Community Involvement
You may already be aware that EPS and CODE have always pushed involvement in the developer community and that we have provided support in any way that is feasible. We encourage you to participate in this spirit.
If there is a user group or a conference in your area, we encourage you to get involved. If you have no contacts with anyone in your area, we can help you set it up. You wouldn’t believe how much of an ice breaker a free box of CODE Magazines can be. 😉 If you end up representing CODE at the event, there may even be funds for sponsorships or similar activities. If that seems appropriate for your user group, talk to Ellen about it.
In addition, if you are interested in presenting at user groups and conferences, we can help you with these types of things. We have many connections to user group and conference organizers. We can also coach you into becoming a better presenter and help you get accepted as a speaker at various events.
MVPs and RDs
CODE (EPS) has always been involved with the Microsoft Regional Director and Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) programs. Markus is an RD, and he is the longest running MVP there is. (Markus has been an MVP since 1995… so more than half his life, almost as long as EPS has been in existence).
If you are interested in becoming an MVP, we may be able to help you. There is no guarantee of course, Microsoft has to accept you into the MVP program, and that is a long and uphill battle, but it is easier with our support.
Our Own Events
We have historically put on our own events. This ranges from smaller events, such as user groups and training classes, all the way up to relatively large conferences. Currently, we are mostly focusing on various training initiatives (often a “Day of…” one-day events) and State of .NET events. If you are interested in participating in any of these events, please let us know!