Warning all businesses – geeks 'out of the office'

Warning to all businesses: avoid IT problems this week as the best of New Zealand’s IT community are ‘out of the office’.

Two and a half thousand IT professionals and software developers descend on Auckland today for the start of New Zealand’s largest technology conference, Microsoft’s Tech.Ed.

The sold out event, held at the SkyCity Convention Centre, is the premier technology event with more than130 international and local tech experts presenting at 172 sessions and 80 ‘Hands on Labs’ over three days. Highlights of the event include world-class international speakers, such as August de los Reyes who will be talking about the latest in human-computer interactions, and showcases of the latest Microsoft technology.

“Tech.Ed is Microsoft’s largest training investment to New Zealand’s IT community and supports Microsoft’s global mission to help people realise their full potential,” says Paul Muckleston, Microsoft New Zealand’s new Managing Director.

“By training, developing, and in many cases inspiring, the NZ IT community through this event, we hope to see improvements in everything from individual’s job performance and satisfaction through to their employers’ bottom line. That is, the knowledge base provided by Tech.Ed will drive productivity and innovation.”

“Tech.Ed plays an important role in the continued education and training of the greater ICT industry,” says Brett O’Riley, NZICT CEO.

“The IT industry is always reinventing itself, meaning that IT professionals must continue to up-skill. From continued learning, stems new ideas and innovation which we can capitalise on, helping the economy grow.”

The popular event includes the much anticipated TechFest extravaganza where the 2,500 delegates party in the Auckland Town Hall. This year the main acts are Gin Wigmore and Midnight Youth, with comedian Steve Wrigley MCing.

Some interesting Tech.Ed facts:
· 15th year for Tech.Ed, started in 1996
· Four kilometres of Ethernet cabling used to link all the tech gear up
· About 10 percent of attendees are female – 250 women out of 2,500 delegates
· 46 percent of attendees are from Auckland with 54 percent from out of Auckland (25 percent from Wellington and 7 percent from Christchurch)
· 450 companies represented by approximately 2,500 delegates
· Seven people to complete the three day IT infrastructure pack-in and four hour pack-out
· Largest annual SkyCity conference and increases the revenue of the SkyCity bars and restaurants by around 13 percent – SkyCity Auckland Convention Centre is Auckland’s largest purpose built convention centre.


All Tech.Ed sessions will be available online shortly after the event concludes at www.microsoft.co.nz/teched for those in the IT field who are unable to attend. Tech.Ed Online is also the place to go for PowerPoint decks, interviews with speakers and attendees, photos from the event, and much more.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.