Our last show, let’s not get dramatic, it’s been an amazing two weeks and we met so many people throughout Europe. What a fantastic start of the day, seeing the Bus in front of the Synot Tip Arena makes my heart jump! Yes, we are at a soccer stadium again, with our Certified Partner for Learning Solutions Gopas. Home of Slavia Prague, today we get to present in this brand new stadium. We will also get to see the stadium, the day after the game against Valencia. The UEFA flags are still in the stadium, in Valencia’s locker room we still find the sheets the team’s manager used to explain the game strategy. As a long time soccer fan, I’m thrilled!

We start off with Exchange Server 2010, Ian talks through the new features and possibilities. This is a very rewarding audience, when they see something they like, they tell you (‘Perfect!’). Liberty tells the Truth about Certification and Ken goes into Windows Server 2008 R2 – I think this was his most interactive session of the whole tour. Stephen, as always, delivers a perfect balance of content and entertainment. Then we take our ‘final curtain’. This was indeed our last event On the Bus – Europe 2009 edition.

What have we learned? What have we achieved?

Well, I have learned that people everywhere are excited about our new products. The focus on Certification varies widely from one country to another. In some regions, we and our partners still have a lot of work to do, in others Certification is considered a Must Have. In all sessions however, I have found that people really appreciate learning new skills. We’re all technology lovers, we all like to see what the new products will do. Most of all, I enjoyed seeing the ‘lightbulb moments’ as we went through the new features. Whether you choose to learn these through formal learning (training and certification) or through informal learning (browse the TechNet pages, learn from colleagues etc.) is really your choice. Obviously, I have a strong opinion on how you can obtain a full skill set in an efficient manner. I believe a few days in a classroom with a Certified Trainer are a great start and that a few days spent on formal training will actually save you time. Getting certified can only help you in your career. But to be the very best at what you do also requires a lot of informal learning to stay up to date. In IT, learning is never complete, there is always more to be learned. Taking a rest means your skills go out of date. Postponing learning means you stand still while others don’t.

All things aside, it is FUN to learn about technology, it is FUN to make the technology work for you. Maybe that, in the end, is the main thing that I have learned on this trip – the FUN part of learning should get more attention. You see, as our team presented throughout the day and traveled throughout the night, we became more informal in the way we presented our sessions. Some of the ‘smoothness’ was dropped, as we got more and more tired our genuine enthusiasm never wavered, in fact I would say it became more visible! We presented with our hearts, not with our slides. Everyone on our team loves technology, we all want to know each and every feature, we all want to be the best at what we do and we love sharing our knowledge and skills. What have we achieved? Well, I think we shared our passion, in fact I know we did and it was GREAT!

Thanks to all who made this possible and thanks to all who attended! We have exciting new products coming up, let’s learn all about them, let’s have fun using them.

Earlier this week, we were in Amsterdam where we visited DELL. This was a special edition of our bus tour, we were there to talk to DELL’s sales teams about Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Exchange Server 2010. Dell offer a proactive training program to their employees and it was our pleasure to meet and talk with the teams.

When we arrived, we were taken through Dell’s showroom, a treasure cove with a lot of ‘wannahaves’ in it! It is always exciting to see the latest and greatest in technology, as you can see from the pictures below . You may have noticed in the stores or in the media that hardware is evolving too and some of the new laptop models make me drool. I will also ask Father Christmas for one of those giant screens.

Throughout the building, we saw banners and posters advertising the event. Advertising works: our presenters had their work cut out for them as team after team walked in for high speed product briefings. The sessions were very interactive and time flew by. Before we knew it, it was time to pack and race to our next event, InfoSupport Veenendaal.

Thank you DELL for your kind hospitality and thank you for the great discussions!