Dallas Day(s) of Dot Net – Hey, Texas!

Preparations

Approximately one day after I returned home from my inaugural tech conference, CodeMash (Sandusky, OH), my marketing department mentor let me know that I’d be shipping off again in a month(!). This time, I was headed to Dallas, TX for the Dallas Day(s) of Dot Net … in February!

C’mon, you know that any chance to escape the NJ cold would have me jumping for joy, right?

Similar to how it worked with CodeMash, I helped coordinate Infragistics’ involvement as the Diamond sponsor of Dallas Days of Dot Net. Prior to arrival in Texas, I spoke with the event coordinator to ensure that Infragistics was in full compliance for all of the event’s needs, and I also worked with my colleagues here in NJ to ensure that we had everything we needed for our booth. This included a volunteer last minute run to ShopRite the night before my flight to grab some miniature candies! :)

The Conference

Dallas Day of Dot Net Zero:

For the Dallas Days of Dot Net trip I was working again with my colleague Anand, who I had gone to CodeMash with, and also with another colleague, Nick, who works here in NJ with me. Nick and I both arrived in time to have dinner together on Thursday which was absolutely spectacular. One guess what we had for my first meal in Texas… (You ready?... ) Steak! After dinner we met up with the conference organizer, picked out our booth for the next day, and just generally scoped out everything that we’d need to take care of come morning.  

Dallas Day of Dot Net One:

This first day we were up bright and early to prepare everything at our booth… and when I say bright and early, I mean I was up at the hour of 6 in the morning. (For those of you who know me a bit better, I’m sure you’re well aware of the feat that is! For those of you that are just getting to know me, trust that I am most certainly a night person. It’s a well-documented fact.) Despite the early hour, I surprised myself by being the first person to grace our lovely booth, and within minutes Anand and Nick arrived as well. We set up our space, got breakfast, and mapped out a schedule for the day. Since both of the guys were speaking, I was on booth duty most of the day. Spending time at our booth helps me become so much more comfortable with what we do, but I still have so much to learn about how to speak to event attendees and how to demo our products! However, I did make a note that I definitely want to try and get a chance to see my colleagues speak at the next event I attend so I can see how they work their magic.

After spending the day at the booth in my mega-awesome, highly commented on, “gladiator” shoes, Nick, Anand and I took a quick break and then headed to the speaker/sponsor dinner. Again opting for typical “Texan” fare, we went to a tex-mex venue called “Gloria’s”. It had a bit of a Salvadorian twist, which was awesome because I will do just about anything for a delicious arroz con pollo. Which, of course, is what I had (specifically at Gloria’s, the Pollo Asado Combinado) along with some amazing conversations with the other speakers and sponsors at the meal. I felt incredibly lucky to be able to spend time with all of the diners, so I wholeheartedly thank everyone who made my attendance possible!

Dallas Day of Dot Net Two/Three:

On Saturday I got to sleep until 7! This day was filled primarily with speaking to the awesome event goers who happened to cross the path of the Infragistics booth. I had a lot of really superb conversations, and I got to know some of the local Texas development community. I even got to meet an awesome husband/wife couple from Oklahoma! The wife of the pair, Amanda Harlin, and I spent a good chunk of time talking about being n00bs in the community and she really gave me such a sense of “I’ve been there” respect and validation. She, like everyone I met in Dallas, was just so welcoming and willing to stop and have a chat – I was blown away.

Sunday was my travel home day, and I was just crossing my fingers that I would be able to GET home after Nemo in NJ. After an uneventful morning and a quick cab ride over to DFW, I hopped on my flight (which was only on a 45 minute delay!) and made it back to NJ in time to only be 20 minutes late to Sunday night roller derby practice. Score. :D

 

Reflection

All in all, Dallas Day(s) of Dot Net was a very different, but strangely similar experience to my first conference. I worked the booth, spent time with my colleagues, and learned more about how awesome the tech industry is on the whole. As far as my own personal progress, I’m absolutely learning more about how to better prepare for events, getting more comfortable talking with attendees, and learning more about our products every time. Can’t wait for the next one!

By Dara Monasch