Event Training: Communications Planning for Community Events - July 2025
Join MGCI Board Members Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver who host our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) Event Production Training & Office Hours – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Hosts: Heather Cook presented this month on behalf of - Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver This month's topic: Communications Planning for Community Events Join us for a dynamic training session designed to empower community event organizers with effective communication strategies. This session will cover best practices in planning and executing outreach for community events, including: Crafting compelling messaging for diverse audiences Coordinating marketing, social media, and outreach efforts Leveraging feedback from past events to improve engagement Aligning communications with event logistics and speaker coordination Whether you're a seasoned organizer or new to community engagement, this session will equip you with actionable tools to enhance visibility, participation, and impact. We’ll also review the rolling 6-month program plan and open opportunities for speakers and volunteers. Let’s build stronger, more connected communities—together. 📅 July 31⏰8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand on our Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningEvent Recap - TechCon Seattle - June 2025
We’ve just wrapped up an incredible week at TechCon365 in the vibrant city of Seattle, WA, held at the Seattle Convention Center from June 23-27, 2025. TechCon365 Seattle brought together three specialized conferences — TechCon, PWRCON, and DATACON — delivering a powerhouse of learning, inspiration, and innovation. With a focus on Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and data solutions, the event catered to all levels, from enthusiasts to seasoned experts. Attendees explored the latest advancements in Microsoft 365 and AI, gained insights into Power Platform innovations, and discovered transformative data practices to elevate their careers and businesses. Event Highlights 1,000+ Attendees, 130 Speakers, including 44 from Microsoft. 245 Sessions and 48 Workshops. 3 Conferences under one roof: TechCon365, PWRCON, and DATACON. Networking Opportunities: Hundreds of professionals, community members, and leaders from diverse industries. A big thank you to David Wilhelm and Sharon Toler, along with your wonderful production team, for putting on such great community-focused technical skilling events for over a decade. Your dedication and hard work always make a significant impact, and we truly appreciate all that you do. Pre-Event Workshops The workshops at TechCon Seattle 2025 delivered two days of immersive, hands-on learning that set the tone for a dynamic week of innovation and collaboration. With 48 expertly led sessions spanning Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Microsoft Data, attendees dove deep into real-world scenarios and cutting-edge tools—from Copilot and AI to Power BI, Power Apps, and Azure SQL. Led by Microsoft MVPs and seasoned practitioners, the workshops offered practical insights and interactive demos that empowered participants to return to their roles with actionable strategies and renewed confidence. Whether building low-code solutions, enhancing data protection, or mastering collaboration tools, the workshops proved to be a cornerstone of the event experience. Keynotes & General Sessions Day 1: The day kicked off with the Microsoft 365 keynote, “Being a Productivity Changemaker in the Era of AI,” delivered by Karuana Gatimu, Melissa Torres, Stephanie Horn, and Kendra Springer. To round out the day, Bob Ward and Shireesh Thota took the stage with “Transform Your Data into a Competitive Edge with Azure.” Their dynamic session sparked new excitement, showing how Azure’s powerful tools can turn everyday data into valuable business breakthroughs. Attendees left energized by the possibilities and ready to harness data as a true driver of innovation. Day 2: The Power Platform keynote, "The Future of the Power Platform: Intelligent Apps,” a session led by the fantastic Evan Lew and Srihari Srinivasa at TechCon365 Seattle. They explored how artificial intelligence and Copilot are bringing new energy and possibilities to the Power Platform, making it easier than ever to build smart, adaptable apps. The session was filled with inspiring ideas and real-world examples, demonstrating how these tools can spark innovation and transform the way people work. For anyone excited about creating apps that truly make an impact, this was definitely a session to catch! Day 3: Sessions and Women in Tech and Allies Meetup, was one of the true highlights of the week was the Women in Tech and Allies Meetup. It was energizing to witness so many passionate voices coming together for meaningful networking and candid mentorship. Breakout Sessions Across all three conferences, Microsoft-led breakout sessions addressed a wide array of topics, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and more. These sessions provided actionable strategies and real-world applications to help attendees prepare their organizations for the AI transformation. TechCon 365 (Microsoft 365) | Microsoft-led breakout sessions "Keynote: Being a Productivity Changemaker in the Era of AI" will be presented by Karuana Gatimu, Melissa Torres, Kendra Springer, Dan Parish on June 25, 2025 "Getting Started with M365 Copilot" will be presented by Michelle Gilbert on June 25, 2025 "Driving Successful Adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot for SMBs" will be presented by Jessie Hwang on June 25, 2025 "What’s New in Microsoft Education: Powering the Future of Learning with AI" will be presented by Jethro Seghers on June 25, 2025 "Build Your Own Copilot (Jarvis) 🤖 with Copilot Studio" will be presented by Manpreet Singh on June 26, 2025 “Inside the Agent DB: Powering Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales with Unified Data” with Sigita Cepaitiene and Reza Assadi | June 26th 1 "Getting the most out of Copilot Pages and Notebooks: Introduction and Management Discussion" will be presented by Cora Chen, Sammy Chiu on June 26, 2025 "AI-Powered Productivity with Surface + Copilot" will be presented by Frank Buchholz on June 26, 2025 "The Intranet of Tomorrow: Beautiful, Flexible, and AI Ready" will be presented by Melissa Torres, Wende Copfer, Judith Yaaqoubi on June 26, 2025 "Top 10 Best Practices Every Admin Should Be Doing in M365!" will be presented by Michelle Gilbert on June 26, 2025 "Your Magical Microsoft Map of Community, Learning and Training" will be presented by Heather Cook, Jessie Hwang on June 25, 2025 "Build Your Custom Agent for 320M+ Users in Microsoft Teams" will be presented by Carter Gilliam on June 27, 2025 "Cultivating Trust and Leadership Excellence: Strategies for Respect and Empathy in the Workplace" will be presented by Heather Cook, Joel Frauenheim on June 26, 2025 "Understanding Where AI Is at and Where It Is Going" will be presented by Aria Hanson on June 27, 2025 "Revolutionizing Content Management Using the Power of AI with Copilot and SharePoint Premium" will be presented by Marco Rocca on June 27, 2025 PWRCON (Power Platform) | Microsoft-led sessions "Build Your Own Copilot (Jarvis) 🤖 with Copilot Studio" will be presented by Manpreet Singh on June 26th "Accelerate your data and app development using Copilot in Dataverse and Power Apps" will be presented by Travis Shu and Prithvi Khosla on June 26th "Collections with Finance Agents – Extensibility to any ERP" will be presented by Akshay Bhatnagar on June 27th "Enhancing Employee Experience with Microsoft Viva: A Comprehensive Overview" will be presented by Manpreet Singh on June 27th "Extending Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales with Copilot Studio and Power Platform" will be presented by Gaurav Sisodia and Muhammad Arrabi on June 27th "Secure, Compliant, and Connected: How Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales Manages Your Data and Insights" will be presented by Gaurav Babbar and Manpreet Singh on June 27th DATACON (Fabric)| Microsoft-led sessions “A Comprehensive Guide to Direct Lake for the Pro Data Modeler ” with Philip Seamark, Patrick LeBlanc | June 23, 2025 “ETL, KQL, and RTI: Harnessing Data in Motion with Microsoft Fabric” with Matt Gordon, Christopher Schmidt | June 24, 2025 “Query Store and Azure SQL Copilot, who is the fairest in the land?” with Jose Manuel Jurado Diaz, Juan Moreno Romo | June 24, 2025 “Maximize efficiency in your data-driven projects by leveraging AI and Copilot technologies.” with Prashant Atri, Tammiraju Prasanth, Prabhjot Kaur | June 24, 2025 “Real-Time Intelligence: Turning Streaming Data into Smart Decisions” with Ajeta Singhal, Mou Rakshit | June 25, 2025 “Microsoft Fabric: Ultimate Data Security for Robust Data Warehousing” with Jean Joseph | June 25, 2025 “Fabric Data Factory: What's New and Roadmap” with Miguel Llopis, Mark Kromer | June 25, 2025 “Deep dive into Direct Lake” with Philip Seamark, Patrick LeBlanc | June 25, 2025 “Getting started with SQL database in Fabric” with Bob Ward | June 25, 2025 “Introduction to SQL Server Essential Concepts” with Bradley Ball | June 25, 2025 “Generate self-service governance dashboard using Microsoft Fabric and Purview” with Tammiraju Prasanth, Prashant Atri | June 25, 2025 “Innovate without limits with Azure Data” with Bob Ward, Shireesh Thota | June 25, 2025 “PowerBI, DirectQuery and SQL Server. It is a good choice?” with Jose Manuel Jurado Diaz, Juan Moreno Romo | June 25, 2025 02:00 PM “Learn how to troubleshoot SQL Server like a Microsoft engineer would” with Arvind Shyamsundar | June 25, 2025 “Deployments aren’t enough – databases deserve a development process” with Drew Skwiers-Koballa | June 25, 2025 “Transform your business with integrated solutions using SQL database in Microsoft Fabric” with Pam Lahoud | June 25, 2025 “Build an end-to-end data solution with Microsoft Fabric” with Patrick LeBlanc | June 25, 2025 “Everything you need to know about Data Virtualization in Azure SQL Database” with Hugo Queiroz | June 25, 2025 “SQL Server 2025: The Enterprise AI ready database” with Bob Ward | June 25, 2025 “SSMS 21 Spotlight: What's new and why it matters” with Makena Barickman | June 25, 2025 “Harness the Power of Microsoft Fabric and Notebooks” with Bradley Ball | June 26, 2025 “Real Time Monitoring with Real-life Use Cases using Database Watcher” with Matt Gordon, Daniel Taylor | June 26, 2025 “Oracle/SQL to Fabric Migration accelerator” with Tammiraju Prasanth, Prashant Atri | June 26, 2025 “10 Free SQL Databases: Your Playground for AI, Advanced Analytics, and Next-Gen Applications!” with Amar Digamber Patil, Muazma Zahid | June 26, 2025 "Getting the most out of Copilot Pages and Notebooks: Introduction and Management Discussion" will be presented by Cora Chen, Sammy Chiu on June 26, 2025 Build Your Own Copilot (Jarvis) �� with Copilot Studio" will be presented by Manpreet Singh on June 26th “Azure SQL DB Hyperscale: The Definitive Modern Database Choice ” with Aditya Badramraju, Arvind Shyamsundar | June 26, 2025 “Unleash the Power of SQL Database in Fabric: Innovate Without Limits Using the Free Trial” with Amar Digamber Patil, Muazma Zahid, Madhuri Yethirajam | June 26, 2025 “Power BI Storage Modes: The Ultimate Showdown” with Philip Seamark | June 26, 2025 "AI-Powered Productivity with Surface + Copilot" will be presented by Frank Buchholz on June 26, 2025 "The Intranet of Tomorrow: Beautiful, Flexible, and AI Ready" will be presented by Melissa Torres, Wende Copfer, Judith Yaaqoubi on June 26, 2025 “Migration Mystery Solved: Moving SSRS and SSAS to Power BI” with Daniel Taylor, Raju Kumar | June 26, 2025 "Top 10 Best Practices Every Admin Should Be Doing in M365!" will be presented by Michelle Gilbert on June 26, 2025 “Unified DevOps for Microsoft Fabric, Azure SQL, and SQL Server with next-gen SQL projects” with Drew Skwiers-Koballa | June 26, 2025 “Data Processing Architecture: Key Design Principles & Considerations” with Jean Joseph | June 26, 2025 “Handling Big Data with Power BI” with Patrick LeBlanc | June 26, 2025 "Build Your Custom Agent for 320M+ Users in Microsoft Teams" will be presented by Carter Gilliam on June 27, 2025 "Cultivating Trust and Leadership Excellence: Strategies for Respect and Empathy in the Workplace" will be presented by Heather Cook, Joel Frauenheim on June 27, 2025 "Understanding Where AI Is At and Where It Is Going" will be presented by Aria Hanson on June 27, 2025 “Azure SQL Database Hyperscale elastic pools - a deep-dive” with Arvind Shyamsundar, Aditya Badramraju | June 27, 2025 “Supercharge your analytics with Microsoft Fabric Real Time Intelligence” with Christopher Schmidt | June 27, 2025 “AI and SQL ground to cloud to fabric” with Bob Ward, Muazma Zahid | June 27, 2025 “Harnessing the Power of Data Mesh: A Deep Dive into the Four Pillars of Modern Data Architecture” with Jean Joseph | June 27, 2025 “Microsoft Database Docs - Learn about Contributing for your Career” with William Assaf | June 27, 2025 “Collections with Finance Agents – Extensibility to any ERP" will be presented by Akshay Bhatnagar on June 27th "Enhancing Employee Experience with Microsoft Viva: A Comprehensive Overview" will be presented by Manpreet Singh on June 27th "Extending Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales with Copilot Studio and Power Platform" will be presented by Gaurav Sisodia and Muhammad Arrabi on June 27th “Build AI Apps Smarter: Optimize SQL Database Costs & Performance in Fabric” with Amar Digamber Patil, Pam Lahoud, Madhuri Yethirajam | June 27, 2025 “Unleashing Modern Data Warehousing: Architecture, Insights & Future Innovations in Fabric Warehouse” with Twinkle Cyril | June 27, 2025 “Mastering Elastic Database Pools: Best Practices and Troubleshooting from Microsoft Support” with Jose Manuel Jurado Diaz, Juan Moreno Romo | June 27, 2025 “Secure, Compliant, and Connected: How Microsoft 365 Copilot for Sales Manages Your Data and Insights" will be presented by Gaurav Babbar and Manpreet Singh on June 27th “Build a Robust App with Fabric SQL Database, GraphQL API, and User Data Functions” with Sunitha Muthukrishna, Ed Lima | June 27, 2025 “Mirroring in Microsoft Fabric - Overview and Roadmap” with Wilson Lee, Maraki Ketema | June 27, 2025 “Indexing Internals for Developers & DBAs” with Bradley Ball | June 27, 2025 “Realtime product review data analysis for Retail using Fabric RTI, Purview and Azure Open AI” with Tammiraju Prasanth, Prashant Atri | June 27, 2025 Expo Hall and Community Ask the Experts Located at a prime spot on the expo floor, the Ask the Experts station served as a hub for attendees to seek solutions to their toughest questions. Industry experts engaged with participants, providing valuable insights and sparking inspiration along the way. Microsoft Zone At the Microsoft Zone, located within the Expo Hall we connected with hundreds of attendees, gaining insights into how Microsoft technologies impact their personal and professional lives. Community members shared their stories, joined Microsoft platforms for ongoing engagement, and, of course, collected plenty of stickers! Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) Meetup Thank you to everyone who joined the MGCI Meetup at TechCon Seattle—it was energizing to connect with so many community leaders and advocates in person. We left inspired and aligned around new ways to collaborate and support Microsoft adoption efforts together. Microsoft Surface Hub The Microsoft Surface hardware bar at the event featured hands-on demos of the latest Surface devices, giving attendees a chance to explore their design and performance up close and to meet the Surface product team. Ask Microsoft Anything Panel The Ask Microsoft Anything Panel was a standout session—packed with honest insights, expert perspectives, and meaningful engagement between the community and Microsoft leaders. In the End... TechCon Seattle was an extraordinary event that showcased the power of community, innovation, and collaboration. With its diverse range of sessions, workshops, and networking opportunities, the event empowered attendees to unlock new possibilities with Microsoft technologies. For those who joined in Seattle thank you. And thank you to the sponsors. to the speakers for your terrific sessions and to all of the attendees for being a part of the Best Community in Tech. Let’s keep the momentum going at TechCon Atlanta August 11-15!Event Training: Speaker Selection for Community Events - June 2025
Join MGCI Board Members Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver who host our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) Event Production Training & Office Hours – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Hosts: Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver This month's topic: Speaker Selection for Community Events Choosing the right speaker can make or break an event. In this session, we’ll explore effective strategies for identifying, evaluating, and securing speakers who align with your event goals and audience expectations. Learn how to balance expertise, engagement, and logistical fit to ensure your event delivers real value. Whether you're planning a small workshop or a large conference, this training will give you the tools to make informed, confident speaker selections. 📅 June 26 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand on our Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningMicrosoft Loop for content creation and event production | MGCI General Session PM Call
Learn along with your Community peers! Join Host Heather Cook for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Agenda: MGCI Program updates Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members Guest Speaker Topic: How to use Microsoft Loop for content creation and event production Host: Heather Cook, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft Guest Speaker: Adam Salah, AI enthusiast and part time researcher. MCSE/MCSD SharePoint, Productivity, Data and Analytics platforms. Content AI, Copilot, Compliance. DevOps, MSF and VIVA practitioner. Topic: How to use Microsoft Loop for content creation and event production Microsoft Loop to drive project planning and content organization. Coupled with Copilot, Teams and Whiteboard, collaborate to plan for and organize events. Originally created for Simon Fraser University as "Loop/Team/Whiteboard for educators". 📅 April 15 ⏰ 5:10 PM PT https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand. Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningMicrosoft Loop for content creation and event production | MGCI General Session AM Call
Learn along with your Community peers! Join Host Heather Cook for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Agenda: MGCI Program updates Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members Guest Speaker Topic: How to use Microsoft Loop for content creation and event production Host: Heather Cook, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft Guest Speaker: Adam Salah, AI enthusiast and part time researcher. MCSE/MCSD SharePoint, Productivity, Data and Analytics platforms. Content AI, Copilot, Compliance. DevOps, MSF and VIVA practitioner. Topic: How to use Microsoft Loop for content creation and event production Microsoft Loop to drive project planning and content organization. Coupled with Copilot, Teams and Whiteboard, collaborate to plan for and organize events. Originally created for Simon Fraser University as "Loop/Team/Whiteboard for educators". 📅 April 15 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM Bring your own ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand. Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningEvent Training: Graphics & Branding for Community Events - September 2025
Join MGCI Board Members Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver who host our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) Event Production Training Ask Me Anything Talks – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Hosts: Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver This month's topic: Graphics & Branding for Community Events Strong visuals and consistent branding are essential for creating memorable and impactful community events. This session will guide you through the fundamentals of visual communication, including: Applying brand guidelines to event materials Designing accessible and inclusive graphics Using templates and tools to streamline your creative process Creating cohesive visuals across digital and print platforms Whether you're designing flyers, social media posts, or presentation decks, this session will help you build confidence and consistency in your event branding. Let’s build stronger, more connected communities—together. 📅 September 25⏰8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand on our Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningMondays at Microsoft | Episode 49
Join the upcoming Mondays at Microsoft, launching into Microsoft Build! 🛠️ Don’t miss this quick, insightful kickoff to Build week! Karuana Gatimu and Heather Cook take you through the latest in #AI news, Microsoft 365 product updates, and community news and events. Join in episode 49 of Mondays at Microsoft on Monday, May 19th, 8am PT! ☕ #MondaysAtMicrosoft #CommunityLuv Show Notes: Mondays at Microsoft – May 19, 2025 🎙️ Hosts Karuana Gatimu – Director of Customer Advocacy for AI & Collaboration Heather Cook – Principal Community Evangelist, Microsoft 365 Customer Advocacy Group 📌 Episode Overview This week’s episode dives into: Student-led AI innovation in the Imagine Cup Microsoft’s testimony before the U.S. Senate on AI leadership Legal action against AI abuse networks Microsoft Build 2025 highlights Community events and product updates 📅 https://aka.ms/MondaysAtMicrosoft 📝 https://aka.ms/CommunityNewsDesk 🔔 https://aka.ms/MSCommunityFB 🔍 Big Rocks Microsoft Build 2025 Keynote by Satya Nadella and Kevin Scott on Copilot, agents, and AI innovation. Community Space with interactive stations and sessions. https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7326696718907985920/ Marbled Dust Espionage Campaign Microsoft exposes a Türkiye-affiliated threat actor exploiting Output Messenger. https://aka.ms/MarbledDust Imagine Cup Finalists Teams Signvrse, HairMatch, and Argus use AI to drive accessibility, identity, and independence. https://aka.ms/ImagineCupAI 🔁 ICYMI Microsoft 365 Community Conference Jeff Teper’s keynote and exclusive interview on AI and human creativity. https://aka.ms/M365Conf/2025/playlist Brad Smith on AI Leadership Testimony before the U.S. Senate on innovation, infrastructure, and global partnerships. https://aka.ms/WinningTheRace Legal Action Against AI Abuse Microsoft sues Storm-2139 for generating harmful AI content. https://aka.ms/AIHackerProtection 🛠️ Product News Microsoft 365 & Azure Retirement notices: SharePoint 2013 Workflow, Add-Ins, Alerts, and more. http://aka.ms/M365Roadmap Copilot Agents Hub Deployment tools, success kits, and skilling resources. https://adoption.microsoft.com/agents Dynamics 365 & Fabric https://aka.ms/April25Inspiration https://aka.ms/AIHorselessCarriages https://aka.ms/Fabric/April25Features 🌍 Community & Events Get Involved https://aka.ms/MSCommunityLIMM https://aka.ms/MGCI https://communitydays.org/calls Upcoming Events Power Platform Agents Summit – May 24, London European Collaboration Summit – May 25–28, Düsseldorf https://communitydays.org 📅 Next Episode Join us again on Monday, June 2 at 8 AM PT. Catch up or subscribe at https://aka.ms/MondaysAtMicrosoftSecuring the Space: A Practical Guide to Event Venues - April 2025
Join MGCI Board Members Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver who host our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) Event Production Training Ask Me Anything Talks – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Hosts: Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver Guest Speaker: Adam Ball, Jonathan McKinney This month's topic: Securing the Space: A Practical Guide to Booking & Event Venues Organizing a tech event requires more than great speakers and cutting-edge content—it starts with choosing the right venue. This guide explores the key considerations for selecting a venue that aligns with your event’s goals, technical needs, and audience size. It also outlines the often-overlooked steps involved in obtaining appropriate insurance coverage to protect organizers, attendees, and equipment. Finally, the panel breaks down the venue booking process, from initial inquiries and site visits to negotiating contracts and confirming services. Whether planning a startup showcase or a developer conference, this guide provides a structured approach to managing the foundational logistics of your tech event. 📅 April 24 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings: https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI Post-event all meetings are available on demand. Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel: https://aka.ms/community/learningShare Your Community Story via Video
We are creating some new fun videos to be shared on our Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel and during some MGCI Community Produced and Community Led Events. Microsoft 50th Anniversary is all year long and the big 25 is coming for SharePoint next year! If you would like to participate all you need to do is answer the following questions regarding being a part of the Best Community in Tech. Can you introduce yourself and tell us how you got involved in the MICROSOFT 365 community? What motivated you to join this community, and what keeps you engaged? How did joining the MICROSOFT 365 community help you achieve your personal or professional goals? How has the community helped you in your personal or professional development? Have you been to many MICROSOFT 365 events? Can you share a memorable experience? Why do you think MICROSOFT 365 is called the “best community in tech”? How do feel about SharePoint celebrating 24 years and Microsoft celebrating 50 years? What has the MICROSOFT 365 community meant to you? Feel free to record in English or your native language if other than English as we are a global community. Other tips: 1) Please answer in complete sentences, i.e. “MICROSOFT 365 helped me become a…” or “this community has really helped me to find…”, etc. 2) Pause between each answer, look at the camera, smile before you start each answer. Keep looking into the camera at the end of each answer. Once completed, please upload your videos here: MICROSOFT 365_videos - we are accepting videos until Friday April 11th. Excited to have you all participate!! Questions, let me know. Getting ready to be on-camera! A few things to keep in mind when filming with a smartphone: It needs to be shot with the phone horizontal, not vertical. Confirm your setting is to 1080p at 30fps. Frame the shot nicely and make sure the lighting is bright (and that you are not backlit or in a shadow). Use a microphone if possible! We also recommend using a tripod or a smartphone stand. Prop the phone up so the shot is stationary and steady. Consider your environment and location. Be in a quiet area and with little clutter behind you. If possible, please record the content twice and send us two videos so we have 2 takes to choose from. Recording with an iPhone Use Camera to record videos on your iPhone Choose Video mode. Tap the Record button or press either volume button to start recording. While recording, you can do the following: Pinch the screen to zoom in and out. For a more precise zoom on models with Dual and Triple camera systems, touch and hold 1x, then drag the slider to the left. Tap the Record button or press either volume button to stop recording. Anything captured automatically saves to your device’s Photo Library. By default, video records at 30 frames per second (fps). Depending on your model, you can choose other frame rates and video resolution settings in Settings > Camera > Record Video. Faster frame rates and higher resolutions result in larger video files. Confirm your setting is to 1080p at 30fps. To display quick toggles on iPhone X and earlier, go to Settings > Camera > Record Video, then turn on Video Format Control. Adjust Auto FPS settings: On iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and later, iPhone can improve the video quality in low-light situations by automatically reducing the frame rate to 24 fps. Go to Settings > Camera > Record Video, then do one of the following: On iPhone 12 models, tap Auto FPS, then apply Auto FPS to only 30-fps video or to both 30- and 60-fps video. On iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2nd generation), and iPhone 11 models, turn on Auto Low Light FPS. Record a video on your Android phone You can record real time videos on your phone. You can also record time-lapse videos that speed up when you play them. Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 10 and up. Learn how to check your Android version. Record a video Important: When you take a video, your phone silences notification sounds to avoid an interruption. To quickly record a video, open your Google Camera app, then touch and hold Capture . Open your Camera App . Learn how. To switch to video mode, tap Video. To start recording, tap Record. To put a cut in your video, tap Pause . To start recording again, tap Record. To take a high-resolution photo while recording a video, tap Capture. To stop recording, tap Stop. Tip: You can change your camera settings to use features like gridlines or a flash. Learn how to adjust how your camera records. Wardrobe Guidelines Avoid wearing solid white, black, or red shirts Pastel and jewel colors work well, as do blues and earth tones. Avoid small prints, stripes, plaid or intricate patterns (e.g. Herringbone, tweed, etc.) - these can vibrate on camera. Or wear shirts with logos showcasing MICROSOFT 365 or other product or tech fun. Cheers and thank you for submitting your community story!Let’s talk about event amplification! 🎉 | MGCI General Session AM Call
Learning how to amplify an event online involves leveraging social media, email campaigns, and digital partnerships to maximize reach. Understanding audience engagement strategies and utilizing trending content can significantly boost visibility and participation. Join Pat McGown and Heather Cook for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (#MGCI) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome! Agenda: Program updates Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members Guest Speaker Topic: Event Amplification Host: Heather Cook, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft Guest Speaker: Pat McGown, Microsoft MVP, CEO at Cloudwell, Regional Leader for MGCI 📅 March 18 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM Bring your own ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events. Learn more about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative: https://aka.ms/MGCI
