Scottish Summit 2024 took place in Aberdeen on October 18th and 19th at the P&J Live Arena, and I was fortunate enough to attend.
Friday
The first full day of the conference, Friday the 18th, began with the unmistakable sound of bagpipers welcoming attendees at the venue—an echo of the 2022 event that reminded us all of the conference’s Scottish roots. Registration was quick and seamless; all I needed was my QR code ticket to receive a unique lanyard made of seed paper—perfect for planting flowers in the spring.
Scott Hanselman was the keynote speaker, and I spotted him mingling with other attendees. I almost asked him for a selfie but decided against it. His keynote, titled “AI: Hero or Villain,” was compelling. He demystified ChatGPT, explaining that it’s not magic but rather a product of machine learning, using mathematics to predict the next word in a sentence.
Next, MVP Vesa Nopanen delivered his talk on “Supercharge Your Teams Meetings.” I picked up some valuable tips, particularly the importance of adding notes and agendas to enhance meeting effectiveness.
Following that, a couple of the Scottish Summit organizers discussed the technology behind the event. They explained how they used Stripe for payments, integrating it with Power Automate and Power Pages. I found this particularly interesting for a charity event; it demonstrated a commitment to learning while keeping costs manageable.
The next session explored what it means to be a modern full-stack software developer, focusing on integrating Power Apps with traditional web development. As someone new to Power Apps, I learned that starting with it can be beneficial, filling gaps with .NET or conventional web development as needed.
I then attended a session on public speaking. Although I’ve never given a talk at a conference, hearing about others' journeys was encouraging and prompted me to consider my own potential in this area.
The final session of Friday featured Microsoft’s Sarah Lean, who shared how her hobbies—specifically curling—have influenced her work life. This talk made me reflect on my own hobbies and their impact on my professional journey.
The evening wrapped up with a drag cabaret, which exceeded my expectations. Several brave community members dressed up and participated in the show, all in support of the conference’s charity, TIE.
Saturday
Saturday kicked off with a dive into the world of wizards and D&D in a session titled “Securing the Realm: DM-less D&D with Azure AI.” This practical talk demonstrated how AI can be utilized in running D&D games, discussing essential guardrails and effective AI prompts.
Another engaging talk, “Community - It Just Makes Sense,” highlighted the tech community’s role in career development. I realized that I’ve only just scratched the surface of community involvement, and I’m eager to explore it further.
Sarah Lean returned to discuss KQL (Kusto Query Language), which Application Insights uses for querying data. Although I’ve encountered KQL before, learning more about it was fascinating.
The “Ask the Azure Experts” panel featured four Azure MVPs and Sarah Lean, who answered questions about Azure migration and cost management, sharing numerous helpful insights.
“Who’s Afraid of a Little Ole Copilot?” presented by Dona Sarkar and her colleagues, was a captivating exploration of how Copilots function within the Microsoft ecosystem. It featured various speakers I had encountered throughout the conference, demonstrating the interactivity of Microsoft’s services, from Purview to Responsible AI. It was a fun and enlightening way to close the conference.
Saturday evening featured a pub quiz and the UK Community Awards ceremony, where dedicated community members were recognized for their hard work. Our quiz team, led by MVP Vesa Nopanen and humorously named “Vogon Poets,” finished 14th—complete with silly hats. It was a delightful opportunity to socialize with teammates and was one of the highlights of the conference.
Conclusion
In summary, Scottish Summit 2024 was an exceptionally well-organized conference. As a .NET developer, I found a limited number of directly relevant sessions, but the true value lay in the community. I reconnected with familiar faces and met new friends, especially during the pub quiz.
I left feeling inspired to become more involved in the community and participate in future events. The sessions on public speaking, community engagement, and hobbies underscored the importance of soft skills in the tech world.
And yes, I caught a glimpse of Scott Hanselman, which was quite a thrill!
