Ah gentle reader UKLUG tis over for another year, a fabulous production in 2 acts.
This year's production continued the march of excellence that is the Elsmore double act Warren and Kitty.
Foolishly they invited me to help in the organisation and I was able to watch at first hand as they pushed , cajoled and herded geeks (both speakers and attendees)and sponsors down the road to The SAS Radisson Hotel in Edinburgh assisted by the rest of the organising crew, now officially known as "Black Shirts" Paul Mooney, Eileen Fitzgerald, Julian Woodward, Matt White, Bill Buchan, Chris Coates, Gab and Tim Davis, Mike Smith, the "Token American" Rob Novak and lastly the token eejit ME :-)! Many many others selflessly lent a hand on the day and to them a large HUZZAH, multitudinous hugs and a great big thank you! They all played a part and I sort of hung around the edges and tried to be helpful.
Mind you it has to be said that all the brilliant organising in the world would have pointless if the cash had not been there to make it all possible, this came from the sponsors and 3 stout, loud happy grateful cheers wing their way to the bold companies that dug deep in to shrinking credit crunch budgets!
Also had not the speakers volunteered to stand up in front of a room of their peers and speak for an hour on something they feel so passionate about that they want to share it with others the conference would have been terribly boring, so lets toss our caps in the air and jump around like mad things shouting YO! for the speakers.
Brilliant organisation, brilliant sponsors, brilliant speakers do not the perfect conference make ... Imagine if the attendees had not turned up, we would all have been standing like eejits in an empty hotel with nothing to tweet about other than how nice the chips were with garlic mayo (they were!!). So WELL DONE all you attendees everyone involved above salute you with a virtual standing ovation!
Lastly the Venue, the Radisson on the Royal Mile in the Heart of Edinburgh. What can I say? They were the resin on the UKLUG bow and made the conference sing. Every member of staff responded with prompt efficiency and to any and all requests and most importantly did so with a smile. A+, Gold star, top of the class!
What I am saying in my usual overly wordy, gobshite way is UKLUG always has been and will continue to be more than the sum of it's parts. It is this synergy that throbs in this strange community of ours. It is a synergy that I have yet to find in any other organisation I have come across or participated in.
I am proud to have been a cog in the perfectly tuned performance conference that was UKLUG 2009, (I hope they invite me back to help next year). I am proud to be a member of the greater Notes community .. You guys rock! :-)
[PS Particularly the ones that came to Bill Buchan's and my session. You are very loud and very good at recognising squirrels (particularly Ben Poole). I hope we made sense occasionally between fighting with the projector. It seemed so much better when we sort of practised it]
[PPS. "The light through the window.." was from Rob Novak's suite as Paul Mooney pretended to be Kate Winslet on Titanic's Bow, 4 stories above the Royal Mile ... I have to add he was being stoutly held by Coatsie]
[PPSS. If you see Bill Malchisky play him some George Clinton Funk!)
[PPPSS. Don't let Julian Robichaux near Urinal Cakes!]
