Microsoft adds 65 mini PDC events aimed at cloud, phone developers

Microsoft may be limiting (severely) attendance at its upcoming Professional Developers Conference (PDC) in Redmond, but it is adding 65 regional "mini" PDC events in the U.S. and other countries worldwide to compensate.

At the various free events, Microsoft will be webcasting keynotes and sessions from the main PDC on big screens. It also will be offering training and access to various members of the Azure, Windows Phone 7, Windows and other teams to those who attend the regional events, company officials said.

Mini PDCs will be held in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Tokyo, Mountain View, Calif., and multiple other cities in Europe, South America and Australia. Microsoft is updating the regional event map regularly. Those interested in attending a local event can register via the regional event site.

The U.S. PDC is on Microsoft's campus in Redmond this year and will be a two-day event at the end of October. Microsoft is expected to focus primarily on developer news around its Azure and smart phone platforms at the event. The company has yet to post information on any of the sessions planned for the confab.