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We have a live SQL Saturday scheduled for 2021!
SQL Saturday Orlando 2021 is coming to Lake Mary, FL on October 30, 2021. Andy Warren has put this together as a live event and I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to attending, whether I speak or not. This will be a smaller event, but it’s a nice step forward in this pandemic era.
Back on Twitter
SQL Saturday is also back on Twitter at @sqlsatofficial. There are a couple other handles (@sqlsat and @sqlsaturday), that are controlled by members of the community. I have tried to work with them, as well as go through Twitter’s trademark/brand process. However, neither the holders nor Twitter is interested in moving this accounts to SQL Saturday. Perhaps that will change over time, but I know that the person who registered these did so as they did not trust the previous management of the SQL Saturday brand. Hopefully I can rebuild some trust over time. Funding
One of the concerns for an ongoing organization is funding. Even with donations from various companies for services, there are still some costs. There are also some expenses for legal/accounting, handling money, etc. I had hoped to crowdsource funding, but without many events, I think this is a goal for the future. We have a few years before the US IRS audits us to get a wide base of people donating to the brand.
In the meantime, my grant submission to Redgate was approved, and I have invoiced them for a few thousand dollars for operating expenses. So far I’ve spent $675 myself, and I don’t think we’ll have more than a few hundred more in the next year for email and minor expenses. I had a rough budget of $3000, but I really think we ought to be well under that, even if we absorb bank fees for taking funds from sponsors and distributing them to events.
Looking to the Future
There have been some small live events outside of SQL Saturday lately. The Albany SQL Server user group held a BBQ on July 11. The Birmingham group held their summer BBQ on July 25. I heard both events were fun, and a welcome break from the virtual world for their members. If your group hasn’t done an event, and you are tired of virtual ones, maybe you can suggest an outdoor get together instead of the usual Zoom meeting.
I have been speaking with organizers in various locations. Most of them are tired of virtual events, but a few are considering a fall virtual SQL Saturday as they don’t feel safe planning a live event. A few others are hoping to get space and hold an event this fall sometime, but many schools/colleges/churches/MS offices are not willing to allow groups in person.
Quite a few groups are hoping to hold events in 2022, so I’m hopeful that we’ll see some get on the schedule late this year or early next. My hope is that some of these venues will open up this fall for normal operation and then allow other spaces.
One group is looking at a 1-track, 1 day event at a library, which is something to consider if you want to reboot your group in a fun way.
I’ll try to set a reminder and get these updates out on a more regular basis. As always, if you have comments or questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
Steve Jones SQL Saturday