If you're considering which sessions to attend at upcoming Microsoft Ignite, this article will guide you!
Microsoft Ignite is finally happening next week. Have you had a chance to check out the session catalog yet?
In this blog post, we’ll highlight sessions recommended by Microsoft MVPs and share why they think these sessions are must-attends. Whether you’re heading to Chicago or joining online, be sure to explore these MVP-recommended sessions to catch up on the latest insights and trends.
Nicholas Chang, Microsoft Azure MVP, United Kingdom
THR653 Mastering custom plugins in Microsoft Security Copilot
[In Chicago Only] Tuesday, November 19 | 11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“Gain practical knowledge on building plugins to customize Copilot for your organisations unique requirements.”
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LAB403 Unlock AI potential with fine-tuning strategies for SLMs and LLMs
[In Chicago Only] Wednesday, November 20 | 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM Central Standard Time
“This lab will Introduce the concept of fine-tuning for pre-trained language models both speakers are very good at AI and highly recommend it.”
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BRK246 Inside Azure innovations with Mark Russinovich
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
"Joined by the amazing CTO Mark Russinovich who will dive into the latest innovations and provide insights how scale in the cloud and in the edge."
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LAB402-R3 Interacting with multimodal Generative AI models
[In Chicago Only] Friday, November 22 | 9:00 AM - 10:15 AM Central Standard Time
“Learn about the concepts, tools, and frameworks that you can use today to build your AI solutions.”
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Studio807 Cloud Native Innovations with Mark Russinovich
“Learn about the latest innovations in cloud native computing.”
Tetsuya Odashima, Microsoft Azure MVP, Japan
BRK240 Unveiling the latest in Azure Networking for a secure, connected cloud
[In Chicago + Online] Tuesday, November 19 | 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Central Standard Time
“There have been many updates related to networking recently, so I'd like to catch up on them.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
Kazuki Takai, Cloud and Datacenter Management, Microsoft Azure MVP, Japan
BRK238 Windows Server 2025: New ways to gain cloud agility and security
[In Chicago + Online] Tuesday, November 19 | 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Central Standard Time
“This is highly recommended for anyone looking to stay up-to-date on the newly released Windows Server 2025. It’s also a great resource for IT professionals managing on-premises or hybrid Windows Server environments.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
If you review some basic knowledge in advance, it should make it easier to understand which topic is being discussed.
What's new in Windows Server 2025 | Microsoft Learn
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BRK246 Inside Azure innovations with Mark Russinovich
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“This is a session by Mark Russinovich on Azure architecture. As in previous years, you can expect to gain a broad understanding of topics ranging from Azure infrastructure to the latest application execution platforms. Highly recommended for anyone interested in cloud infrastructure.”
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BRK396 Enhancing your CLI with the AIShell and Copilot in Azure
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 3:45 PM - 4:30 PM Central Standard Time
“This is highly recommended for anyone who loves PowerShell or has a passion for the CLI. It offers a glimpse into the possibilities of integrating AI into command-line tools and how it can transform your workflow.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
You can enjoy the session even without prior knowledge, but if you'd like to get an overview in advance, we recommend the following content:
- Get started with AI Shell in PowerShell - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn
- Get started with AI Shell - PowerShell | Microsoft Learn
Hiroshi Yoshioka, Developer Technologies MVP, Japan
BRK204 Microsoft Fabric: what's new and what's next
[In Chicago + Online] Tuesday, November 19 | 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM Central Standard Time
“This time, instead of Microsoft Build for software engineers and web developers, we’ll focus on Microsoft Ignite, which is tailored for IT professionals. Let me introduce some sessions related to Microsoft Fabric. Among them, I’m particularly interested in hearing about the new features and future plans for Microsoft Fabric directly from Amir Netz, the creator of Power BI.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
Training for Microsoft Fabric | Microsoft Learn
Atomu Hidaka, Internet of Things MVP, Japan
BRK102 Building intelligent multi-agent systems with Azure AI
[In Chicago + Online] Tuesday, November 19 | 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Central Standard Time
“This session will provide an explanation of AI agents. It will cover examples of multi-agent systems and practical use cases for implementing AI agents in various scenarios. As this field is still relatively new with limited information available, there is a lot of excitement and anticipation surrounding this session.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
AI Agents (Part 17 of 18) | Microsoft Learn
Mezba Uddin, M365, Cloud and Datacenter Management MVP, United Kingdom
BRK102 Building intelligent multi-agent systems with Azure AI
[In Chicago + Online] Tuesday, November 19 | 4:00 PM - 4:45 PM Central Standard Time
“If you’re interested in bringing AI-driven autonomy into your work, this session is a must. It’s all about using Azure AI to create multi-agent systems, which can take on complex tasks and enhance decision-making. With autonomous agents expected to play a growing role in business, the timing couldn’t be better for learning how to deploy them in real-world scenarios. The session promises practical insights and strategies for tackling real challenges with Azure AI, making it a great pick for anyone looking to boost innovation and efficiency.”
Ryohei Yoshijima, Business Applications MVP/Microsoft Regional Director, Japan
BRK185 Grow your CRM practice in the age of AI
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM Central Standard Time
“For businesses, maximizing sales and securing profits are critical objectives. Recently, more companies are finding it necessary to revisit the importance of CDP (Customer Data Platforms). To ensure productive discussions within teams and maintain a shared perspective, a unified platform for customer management is essential. This requires companies to adopt and leverage solutions that facilitate customer engagement, drive sales, and build long-term relationships. Such efforts directly contribute to improving deal success rates and laying the foundation for stable revenue streams.
By utilizing AI capabilities in this area, sales professionals can focus more on their core responsibilities, freeing up valuable time. Let’s embrace the principle of Do more with less.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
It is recommended to have a basic understanding of the core concepts and key features of CRM.
- Welcome to Dynamics 365 Sales | Microsoft Learn
- Dynamics 365 Customer Insights documentation - Dynamics 365 Customer Insights | Microsoft Learn
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BRK164 Transform your ERP processes with Agents in Dynamics 365
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM Central Standard Time
“In business operations, accurately understanding your available funds and future cash flow is of utmost importance. Additionally, managing debts to suppliers, handling expense payments, and similar tasks can often be standardized and easily automated using agents. These tasks are particularly well-suited for automation and straightforward to implement. (Automating tedious, repetitive tasks is always the way to go!)”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
This is one of the most straightforward and practical pieces of content within Dynamics 365.
Expense management overview | Microsoft Learn
Veronika Kolesnikova, AI Platform MVP, United States
BRK129 Trustworthy AI: Future trends and best practices
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM Central Standard Time
“It'll be recorded, and I'll be able to watch it later😄 But seriously, with the huge popularity of AI and the widespread of models, tools and integrations everyone should be making sure AI is being used in responsible way and it's supporting humans rather than destroying them. Also, Sarah is the person that can always explain complex things in a way that makes sense even if you're not a data scientist.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
- What is Responsible AI - Azure Machine Learning | Microsoft Learn
- Operationalize AI responsibly with Azure AI Studio - Training | Microsoft Learn
Pablo Piovano, AI Platform MVP, Argentina
BRK105 Azure AI Search: RAG for better results, larger scale, faster answers
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM Central Standard Time
“I recommend this session because recently there have been many examples and production applications showcasing Azure AI Search to power enterprise RAG applications with advanced and scalable search capabilities.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
- Create an Azure AI Search solution - Training | Microsoft Learn
- Perform vector search and retrieval in Azure AI Search - Training | Microsoft Learn
Takashi Kawamoto, AI Platform MVP, Japan
BRK129 Trustworthy AI: Future trends and best practices
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 8:30 AM - 9:15 AM Central Standard Time
BRK113 Trustworthy AI: Advanced AI risk evaluation and mitigation
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 5:00 PM - 5:45 PM Central Standard Time
“Addressing AI safety will become increasingly important in the future.
Among the sessions on Responsible AI, don’t miss the one featuring Sarah Bird, who has served as a Chief Product Officer specializing in AI safety for many years.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
This is a comprehensive learning resource that covers a wide range of topics, from conceptual explanations of Responsible AI to specific solution features and tools.
- GitHub Ethical AI - Training | Microsoft Learn
- Operationalize AI responsibly with Azure AI Studio - Training | Microsoft Learn
Kazuyuki Miyake, Microsoft Azure MVP/Microsoft Regional Director, Japan
BRK117 Lessons from Toyota for building durable multi-agent copilots
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM Central Standard Time
“This session brings together the speakers from the Azure OpenAI Dev Day conference held in Japan this past July, an event driven by the community with a strong focus on MVPs. The main speaker for this session is none other than a representative from Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan. The theme centers on multi-agent systems, featuring Toyota's case studies, along with the latest updates on Azure AI and Cosmos DB. No prior knowledge is necessary, especially if you're interested in generative AI.”
Ben Stegink, M365, Security MVP, United States
BRK246 Inside Azure innovations with Mark Russinovich
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
COM1043 Community Forum: Azure Unplugged: Tech Talk with Mark Russinovich
[In Chicago Only] Wednesday, November 20 | 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM Central Standard Time
“Anytime I get to list to Mark Russinovich speak, I take advantage of it. Not only is he a great speaker, but the insights he provides and the ways he thinks about technology provide an insight I haven't thought of before. Not only insights about where we are today, but how we got here and where we are going. In my experience, his sessions are always insightful and though provoking; a great session to just sit, listen, and absorb what he's saying. I'm looking forward to hearing his latest thoughts on innovations in Azure, and then to have his "unplugged" session shortly after it. Any of his conference sessions are immediately added to my schedule.”
Tetsuro Takao, Developer Technologies MVP, Japan
BRK275 Ground Microsoft 365 Copilot in your business knowledge
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM Central Standard Time
“There are currently many development-focused resources being provided by various organizations regarding AI agents. The purpose of these resources is to explain development processes, but they often find it challenging to address the specific types of information AI agents handle. For AI agents, the design of the information they work with is critical to their performance. For instance, in the case of Copilot agents, it is possible to specifically mention organizational data like Microsoft 365 as an example of the type of information they handle. This allows for an explanation of how such information can be connected to generate business value.
In this session, we will explain the process of indexing business data and content into Copilot and Copilot agents while strictly adhering to data governance policies. By doing so, you will gain insights that can be generalized to the development of AI agents beyond this specific context.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
Your Copilot agent options for Microsoft 365 | Microsoft Learn
When building a Copilot agent as an AI agent, the first thing you need to consider is whether to "extend the Copilot model" or "build a custom engine agent." This content starts right from that decision point. It serves as a useful prerequisite for participating in the sessions I recommend.
Yutaro Tamai, Security, Windows and Devices MVP, Japan
GS06 What's New in Windows Security, Productivity and Cloud
[In Chicago + Online] Wednesday, November 20 | 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM Central Standard Time
“This session is expected to cover topics related to the Windows Client, ranging from end-user Copilot+ PCs to Windows 365 in the cloud. It should provide insights into Microsoft's strategy for Windows Client.”
Yoshitaka Seo, AI Platform MVP, Japan
BRKFP371 Exploring the future of AI with multi-agent systems and LLMs in action
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 9:45 AM - 10:30 AM Central Standard Time
“This session focuses on implementing agents. By developing multi-agent systems from scratch, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how to solve complex problems.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
AutoGen: Enabling next-generation large language model applications - Microsoft Research
The content is very clear and makes the session easier to understand. I think it’s a good idea to start by grasping the basics of multi-agent systems here.
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BRK329 Scott and Mark learn responsible AI
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“As the session title shows, the two speakers will dive into responsible AI with LLMs through an engaging back-and-forth conversation. While their casual tone might come across as playful, you can be sure to pick up on some key takeaways.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
- Understand Responsible AI - Training | Microsoft Learn
This content forms the foundation for responsible AI. It is recommended to revisit the basics of AI to deepen your understanding.
- Responsible generative AI - Training | Microsoft Learn
By focusing on generative AI, you will learn how to implement it while minimizing risks. The course includes hands-on exercises, so you can practice and understand the concepts in action.
Charlie Gough, Security MVP, United Kingdom
BRK329 Scott and Mark learn responsible AI
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“This session has the making of being one of the biggest sessions at this year’s Ignite, with two amazing speakers in Scott Hanselman and Mark Russinovich, talking about a subject which is on every organisations list. The fact security around AI is going to be huge over the next 12 months, as we are going to see AI being exploited more and more, these are two thought leaders who will give some fantastic insights. Also to be honest any session with Mark Russinovich is worth watching and listening to, as he is naturally a fantastic and engaging speaker, with some amazing insights.”
Shrushti Shah, Business Applications, M365 MVP, India
BRK169 Reinventing business processes with autonomous agents
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“I have been extensively working on building custom Copilots using Microsoft Copilot Studio and I was super stoked from the time autonomous agents were announced by the CEO, Satya Nadella during the Microsoft AI tour London. This session perfectly fits my interest on how Copilot studio will help organisation reinvent the business processes using these autonomous agents.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
It is important to understand and have basic understanding about AI agents and here is my recommended learning link - AI agent | Microsoft Learn
Tomohisa Takaoka, Developer Technologies MVP, United States
BRK194 Cosmic efficiency: mastering performance and cost in Azure Cosmos DB
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 11:00 AM - 11:45 AM Central Standard Time
“We've been using Cosmos DB in our projects and absolutely love it for its wide range of features. Given how much we've already benefited from it, I'm sure I'll gain even more insights on optimizing both performance and cost. This session will be incredibly valuable for us to take full advantage of what Cosmos DB has to offer!”
Andrew KeepCoding, Windows Development MVP, Japan
BRK304 Modernize your apps by learning how Office leverages Windows App SDK
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM Central Standard Time
“It seems to be content focused on the utilization of Windows App SDK, rather than its development, so I highly recommend it.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
Build desktop Windows apps with the Windows App SDK - Windows apps | Microsoft Learn
Tomoharu Misawa, M365 MVP, Japan
BRK282 Copilot in Excel: transforming data analysis
[In Chicago + Online] Thursday, November 21 | 3:45 PM - 4:30 PM Central Standard Time
“Microsoft 365 Copilot was initially released for apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Among the major apps, Excel arrived later, but it seems the delay was intentional to coincide with the announcement of its integration with Python. Unlike other Copilot tools that don’t focus on writing code, Excel Copilot is the only one specifically designed for code generation, making this session particularly focused on its capabilities.”
<Relevant content to read before joining this session>
Unlock the power of Copilot in Excel, now generally available | Microsoft Community Hub
Please note: These recommendations are based on publicly available session information and may not perfectly align with the actual session content.
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