As remarked in Scotland on Sunday last week, a select group of Scottish pioneers will be hitting the Texas Trail and brave the 90+ degree heat and high humidity of Houston.

The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is a great opportunity for the 30 hardy pioneers who will join yours truly and colleagues James Henderson, Stephen Neilson, Raymond O'Hare and Yvonne Thompson in Houston.

Hotter than Hell in Houston

The 4 days of the conference is an opportunity to hear from the high heid yin's about Microsoft's technology and business investments, hear from Technology luminaries about industry trends, and even gain inspiration from world leaders in how to succeed in business and life!

Speakers this year include Peter Hillary (son of the late Edmund Hillary) and Stephen M R Covey (who wrote highly successful business book "The Speed of Trust"). One the final day of the conference we will hear from Muhammad Yunus, the philanthropist and economist who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in microcredit in 2006.

The conference is a huge event with over 10,000 attendees spanning 4 days next week. As it can be confusing how best to make use of the time, I have picked out some pointers for the hardy scots pioneers:

  • Houstonyou can leave your long johns at home - it will be hot and humid in Houston. But bring a waterproof as there is a reasonable chance of rain
  • make sure you catch Stephen Elop, the incoming President of Microsoft Business Division on the morning of Tuesday 8th who looks set to spill the beans on partner plans for Business Productivity Online Services
  • Its a 35 mile taxi ride into the centre of Houston, might be handy to have some dollars $$
  • Familiarise yourself with the geography of Houston using the useful Local Live map opposite with WPC locations marked.

Looking forward to seeing you all at Houston...Some pictures from the lone star state below to get you in the mood!