With registrations for Tech-Ed 2009 in South Africa already open, one of the must attend areas of this event is the Community Lounge. The lounge provides a friendly and open environment where delegates can meet the various Microsoft MVP’s and Community Leads, as well find out more information about the various technical communities in South Africa. The lounge is owned by these communities and each year a lead from one of these communities owns the lounge, and is in charge of making things happen. This year I am extremely proud to announce that Dave Coates, the Port Elizabeth Community Lead has taken on this huge responsibility.

Dave started and has been running the Port Elizabeth .Net community for the last year. He organises various talks in the area, maintains his own blog along with the community blog and also works as a full time developer. He also engages actively with sponsors to ensure that the community has a home. He is currently one of the up and coming community evangelist and his enthusiasm for technology and the communities makes him the ideal lead for the task at hand.

Behind the scenes the community lounge requires a lot of planning and attention. In the last few years the lounge has grown significantly and Microsoft has given their full commitment to making it even bigger this year. This is the ideal showcase for all the technical communities to reach new members, and interact and engage with existing members. It also provides the opportunity to meet and greet some of the exciting international speakers attending the event. It is most definitely not an area to miss when attending Tech-Ed.

Dave will be working closing with Microsoft and other Tech-Ed sponsors to ensure the 2009 lounge is alive and busy. He will also be consulting with the various communities and sponsors to ensure that everyone receives the best possible exposure and support.

Congratulations and Welcome to the Team!