It’s a beautiful autumn day in Cambridge, and SPTechCon is off and running with a series of full-day and half-day workshops taking place today.  Registration was a breeze this morning, with no waiting required – especially impressive given that the conference is completely sold out.

As my personal SPTechCon kickoff event, I selected the half-day workshop on SharePoint 2010 and Office 2010 Integration presented Laura Rogers, with Mark Miller.  My report on that session, which was as informative as it was enjoyable (no surprise with Laura and Mark as the hosts), will be appearing over on our SharePoint 2010 blog shortly. 

I had the pleasure of meeting and sharing lunchtime SharePoint conversation with attendees from a variety of organizations throughout the U.S., at least two of whom were Bamboo customers.  Since I didn’t think to ask for permission, I won’t drop any names here, but suffice it to say, conversation over meals at SharePoint conferences can sometimes be as educational as the sessions themselves, especially in terms of comparing notes on how particular tasks are accomplished in different organizations.  Casual conversations such as lunchtime chats just points up one more added benefit to attending conferences such as SPTechCon … the combined real-world SharePoint expertise that attendees possess is staggering. I’m sure anyone who’s been to a SharePoint conference can attest to that fact, based solely on feedback and input from audience members during sessions which encourage questions and comments during the presentation (as most do).

So here’s some, ahem, food for thought … as you’re enjoying your meals at SPTechCon, and other SharePoint conferences in the future, engage your tablemates in conversation.  You never know, one of them may very well have already solved a problem that you’re currently struggling with in your own environment.  After all, I would submit to you that the community of SharePoint users may very well be the single most valuable resource available in SharePoint.

Agree?  Disagree?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please don’t be shy.

Updated to add: My recap of SharePoint 2010 & Office 2010 Integration, with Laura Rogers & Mark Miller is now available.

Bamboo Nation’s complete coverage of SPTechCon Boston 2010:

• Greetings from SPTechCon Boston! Some Food for Thought…

• SharePoint 2010 & Office 2010 Integration, with Laura Rogers & Mark Miller

• SharePoint & the Cloud – Extending the Boundaries Keynote Delivered Steve Fox

• SharePoint 101 – The End User … “A Day’s Walk in SharePoint with the Shepherd” with Rob Bogue

• Dux Raymond Sy on Best Practices in Managing SharePoint Projects

• Ask the SharePoint Experts Q&A with Heather Solomon, Dustin Miller, and Matt Passannante

• Making SharePoint Social – 10 Steps to Social SharePoint, with Joel Oleson

• Understanding How the SharePoint 2010 Sandbox Works, with Maurice Prather

• Everything You Need to Know to Plan SharePoint Workflows, with Mike Fitzmaurice

• The New Pillars of SharePoint 2010, with Paul Swider