In case you haven't seen the announcement on Jeff Alexander's blog we are thrilled to announce that the Call for Topics is now open for TechEd Australia 2013!

TechEd Australia 2013 will be held 3-6 September 2013 on the Gold Coast.  Great content is what makes TechEd possible. Last year was a huge launch year so we focused mainly on all the new products such as Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.  This year it’s about getting those products deployed and developing great apps for Windows 8 and Windows Phone.  With this in mind we are focusing on 2 broad themes:

• Developing Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps
• Deployment of Windows Server 2012, System Center 2012 SP1, Windows 8 and Office 2013

TechEd Australia 2013 will focus on nine tracks:

• Architecture and trustworthy Computing
• Windows Azure Application Development      
• Data Platform and Business Intelligence      
• Developer Tools & Application Lifecycle Management (ALM)  
• Office, Office 365 and SharePoint      
• Modern Datacentre      
• Exchange and Lync     
• Windows Client, Access & Management      
• Windows Phone

The Call for Topics tool is open from today; May 15th 2013 until Monday June 17th 2013.  Get those creative juices going and start submitting sessions.  When you are submitting sessions please keep the following in mind:

To enhance the success of your session submission, please prepare your content to ensure it provides TechEd attendees with comprehensive technical readiness to inspire and succeed in their career. Your content should also align to meet the content themes for TechEd 2013, which are:

For Developers: TechEd is the place to get ready to create Windows 8 and Windows Phone Apps.

For IT Professionals: TechEd will provide an accelerated path to the skills they need to for deployment of Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, System Center 2012, Office 2013 and the Hybrid cloud.

Submissions that complement the TechEd 2013 content themes will be recognized throughout the approval process.

Below are some additional tips for a successful submission:     

• Abstracts should be limited to 300 words
• Be sure to showcase your speaking experience
• A succinct and descriptive session title is a must to engage attendees and should match the delivered content 100%
• Session objectives should indicate clearly what a delegate will gain from attending the session
• Build your presentations with 60-65 mins of content and allow 10-15 mins for Q&A
• TechEd is about technical readiness so focus on the technology and ensure there is no blatant marketing in your content

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your submissions!

Cheers, Katie

We have a great opportunity for you in case you missed it on Jeffa's blog: http://blogs.technet.com/b/jeffa36/archive/2013/05/20/download-an-evaluation-to-win-a-lenovo-x1-carbon-touch.aspx

Test-drive the latest Microsoft virtualisation tools, servers or management platform with Windows Server 2012 and System Center 2012 and you could win a Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch*.

The X1 Carbon Touch lives up to the ThinkPad legacy of high standards. It starts with the durable, carbon fibre-reinforced roll cage, making for the best Ultrabook construction available, and adds a host of other excellent features on top of the old favourites.

To enter, simply follow these easy steps:

• Download any of the following products:
• Hyper-V 2012
• System Center Configuration Manager 2012 and Endpoint Protection 2012 SP1
• Windows Server 2012
• System Center 2012 SP1
• Email a screenshot of the completed download to  downloadandwin@promtel.com.au by 15 June 2013 and you could be our lucky winner.

There are four chances to win – so download all four products and email us the screenshots to increase your chances!

Terms & Conditions apply.
NSW Permit Number LTPS/13/ 03208
ACT Permit Number TP13/ 01577

Thanks, Katie