Parallels Summit Day 0: Golfing, Drinking, and Men in Blue

In a departure form Parallel Summits of the past, 2009’s Summit is taking place in sunny Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.

Monday was called Day 0 by event organizers for the fact that it was a day to unwind before the conference sessions and speeches.

The day started with an invite only golf tournament. Though scores of all participants clearly show that none of us will be quitting our day jobs, fun was had by all. The course was dry and the sun was out in full, which was a good departure from the snow and cold temperatures I have had to endure for the bulk of this winter.

Not long after everyone got back, registration was opened and Parallels set a new all time attendance record.

This year’s Parallels Summit official kicked off at 7pm on the dance/drinking floor of Mandalay Bay’s Eyecandy lounge. Intel and Microsoft sponsored the event and picked up the tab at the bar. In two hours, the attendees rang up a $5,000+ bar tab. Not too shabby considering the long lines for drinks.

After the party I found myself in good company, being invited by Parallels to the Blue Man Group Show at the Venetian. A fun time was had by all, but sadly no one from my group was chosen to perform alongside the blue faced trio.

Day 1 of Parallel’s Summit is now moments away and judging by the hefty bag worth of press releases I can already see it will be a busy year.