PASS Summit 2016 was a week ago, and I’ve tried (unsuccessfully) to put my thoughts into words. I’ve read many excellent blog posts about the conference and I wholly agree with them all, but I wanted to articulate my feelings in a blog post of my own.

PASS Summit 2016 was my third Summit on paper, but was more like my first in reality. The previous two times, I went to the sessions, spent time on the exhibition floor, ate my lunch with other attendees and then I went back to my hotel to read up, do research, work or just watch TV.

The Summit lends itself to this kind of activity very well, as the sessions and speakers are generally excellent, there is fun stuff to be had, done and seen on the exhibition floor and the other attendees are very friendly. It has consistently been one of the best conferences I’ve been to, and I’ve been to quite a few by now.

But this year was to be something different. This summer I held a presentation at SQL Saturday #536 in Gothenburg and there I had the pleasure of meeting a Norwegian MVP by the name of Cathrine Wilhelmsen. Not only was she firmly established in the PASS community, but she thrives on bringing new people in and helping others grow their network. We kept in contact and she promised to introduce me to other members of the PASS community and I went to Seattle with an open mind.

I had just picked up my badge when Cathrine happened. She grabbed hold of me and proceeded to physically haul me around the hall and introduce me to a multitude of people, several of whom I recognize from the community and whose blogs I frequently read. I must have looked like a deer i headlights, much to the delight of Cathrine. Among the people I was introduced to was the guy I went on to spend the week with - Adam Saxton (of Guy in a Cube fame). We hit it off immediately and hung out almost every night. He in turn introduced me to more people than I can remember, and for this I will be forever thankful to them both.

It proceeded to become the best conference week in my professional career. Let that sink in for a moment. The people I met and my growing network was the best thing that could have happened. I keep going on about that I’ve been doing this for close to 20 years and while that is all good and dandy, it also means that *I’ve* been doing this. Singular. The magic happens when there’s more than one person, when ideas get exchanged and networks grow. The discussions I’ve had with amazing people over the week, over karaoke, drinks, food, pool or just hanging out at the conference center has done more to boost my career to the next level than a lot of the technical work I’ve done the last couple of years. Technical stuff is extremely important, but it is only part of the equation - the other parts are a willingness to share, wide-ranging contacts and a network of like-minded people.

That’s where the SQL Family comes into play, and the whole reason I needed some time to put my thoughts in order. At Ignite in Atlanta I had the idea to have silicone wristbands with the text #SQLFamily made up to give to people in the community. I got a good deal for 200 bands, and kind of expected to give out some 30 or so. This turned out to be the single best idea I’ve had in years - they took off on Twitter like crazy, and people from near and far sought me out to get one. I met even more amazing people this way and the reaction of everyone who saw the band was the same: “I love my #SQLFamily! Where can I get a band like that?” At the end of the conference I had less than 80 left.

The SQL Family is unlike anything I’ve seen - a collection of like-minded individuals who live and breathe the Microsoft data stack, ranging from wide-eyed newbies to hardened veterans such as Kalen Delaney or Bob Ward. Everyone is invited to come play, and everybody takes care of everyone else. This community is the reason I think PASS Summit 2016 was the best conference of my career, and this community is the reason I strive to share my knowledge through teaching, blogging and presenting. Together we are strong and together we can grow exponentially. Come join us!