Since 1999, I have been to every FileMaker DevCon except for two. That made this my twelfth, and I have to say that this was a very good one. Not only was the caliber of material very high this year, but some of this year’s biggest sessions were recorded for attendees. This is a great thing, as one inevitably misses out on important information due to competing sessions.

Some highlights: Molly Connolly of Thorsen Consulting did a great session on hiring and training new developers. Molly is always an engaging speaker, and I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say. Another highlight was Heather Winkle of FileMaker on design. Despite my strong design background, there were still a number of great ideas put forth, and nobody I have ever heard speak on design can match the depth and breadth of knowledge she carries. Ernest Koe of Proof Group did a great session on design patterns that was both informative and inspiring. Dave Knight of Angel City Data, always a popular speaker, did a nice job of giving business owners some perspective on overcoming the challenges that get in the way of growth. I was bummed to find that I was up against Dave on another of his sessions, as I was giving one of mine at the same time. However, thanks to session recordings, I can catch his later (thanks, FileMaker!).

It’s always hard to tell at these things, but I felt like my two sessions were well received. I anxiously await the evaluations. Thank you to all of you who attended!