Keeping up with the Microsoft confabs

If your travel budget hasn't evaporated into thin air -- or if you want to follow along vicariously -- here is a list of some of the conferences and events in 2009 where Microsoft will likely show and/or release new products.

It's worth noting that so far, at least, there's no Windows Hardware Engineering Conference slated for 2009. (Originally, one was scheduled for May in New Orleans, but it has disappeared.) Even Microsoft isn't immune from slashing travel/conference budgets....

1/8 - 1/11  CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2009 - Las Vegas (Ballmer keynote is 1/7 at 6:30 p.m. PT)

1/28 - 1/29  Microsoft SOA & Business Process Conference 2009 - Redmond (Expect more Oslo info to be on the agenda)

2/3 - 2/7 TED - Palm Springs (Don't be surprised to see a glimpse of some Live Labs or Microsoft Research project) 2/9 - 2/11 FASTforward '09 Microsoft enterprise search conference - Las Vegas 2/16 - 2/19  Mobile World Congress - Barcelona (Perhaps the venue for a Windows Mobile 6.5 sneak peek?)

2/24 Microsoft Research TechFest 2009 - Redmond (For Softies, press and invited guests only) 2/24 - 2/26VSLive 2009 - San Francisco (Could this be the Rosario team-system  launch pad?)

3/1 - 3/4Microsoft MVP Summit - Seattle (for Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals and invited guests only) 3/10 - 3/13Microsoft Convergence 2009 - New Orleans

3/18 - 3/20 Microsoft MIX 09 - Las Vegas

4/20 -4/24 RSA - San Francisco (Might be a good place for a Morro security service and/or a "Stirling" security suite update.)

5/11 - 5/15 Microsoft TechEd - Los Angeles (Microsoft has re-integrated the developer and IT pro tracks and cut back the show to a week. Huzzah!)

5/26 - 5/28 D7 conference (The Wall Street Journal confab where Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will no doubt yet again be on the Q&A hot seat.)

7/13 - 7/16 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference - New Orleans (Yet another opportunity for Microsoft to try to convince its hosting partners that it's not trying to compete with them with its Online services.)

7/?? - 7/?? Microsoft Research Faculty Summit 2009 (educators, researchers and invited guests only)

7/30 Microsoft Financial Analyst Meeting (Wall Street analysts and invited press only)

9/22 - 9/24 Intel Developer Forum (IDF) – San Francisco (Good time for an update on Windows client and server)

11/9 - 11/13 TechEd EMEA - Berlin

11/17 - 11/20 Microsoft Professional Developers Conference ( PDC ) 09 - Los Angeles. (Office 14 might be the star at this one)

Any other Microsoft-related events for 2009 on your radar screens yet?