This month, The MVP Blog is shining a spotlight on some of the MVP community’s developer-focused initiatives around the world.
During the pandemic, many of us missed meeting like-minded developers and IT professionals in person. Likewise, live events have been regularly postponed and often canceled.
But while it’s not possible to “magic away” the pandemic, it has been possible to bring people together to celebrate online. This is exactly what the Microsoft UK Tech Community Group did in February.
Microsoft UK Tech Community Day invited ten MVPs to demonstrate their expertise, share stories and best practices and demos.
Thousands of community members joined the event – becoming a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for speakers to share their technical knowledge and information about their community groups to such a large audience.
Neil McLoughlin, Enterprise Mobility MVP in the UK, participated in the event as a presenter. He explained the evolution of Azure Virtual Desktop and how he started the UK AVD User Group. He also showed the audience the remarkable growth of the group since the pandemic and gave hands-on lessons for other groups.
“Honestly, I was motivated by the ability to share my information on such a big stage to a great audience! I am extremely passionate about community work and sharing knowledge, so having the opportunity to do this was just amazing,” Neil explains.
Shabaz Darr, Enterprise Mobility MVP in the UK, took part in the Azure Virtual Desktop session. The group presented a session on the history of the user group, why it was formed, and what the mobility group is trying to accomplish.
“I love the community, and this day was all about highlighting the amazing groups and people that make up this community. This made me want to be part of this initiative,” Shabaz recalls.
Microsoft communities are a big part of staying innovative, meeting people's needs, and helping to shape the future. “I learned a lot from the other sessions about tech and other user groups and what motivates them to run these groups,” Shabaz adds.
One final highlight was the MVP Programme and the Community Panel, which included special guests like Luce Carter, Alex Cahndiwana, and Peter Rising.
The entire event provided a unique opportunity to gain and share knowledge from MVPs. In addition, the invitees learned a lot from colleagues and other Community Day presentations.
“I'm passionate about creating safe and inclusive tech communities. Allyship guidance and code of conduct are hugely impactful in creating these environments, and the fantastic MVP community is full of people trying to develop and improve events globally,” said Jessica White,
Developer Technologies MVP in the UK.
Further, the discussions focused on how to foster community and make content more accessible. The UK community debated how they can ensure that people with different experiences, identities, and cultures can feel welcome and safe at events. This helped a lot later during the event and at the MVP Summit.
“I found it a positive and eye-opening experience,” Jessica highlights. The UK community is already eager to organize a second event soon.
Watch the Microsoft UK Tech Community Day – YouTube video for colorful insights into the event.
