of the PowerShell-related sessions and resources for TechEd so that you can make sure you have them added to your schedule.  The sessions that interest me the most are highlighted in bold.

Quest Software Ask the Experts Session on PowerShell

There are other items that won’t show up in the schedule builder as well. For example, Quest Software has regular Ask the Experts sessions throughout the event, and one of those sessions will be focused on PowerShell, allowing you to ask questions to myself and Dmitry Sotnikov, watch some demos of the next version of PowerGUI® Pro, and have a chance to meet us at the event.  If this interests you, mark your calendar and join Dmitry and I in the Quest Software booth in the expo hall on Tuesday, May 17 from 12:30PM to 1:00PM, and bring your PowerShell and PowerGUI Pro questions!

WSV473-INT Windows PowerShell 3.0: Why Wait? Get Next-Generation PowerShell Functionality Today!

If you want to find me when I’m not working the PowerShell booth or answering questions during the Ask the Experts session on PowerShell, you can always come catch me at my session.  It is included in the session listing above.  I will be presenting a 400-level interactive discussion about PowerShell, WSV473-INT Windows PowerShell 3.0: Why Wait? Get Next-Generation PowerShell Functionality Today!  During this session I’ll be discussing different ways that you can get next-generation PowerShell functionality today so that you don’t have to wait as long until the next release.  This session will cover cool PowerShell features such as proxy functions, and it will also discuss Domain Specific Vocabularies, a topic I recently spoke about at the PowerShell Deep Dive.  You can read more about the session here.

Important Update:

This session has been scheduled for a second showing on Thursday, May 19, 2011 from 1:00-2:15PM, so if you can’t make the first one, come to the second!  Here’s the link to the update: WSV473-INT-R | Windows PowerShell 3.0: Why Wait? Get Next-Generation PowerShell Functionality Today!

Watch for additional opportunities to learn about PowerShell

Beyond these sessions, there are always other possible opportunities to learn about PowerShell while you are at TechEd 2011 in Atlanta.  The scheduled sessions at TechEd offer a ton of value already, but for me, the true value of a conference like TechEd comes from the unexpected and often unplanned side discussions that surprise you at a conference like this.  Some of my favorite discussions about PowerShell at conferences in the past have happened in an ad-hoc meeting, over breakfast, or in the PowerShell booth.  Never be afraid to start the discussion and ask others if they use PowerShell, and if possible keep your laptop handy so that you can pull it out and talk shop on the spot.  There is huge value in those discussions, and I highly recommend them.

That’s it from me for now.  If I hear about additional opportunities to learn more about PowerShell while at TechEd I’ll be sure to post them here.

Thanks for listening!

Kirk out.