Dear SMB Nation Attendee,
WOW! We are only 2 weeks away from the 3rd Annual SMB Nation Conference! I have some general information for you in this email. [Susan: Blog post]
Airport Transportation – Getting Here
Here are some suggestions for transportation from the Seattle-Tacoma Airport to the Redmond Town Center Marriott.
Single passenger – the most cost-effective transportation option for a single person is to contact in advance and arrange transportation with one of the following two van-based shuttles:
Shuttle Express at http://www.shuttleexpress.com/ . When I checked on travel dates for the conference, I was quoted a $31.25 fare. You might try this shuttle first.
Seattle Express at www.seattleexpress.com is quoting a $39.00 fare.
Multiple passengers (e.g., two or more attendees sharing a ride). Consider All Star Town Car Services at (206) 510-9649 or Eastside Town Car at 425/558-2511.
BEST PRACTICE: Please arrange your transportation in advance. J We believe your return trip to the airport might be cheaper because you’ll be able to “cost share” on transportation with all of your new friends crowding into a single vehicle! Also, Nathan Codding from California has rented a van and has generously offered to help transport anyone that is arriving late in the afternoon on Thursday (Sept 8). You can contact him at: nathan@computersabc.net
REMINDER: We will be providing all transportation to/from the Microsoft Conference Center.
Certification Testing
If you plan to take a Microsoft Certified Professional exam (e.g., 70-282) during testing hours on Friday or Saturday at SMB Nation 2005, you are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to REGISTER NOW as seating and time slots are limited. Visit the testing site to sign up.
Lunch with Microsoft!
Meet face-to-face with Microsoft product and program managers, vendors, MVPs, user group leaders, speakers, etc. during a special lunch session on Friday, September 9. Lunch will be provided. You just have to pick a table and then mix and mingle with all sorts of folks, including individuals from SBS, MS CRM, Sonic Wall, and many others. Tables accommodate 10 people and halfway through lunch, you’ll also have an opportunity to move to a new table to make even more new connections.
Hands On Labs
Microsoft, working closely with HP and Asentus, is the muscle behind the hands-on labs (HOL) on Saturday and Sunday at the conference. A working list of HOL titles, subject to change, includes the popular “Beyond The Basics SBS 2003” (300-level HOL), CRM, Exchange Server and Small Business Accounting (SBA). The intent is to have labs at the 300-level or higher.
Sweet Deal – Extranet Portal Offer!
You’ll be able to launch your own .NET extranet portal at SMB Nation! A new session (and extranet portal offer) was just added for conference attendees only. $399 set up and $99 monthly gets your .NET extranet portal up and running! In this special session, to be held on Saturday morning at 8:15 AM in the Baker room, you can create/launch your own professional extranet portal. A pilot program with Steve Banks has already been incredibly successful. Steve also enrolled in the reseller program and booked his first sale with one of his small business accounts. His set up fee was recouped in the first week! See product details at http://www.acrosonic.com .
SBSMobile
The rumors are true! The infamous SBSMobile from the SMB Nation 2003 conference (Indy) has returned! Attendees will transform a humble unsuspecting automobile into the new SBSMobile!
BEST PRACTICE: Bring kitsch trinkets to superglue on to the SBSMobile! Anyone have pink flamingos?
Reminders
First, for those of you that are planning to take the 70-282 exam as part of the Small Business Specialist journey, Beatrice Mulzer (Co-Author with Harry Brelsford of the “Microsoft Small Business Specialist Primer and 70-282 Exam Preparation Guide”) is offering an “Exam Cram” course on Thursday, September 8 from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Marriott in Redmond Town Center. You can register for this class at www.smbnation.com and the cost is $49.95.
Second, join Karl Palachuk, author of “The Network Documentation Workbook” for a FREE seminar immediately following Beatrice’ course! This entertaining program will highlight 14 strategies for increasing your sales to new and existing clients by making standardized network documentation a key part of your SMB Consulting business. This brief seminar is packed with information you can use immediately to make more money in your consulting practice.
To register for this free seminar, go to http://www.GreatLittleBook.com or email Karl directly at karlp@kpenterprises.com .
Third, Jeremy Moskowitz, Group Policy author and expert, is hosting a two-day intensive pre-conference Group Policy course in the Seattle area on September 7-8, 2005. Highly recommended. Details: http://www.moskowitz-inc.com/index.html?mo=9&yr=2005 .
Lastly, Jordan Shultz of iPromptu is planning a golf tournament for Thursday. If you are interested in participating, please contact Jordan at jshultz@ipromptu.com .
As always, my job is to make this an informative and enjoyable experience for you. If you have any questions regarding the conference, the Seattle area, or the price of a Starbucks’ Latte, feel free to contact me.
See you soon.
Nancy Williams
SMB Nation Operations Manager
206/842-1127
www.smbnation.com