I am really sorry to say that there will not be a Party with Palermo at Tech Ed this year.  I have had to make some priority decisions, and I have decided to prioritize my daughter’s tap dance recital over throwing the party.  I want to thank my sponsors and the enthusiastic attendees to always looking forward to and supporting the party. 

Party with Palermo has always been a personal thing, not connected to any business.  The size of the bar tab has always been connected to the amount of sponsorships I’ve been able to get.  I look forward to planning the next one at the next major Microsoft conference I attend.

Party with Palermo started in 2005 the night before Tech Ed in Orlando, FL.  It was held at the hotel restaurant inside the Peabody hotel.  With no budget and no sponsors, 35 people came to have dinner together.  The original purpose was to provide a venue where folks could gather the night before the conference when everyone is getting in to town with no place to go.  Over time, I have been able to bring on sponsors to provide funds to rent a venue, provide food as well as tasty beverages.

In the spirit of this purpose, feel free to use the comments on this blog post to direct people to other social venues available the night before Tech Ed starts on Sunday, May 15, 2011.  The traditional time has been 7PM.

A special shoutout to anyone who wants to plan a “Party without Palermo”.