Marathon Consulting in the User Group Community

Motivation

Marathon has a lot of roots in the local community, and one of our core values is professional development. With a passion for training and our connection to the region, we endeavor to support local industry-related user groups. Many of our consultants have had roles within local user groups and boards over the years, and we love to encourage that level of participation. We believe that strong local user groups help everyone and stimulate growth of the community.

Supported Groups

Below is a little information about the user groups in Hampton Roads and Richmond that Marathon Consulting has participated in and supported throughout the years.

Revolution VA
This group has put together some great technology conferences in Hampton Roads, like Revolution Conference and HRDevFest. We are proud to have been a part of it from the beginning as both a sponsor and participant.
https://revolutionconf.com/

HRNUG – Hampton Roads .NET User Group
As a Microsoft Partner, our support of the .NET community is important, and we have been active in this group for a long time. If you are ever interested in hearing the latest in the .NET community this is a great group to check out.
http://hrnug.org/

Hampton Roads SQL Server Group
The local SQL server group always provides a wealth of information on all the latest in SQL server and related technologies.
http://hrssug.thecloudlyfe.com/

UXPA – User Experience Professionals Association
The local chapter of the national organization, UXPA holds meeting throughout the year including talks, workshops, and round table discussions on all topics within the UX realm. Their meetings are not just for UX professionals but for anyone who has an interest in creating better user experiences in their work, regardless of industry.
http://www.uxpanorfolk.com/

Norfolk JS
With the abundance of different JavaScript frameworks out there, it is a challenge to figure out which one to use for a given application. This group helps sort through that as well as showcases a lot of fun applications of technology.
http://norfolkjs.org/

PMI – Project Management Institute
PMI is a global organization that provides standards and certifications for Project Management. In addition to having project managers certified by PMI, Marathon has been a long-time sponsor of the local PMI chapter, and encourages employees to attend when interesting topics come out.
https://pmihr.org/

IIBA Group
A group of business analyst professionals who really like to hone their craft. This group meets to talk about the core values of being a business analyst. Marathon has been lucky enough to host the group on occasion.
https://hamptonroads.iiba.org/

Richmond .NET User Group
Large group in Richmond that talks .NET issues and features. This group has been around for a while and a fixture of the .NET development group in the Richmond community.
https://www.meetup.com/Richmond-NET-User-Group/

Richmond SQL Group
Cousin to the SQL group in Hampton Roads, Richmond SQL Group showcases similar SQL advancement. This group is able to pull great speakers nationally, and even manages to run a very successful SQL Saturday.
https://www.meetup.com/Richmond-SQL-Server-Users-Group/

HRIC – Hampton Roads Innovation Collaborative
Formerly the tech council of Hampton Roads, this organization functions as a catalyst for technology in the Hampton Roads Area. It helps both small and large business alike to connect them across different sectors in Hampton Roads and pushes everyone forward.
https://technologyhamptonroads.com/

RVATech
Richmond Technology Council runs a lot of technology-focused events throughout the year. RVATech strives to be a vehicle for addressing the needs of Central Virginia’s dynamic technology community, and we are happy to be a part of it.
https://rvatech.com/

August Means Marathon User Group-Palooza!

August is our Marathon's big month of user group support. We are sponsoring 5 different user group events in the region over the next 30-ish days, and here are the details:

August 2 @ 6pm – Richmond .NET User Group
CosmosDB with Blaize Stewart
Markel Plaza - 4600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA. 23060
https://www.meetup.com/Richmond-NET-User-Group/

August 9 @ 6pm – Richmond SQL Server User Group
Cameron Snapp - Azure Data Migrations
Markel Plaza - 4600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, VA. 23060
https://www.meetup.com/Richmond-SQL-Server-Users-Group/

August 14 @ 6pm – Hampton Roads .Net User Group
Cultivating your Infrastructure with Terraform
Issuetrak - 6160 Kempsville Cir #101b, Norfolk, VA. 23502
http://hrnug.org/

August 15 @ 6pm – Hampton Roads SQL Server User Group
Getting started with Azure SQL Database: What You Need To Know!
Infotec of Virginia - 100 Constitution Dr, Virginia Beach, VA. 23462
http://hrssug.thecloudlyfe.com/

September 5 (not quite August but we are counting it anyway) – Hampton Roads Tech Expo
A regional gathering for Technology and Innovation Experts and Organizations
Old Dominion University Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center - 1030 University Boulevard, Suffolk, VA. 23435
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hampton-roads-tech-expo-annual-technology-conference-awards-tickets-44576179553

If you are interested in coming out to any of these events, sign up now, and get excited to talk about technology with your peers! We hope to see lots of new faces!