The Microsoft AI Tour, a global event series aimed at enhancing AI skills for decision-makers and developers. The tour has been held in various locations around the world. Many attendees at these events had the opportunity to learn about the latest AI technologies, interact with Microsoft leaders and technical experts, and enjoy a unique opportunity to further utilize Microsoft AI technology in the future.
In this blog post, we will look back at the recent AI Tour events held in Paris, Berlin, and São Paulo, and introduce the voices of Microsoft MVPs and Microsoft Regional Directors who participated in the events and spent a day immersed in AI as part of the global event tour.
March 12 and 13, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour Paris
The Microsoft AI Tour Paris was a two-day event for decision makers on day one and developers on day two. Hayete Gallot, Corporate Vice President of Commercial Solution Areas, and Corine de Bilbao, President of Microsoft France, were among those who gave keynote speeches, discussing the changes AI brings to business. On the second day with NVIDIA as a partner, Amanda Silver, Corporate Vice President, Head of Product Developer Division at Microsoft, and Serge Palaric, Vice President Alliances & Hyperscalers EMEA at NVIDIA, delivered a keynote speech on "Next Generation AI for Developers.” Microsoft France has shared overview videos of the event on YouTube, so you can see what the atmosphere was like:
- Day 1 for Decision Makers: Microsoft AI Tour Paris for Decision Makers - YouTube
- Day 2 for Developers: Microsoft AI Tour Jour 2 dédié aux Développeurs - YouTube
19 Microsoft MVPs participated in this opportunity as workshop proctors and booth presenters. Since the Microsoft AI Tour Paris coincided with the MVP Global Summit 2024, Microsoft France provided a dedicated room for MVPs, allowing them to participate in Global Summit sessions online while supporting this event.
Charles-Henri Sauget, Data Platform MVP, Workshop proctor
“My role at the Microsoft AI Tour event was as a Proctor for the workshop titled "Get started with data science in Microsoft Fabric." I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the incredible interest that participants, ranging from students to senior professionals in IT and business, had in Microsoft Fabric and its data science capabilities. The diverse group of attendees truly showcased the product's goal of democratizing data science.
In addition to assisting with the workshop, I also served as an expert representative at the Microsoft Fabric booth, where I answered numerous questions from curious attendees. The event itself was held in the stunning Carousel du Louvre, which provided an impressive environment for everyone present.
One of the highlights of the AI Tour was the chance to meet and interact with people from all over Europe, as well as some members of the Microsoft team from the United States. Overall, my experience at the event was both rewarding and insightful, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have played a part in it.”
Mudsor Masood, Security MVP, Booth presenter at the Microsoft Copilot Studio Booth
“This event was a great opportunity for me in different aspects:
- Exchanges with users to, on the one hand, better understand their needs and, on the other hand, see the different types of recurring use cases within companies.
- Networking: Meeting new people from different companies and positions, which demonstrates a real interest in AI by organizations and their desire to use Microsoft solutions.
- Discoveries of the latest advances in AI through various workshops organized by Microsoft and stands, particularly on the added value of AI in the security of information systems.
This event was a great opportunity for me both to learn and to meet people, thank you Martine and Microsoft for this opportunity!”
Achraf Ben alaya, Microsoft Azure MVP
March 19, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour Berlin
The Microsoft AI Tour Berlin, held for developers in partnership with NVIDIA, just like the Microsoft AI Tour Paris Day 2. The conference featured speakers such as Seth Juarez, Principal Program Manager at Microsoft Corporation, and Dr. Adolf Hohl, Senior Manager of Solution Architects at NVIDIA.
The event, which happened on March 19, had the support of 18 MVPs who took part in the MVP Global Summit at the Microsoft Redmond Campus and online the week before. Many of them had just come back from their journey and right away helped with this event as Workshop Proctors, Booth Presenters, and so on.
Robert Mulsow, M365 MVP, Expert for Azure AI Studio in Community Hub
“Participating in the Microsoft AI Tour Event in Berlin was an incredible experience. The event attracted a highly engaged and international audience, ranging from beginners to specialists. I provided expert support at the Community Hub, addressing attendees' questions regarding Azure AI Studio. I heard great feedback from the field about the valuable content shared from both community experts and Microsoft professionals. I can confirm this firsthand. Additionally, the well-known keynote speakers from Microsoft, who traveled from abroad, added a touch of prestige to an atmosphere of enthusiasm and collaboration among attendees. Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to connect with professionals, exchange ideas, and contribute to a rapidly evolving AI community.”
Jannik Reinhard, Security MVP, Technology Expert
“This event was both impressive and insightful, featuring numerous representatives from Microsoft as well as from the MVP and other communities.
I was engaged in several discussions and exchanges with participants.
The event offered a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on with the AI capabilities that Microsoft delivers, showcasing the immense potential within this field.
Overall, it was a well-organized and thought-provoking event that fostered collaboration and learning among a diverse group of attendees.”
March 21, 2024 – Microsoft AI Tour São Paulo
The Microsoft AI Tour in São Paulo was held targeting both decision-makers and developers, similar to the events in Sydney and Tokyo in February 2024. Judson Althoff, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Microsoft Corporation, and Satvinder Singh, Global Head of the Data & Analytics Division at LSEG, were among the keynote speakers who emphasized the transformation into a new AI era with the Microsoft Cloud in their keynote speech, "Power your AI transformation with the Microsoft Cloud."
16 MVPs participated in this event, sharing their technical knowledge on AI to support learning opportunities through workshops and interactions with participants at booths in their respective roles.
Idevar de Souza Junior, Business Applications, Windows and Devices MVP
“The AI Tour São Paulo was a fantastic event, where I was able to participate, interact and learn everything about the best features of Microsoft platforms in relation to artificial intelligence. As I am a Business Apps MVP, my focus is Dynamics 365, and I was able to help and also learn about Copilot in the Customer Service and Sales modules and what it has to offer. The highlights were the demos held at the Dynamics and Power Platform stands, which were sensational and very objective. These demos showcased the AI capabilities across all modules. I would also like to highlight the Workshop rooms. I was able to help and share AI tests on Microsoft Virtual Machines. The technical environment was very well configured and simple to use! Simply a wonderful event!”
Allisson Scalco, Business Applications MVP
“Having the chance to attend the AI Tour event means being at the technological cutting-edge. AI is moving the world and being in line with Microsoft's innovations is essential for us MVPs. It's exciting observing all the enthusiasm of the community present for the use of Microsoft Copilot in several products, we left the event with the feeling that our daily work will be revolutionized by using AI. I'm very grateful to have been part of it and conducted together Microsoft Team, a Copilot Workshop at the event! As we teach, we also learn!”
The Microsoft AI Tour global tour series, which has been held in various countries, is now only left with the Microsoft AI Tour Seoul scheduled to be held in Seoul, Korea, on April 30. If you live in Korea and are interested in participating in the Microsoft AI Tour to explore the latest Microsoft technology and meet the experts including Microsoft MVPs, please register for the event from the event page.
The Microsoft AI Tour Cloud Skills Challenge is still being held for those who have participated in the Microsoft AI Tour at various locations, as well as for everyone. Please check out the Cloud Skills Challenge, which offers a chance to polish your AI skills by completing four challenges, and to receive a discount voucher for the Microsoft Certification exam to verify your learning.
In addition, if you want to learn about the latest cloud technologies including AI, we recommend participating in Global Azure 2024, a special global community initiative where Azure communities around the world host community events from April 18 to 20. It's an opportunity to learn from various speakers regardless of time and location, whether by attending an in-person event nearby, participating in virtual events from other countries, or joining a hybrid event. Please check the event information on the Global Azure website.
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