It seems like a couple of months ago, I went to talk with a friend of mine working at Microsoft Portugal and asked for contacts with the “people responsible for the technical and marketing part of the SQL Server”
In reality I am writing about the year 2010 and this conversation took place at in January РI was looking for an existing SQL Server User Group to join in. From this friend of mine, I got to know Jọo Bilhim who shared with me that because there was none, I might have been interested in starting a new one.
At the same time, João Bilhim (ex-Product Marketing Manager) mentioned that PASS was looking for someone to start the user group and they have already contacted Pedro Perfeito (he was an MVP at that timeframe) to see if he had any interest. I was working at the same building with Pedro and went to talk to him and unfortunately he was too busy with other things and had no availability to undertake this task.
This way I got into contact with Douglas McDowell who was a PASS Director and who was flying in April to Lisbon to help kicking off with a new user group.
I went looking fot the friends and together with LuÃs Miguel Felix, Paulo Borges & Vitor Montalvão kicked off something that became SQLPort.
On 21st of April 2010, during the last TechDays event in Portugal, Douglas announced creation of the user group and the rest of the conference I have spent talking to everyone and describing how awesome the first and all following events shall be.
Since then we have implemented 99 (nighty-nine) user group meetings ranging from just a couple of people to 94.
We have organised meetings in Lisbon, Porto (and for 2 years I have been pushing this agenda going almost every month to Porto, until Ivan Campos appeared and the organisation of the ever-succesfull Porto.Data took place), Coimbra & Aveiro.
From then on, the first international SQLSaturday took place in Lisbon, the first SQLSaturday in Porto, the Tuga Association was created and of course the Tuga IT – our crown jewel of the events.
Largely the people behind SQLPort has been the majority driving force, even though with every year Tuga IT diversity has been grown vastly.
This needs to be celebrated!
And so, I am publicly announcing the joined celebration of the 8th birthday of the SQLPort together with the 100th SQLPort Meeting.
The celebration/event will take place on the exact date of the SQLPort creation announcement on 21st of April, this will be a Saturday and we shall be celebrating whole day! We shall be picking the content which is corresponding the occasion. ;)
The call for speakers is open, and if you want to be a part of this event, you better hurry up cause we shall pick up speakers on the first come first served basis. Drop an email to me if you are interested or use the usual Contact @ SQLPort to submit until the 1st of April.