To Alberta!

As I sit here at Pearson Airport in Toronto, I'm grinning from ear to ear. Perhaps it's because of the long-overdue free WiFi that's available at my home airport... but more likely, it's anticipation of the Alberta user groups which is giving me such glee.

Featuring Marje Fecht - SAS legend and good friend - these meetings promise to be extraordinary. If you haven't met Marje or heard her speak before, you're in for a real treat. She truly is amazing. To get a sense of her and what she can bring to the table, have a look at the YouTube video interview I recorded with her a few weeks ago.

Tuesday's meeting of CSUG at the Calgary offices (details can be found here) is causing me minor anxiety... for all the right reasons! With 40 people registered, I'm worried we won't have enough space for everyone. No problem: I'll hang out the window by my fingernails if I have to. This prospect frightens me greatly not because of the height, but because of the cold (I hear there was snow on the ground in Calgary this morning: yikes!). I'm going to be delivering my 'SAS and Social Media: What's in it for Me??!?' presentation for both the Calgary and Edmonton groups and if the Greater Toronto Area groups are any indication, the presentation should hopefully be well-received. At the very least, I hope it stimulates some robust conversation.

On Wednesday, Marje and I will be in Edmonton, where registration has almost hit 100 for the eSUG meeting! It's hard to believe that a few years ago, the executive committee was down to a solitary individual and the group was having a tough time coming together. Amazing what the power of the SAS community can achieve when it has a common goal and direction. I hope I can capture some of this energy and sense of common purpose at the meeting and really give our social media initiatives a boost of supporters.

Following the meetings, I'll be taking an extra day and a half to relax in nearby Banff with Marje and her husband Rob. I've never been to Banff, but I hear it's gorgeous. Something tells me I'm really going to enjoy sitting in an infinity whirlpool trying to decide what's bubblier: the champagne in my glass, or the water in the tub. Ah, if only we could all have such tough questions to answer all the time, life would be grand, no?

I'll have feedback from Calgary within a few days, and on the horizon, I see 'Quebec City: The Return!' as an upcoming post...

Hope to see you in Calgary or Edmonton!