I know I'm quite late in posting a review of TechEd I just hope you'll forgive the delay and find value in some of my comments.
Besides Code Camps I haven't been to a large technical conference since the MVP Summit in March. I must say TechEd is quite an amazing event. The sheer scale of the event is jaw dropping. I mean Microsoft is literally able to rent out theme parks!
Anyway, I was not able to attend the event for the entire week due to work conflicts. However, I did find myself making the Jax-Orlando commute several days.
It goes without saying that TechEd is going to have some incredible presentations. For Example, I caught a great presentation on LINQ at which they publicly announced PLINQ. However, I would like to discuss some of the less obvious benefits of TechEd.
I was impressed with how many opportunities there were to engage the product teams. These opportunities are excellent for asking questions and networking. As a result of one such networking endeavor I was able to schedule a conference call with David Hill of the Acropolis Team. I was also able to catch up with Don Smith from Patterns and Practices and Paul Stubbs from the VSTO. Finally, I got to make a few new contacts. I met John Graham from the OBA team and Trisha Lacey who manages Code Zone.