“Use what you know. Do what you’ve always imagined”, a large banner outside the convention centre in Anaheim urges attendees.

A new event for Microsoft, the Build conference is aimed at software developers and aims to show how the future of Windows will work for them. Attendees ranged from the new wave of younger developers to companies that have been working with Microsoft for some years, a blend of old and new.

And Microsoft certainly knew how to grab attention. Rumours of a Windows 8 tablet turned out to be true, with the 5,000 developers registered to attend each receiving their own Samsung-built device to work with. By the time the first people received theirs on Tuesday, excitement was at fever pitch. It was Windows president Steve Sinofsky who showed up to make the first exchange, even autographing a few of the boxes. And developers were also given the chance to grab a customised laptop sleeve that had been made from recycled banners from previous Microsoft events.

After that, the tablets were everywhere. In the convention centre, hotel lobbies, in restaurants; everyone was keen to get started with Windows 8 it seemed, and it was almost as commonplace to see a developer clutching one as an iPad.

At the expo, aside from the headline-grabbing keynotes, live sessions were held throughout the event as developers learned important tidbits of information, such as the inclusion of class drivers in Windows 8 that would make it easier for the system to work with peripherals such as USB 3.0 devices or modem dongles.

And like any good tech company keen to take advantage of the tools available to them, Microsoft has put all the keynote session details and information online for everyone to access.

Build certainly created a noticeable buzz around Anaheim, not a bad feat in a region usually already hyped enough, thanks to the proximity of the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland.