LOL. I made it into a Press Release !!! I couldn’t have made something up like this. I wonder if the release will make it to the local Microsoft Australia Press Pass First time ever Tech.Ed AU sells out prior to doors opening Tickets to the hottest IT educational experience of the year snatched up three weeks in advance Sydney , Australia – July 19 2007 – Microsoft Australia today announced the unprecedented sell out of Tech.Ed AU 2007. For the first time since its inauguration, Microsoft’s annual technical education conference has officially sold all available tickets in Australia well in advance of opening day. With three weeks remaining before the start of the event, more than 2,400 IT professionals and software developers have registered to attend and will soon descend on Queensland’s Gold Coast to ‘make their mark’ on the future of IT. Registration for Tech.Ed AU has doubled from a base of 1,200 attendees at the first event in 2004 to this year’s registration of 2,400, demonstrating the rapidly growing number of IT industry professionals committed to advancing their skills and engaging with like-minded colleagues in the industry. Tech.Ed AU 2007 kicks off on Monday 6 August with two days’ of Deep Dive Workshops.  The main conference commences Wednesday 8 August with a keynote address by Mr. Michael Twiggs, Production Resource Manager, Animal Logic and associate producer of the Academy Award-winning digitally animated film, Happy Feet. This year Tech.Ed is also opening its doors to 700 students for a free Student Day. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to get a leap on their career and meet some of the industry’s key leaders and thinkers while learning about work opportunities at Microsoft and its key partners. “The unprecedented pre-opening sell out for Tech.Ed 2007 illustrates the growing popularity of the event and bolsters Microsoft Australia’s position as a provider of valuable tools for developers and professionals,” said Mr. Ben English, Technical Audience Manager, Microsoft Australia. “We are committed to increasing the scale and relevance of Tech.Ed for Australia’s IT industry and our success in filling all registrations prior to opening is testament to that effort.” “We are striving to make Tech.Ed 2007 the single most valuable education experience of the year for IT professionals. The industry we work in changes rapidly and we need to continue to support and develop events like this to ensure that we service the leaders and community of the future,” Mr. English added. Tech.Background This year’s Tech.Ed, held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, will involve an intensive three days of learning, networking and practical experience. It will include in-depth analysis of particular products and technologies through 14 technical tracks and 180 break-out sessions, giving attendees advanced training and practical skills, which can be used in the workplace to help them make their mark. Tech.Ed 2007 attendees can also go home as Microsoft Certified Professionals, with opportunities to sit for industry-recognised certification exams at a reduced price, paying only 90, a savings of 50 percent on the standard price (normally 180 including GST). Tech.History While the pre-event sell-out of Tech.Ed 2007 commemorates a first in Tech.Ed history in Australia, one individual who has certainly ‘mark.ed’ his place amongst Australia’s technical community is Microsoft Australia’s Mr. Frank Arrigo, Group Manager, Developer Platform Evangelism (DPE). This year will mark Mr. Arrigo’s last Tech.Ed in Australia as he is set to leave Microsoft Australia and head to Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, USA.  The move will see Frank work as part of the DPE Field Strategy Group. The team’s mission is to assist the DPE teams world-wide inform and engage with all of the different technical audiences Microsoft deals with, such as Developers, Designers, Architects and IT Professionals. Frank Arrigo will be using Tech.Ed 2007 as an opportunity to say goodbye to Australia’s technical community one last time. He will be hosting a special session on Friday, 10 th August, which, with Mr. Arrigo’s well-known flair and originality, will be named the “Ask Frank Anything You Like” session. Tech.Shakespeare To see Mr. Arrigo’s last Australian technical performance, which has received critical acclaim across the soapbox stage, please click on the link below and encourage Mr. Arrigo to embrace a tech.encore. https://soapbox.msn.com/video.aspx?vid=3c900122-f6fb-488f-8984-6611c98450fc For more information, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/australia/teched - ends - About Microsoft Tech•Ed 2007 Tech•Ed, one of Microsoft’s premier developer and IT professional training events, reaches more than 75,000 people worldwide annually, providing attendees with access to technical experts, the latest technical information and hands-on labs to learn the skills they need to build state-of-the-art solutions. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential. For further information: Cathy Jamieson PR Manager Microsoft Australia Technorati tags: Frank Arrigo, TechEd, Tech.Ed, Microsoft Australia Comments Anonymous July 19, 2007 Hey Frank, not only is it great that you got a plug in there!!! go Aussie!!!!! secondly, i think the sell-out is DEFINITELY a statement on where the australian IT industry is heading..contrary to some beliefs (.net is dead????) i can only say that the industry is now flourishing and more and more brilliant developers are coming out of the woodworks!!!! simply awesome! Anonymous July 19, 2007 wot? no lolcats in pr bumpf? makes aussie devs sad. Additional resources Last updated on 2007-07-18