What is the Microsoft Management Summit? Who should attend? What are the dates of the conference? What if I already signed up for the conference prior to these changes? Will there still be sessions on Microsoft SMS? When will the conference agenda be available? What topics will be covered at the Microsoft Management Summit? How are the labs improving this year? How does the "Personal Planner" work? What is the cost to attend? Are there alternative payment options? What if I want to stay additional nights at the MGM? When will I get my gift certificate to buy.com? What is the Microsoft Management Summit? The Microsoft Management Summit is the new name for the 5th annual SMS & W2K User Conference. The SMS & W2K User Conference has been recognized as a must-attend event each year due to its hands-on labs and presentations from SMS experts. The Microsoft Management Summit will take the same successful concepts from the SMS & W2K User Conference and expand them to include more management technologies—including server management—and more availability to Microsoft personnel. Who should attend? The conference was created for IT professionals who work with Microsoft products (BackOffice) each and every day. In particular, users looking for product roadmaps, hands-on training, best practices from industry experts and the opportunity to network with industry peers should attend. This is the one event where Microsoft will focus specifically on managing Windows (both clients and servers.) IT professionals using SMS, MOM, VENT, Application Center as well as general systems management should view this as a must-attend event. What are the dates of the conference? The conference begins April 29th with an opening reception and concludes on the afternoon of May 3rd, 2002. There will be opportunities for attendees to sign up for pre-conference activities as well, which begin on April 28th and conclude at noon on April 29th. The conference will still be held at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. What if I already signed up for the conference prior to these changes? If you have already signed up for the conference, your information will be transferred to the new dates (April 29 - May 3). You will be able to make changes to your existing registration after January 31st, 2002. If you are unable to attend the conference because of the date change, your payment will be refunded upon written request. Please send cancellation email to MMS@altiris.com. Will there still be sessions on Microsoft SMS? Absolutely. The conference was built as the exclusive event for Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) users to learn the latest about SMS. This will not change. There will be an entire track exclusively dedicated to SMS throughout the conference. These sessions will be presented by users in the SMS community who work with SMS on a daily basis as well as Microsoft program managers who will present sessions on the current SMS 2.0 product, the next SMS release, code-named "Topaz," and the roadmap for SMS in the future. For SMS users, the Microsoft Management Summit can be seen as a step up from previous events. Attendees will still enjoy great SMS sessions and hands-on labs, while also being able to attend sessions/labs on managing other Microsoft technologies, including servers. With the increase in sessions, presenters will be able to offer deeper coverage with increased technical content and more real world examples. When will the conference agenda be available? Microsoft and Altiris will have the agenda completed and posted by January 31st, 2002. What topics will be covered at the Microsoft Management Summit? As with past conferences, each day will start with a keynote presentation. The keynote presentations will address systems management topics and focus on integrating key technologies to reduce the TCO. After the keynote presentation, there will be four additional sessions per day. Attendees will have a choice of three tracks and at least four hands-on lab sessions to attend. Two of the tracks will focus on a series of management topics, including MOM, Application Center, VENT, MSI, MMC, Active Directory, panel discussions, etc. In addition, an entire track will be dedicated exclusively to Microsoft SMS. The four hands-on labs will feature topics such as SMS, MOM, Altiris technologies, etc. In 2002, attendees will have at least seven options to choose from during each session slot, including breakout sessions and labs. How are the labs improving this year? The Microsoft Management Summit will offer double the amount of labs, staff, and computers that were available in 2001. We will also duplicate the most popular sessions to accommodate the demand for those labs. A great new addition is the "Personal Planner" available for online lab pre-registration. Each attendee will have a "smart" badge that will be scanned at the entrance to the labs, ensuring you get the spot you signed up for. How does the Personal Planner work? The first group of people allowed to access the Personal Planner for class/lab registration is the platinum attendee group. They will have access on Feb. 15th, 2002. They will be able to log in to their Personal Planner and pre-register for classes and hands-on labs they want to attend. The planner will show the availability of each class or hands-on lab and how many seats are remaining. They will also be able to go back in and edit their schedule as they wish. The second group that will have access to a Personal Planner is the early-bird attendee group (on March 1st). Anyone who registers after March 1st will have access on March 15th. From March 15th until the conference, lab and class registration is on a first come, first served basis. From March 2nd-15th, anyone who completes a registration will still get the Early Bird price, but will not have access to register for labs & classes until March 15, 2002. From March 15th until the conference, lab and class registration is opened up to all paid attendees on a first come, first served basis. What is the cost to attend? The price of the conference is $1895. Conference attendees get an "all-exclusive" package when they sign up, including four nights hotel accommodations at the MGM Grand Hotel (check-in Monday, April 29, 2002; check-out Friday, May 3, 2002), breakfast and lunch each day, two themed dinners and entertainment, all conference materials, giveaways, attendance to conference sessions, including hands-on labs, keynote presentations and breakout sessions. Are there alternative payment options? Credit card is the preferred method of payment for the Microsoft Management Summit; however, we do offer the following alternative methods of payment: 1. Checks* Please reference the Attendee's Name and that the check is for the Microsoft Management Summit on all check detail Checks should be made payable to Altiris, Inc. and sent to: Altiris, Inc. Attn: Holly Charlesworth 588 West 400 South Lindon, UT 84042 Once your check has been received by Altiris you will be e-mailed a "coupon code" and a link to a login page that will allow you to complete your registration and receive confirmation of payment and a printable receipt. The code and link will be sent to the e-mail address listed on your registration information. Pro forma invoices will only be sent upon request. 2. Purchase Orders* All purchase orders are subject to credit approval All faxed purchase orders should be faxed to (801) 805-1104 Attn: Holly Charlesworth If you are mailing your purchase order, please send it to the address listed below: Altiris, Inc. Attn: Holly Charlesworth 588 West 400 South Lindon, UT 84042 Once your purchase order has been approved, you will be sent an email containing a link to a login page that will allow you to complete your registration. You will also receive a code that will be entered in the "coupon code" field. This will generate a pro forma invoice, which will serve as confirmation of registration. An invoice referencing your purchase order number will be submitted to your company for payment. This invoice must be paid in full prior to admission to the conference. *Note: You will not be included in the platinum attendee group or confirmed as an Early Bird Attendee until your check/PO has been received and processed. What if I want to stay additional nights at the MGM? We have a limited number of rooms on hold at the MGM Grand before and after the conference. The extra nights available are April 27, April 28*, May 3, and May 4. You can add any of these nights to your online conference registration for $199 per night. If you want to extend your stay beyond the nights we have available, please contact the MGM Grand at: 877-880-0880 or go to their website: https://secure02.mgmmirage.com/mgm_res/accom_bookaroom.asp and make a separate reservation for these nights. At the time of check-in, present both hotel confirmation numbers and request that you stay in the same room for the entire week. *Remember, if you sign up for the pre-conference, you get the Sunday night stay (April 28th) free! When will I get my gift certificate to buy.com? The alumni gift certificates are generated at the beginning of every month for the previous month's registrations. So, if you register in January, you will be e-mailed your gift certificate at the beginning of February.