Countless tech communities exist around the world, engaging in information dissemination and discussions about products and services, as well as collaborating on open-source projects. Beyond products and services, there are numerous communities organized around specific industries, students, and women, among others. Sometimes, communities may collaborate on joint activities, and many individuals are active members of multiple communities.
Moreover, tech communities from various locations globally have created iconic events under common themes, which deepen the learning of community members worldwide as a global community. Some recent events that the tech communities hosted were the Global Power Platform Bootcamp, the Global AI Bootcamp, and Global Azure 2024. These events attracted many people who wanted to learn new things with other community members.
This blog post focuses on the Global Power Platform Bootcamp, providing an overview of the event and featuring insights from a global organizer of the 2024 Global Power Platform Bootcamp, who played a key role in shaping this community initiative.
JOS, Nigeria
Toronto, Canada
Jeevarajan Kumar is a Business Applications MVP and one of the global organizers of the Global Power Platform Bootcamp. He initially began his journey as a local event organizer in Singapore, working diligently to ensure the success of his community engagement activities. Eventually, he joined the global organizing committee and, alongside fellow MVPs Kunal Tripathy, Dharanidharan Balasubramaniam, Manonmani VS, and Vivek Patel, led the organization of the Global Power Platform Bootcamp. Jeevarajan reflects how his role as lead organizer evolved significantly. “This year, my focus shifted to marketing and collaborating with the global team to ensure our event's success. Additionally, I worked closely with the local event organizers, offering support whenever needed,” says Jeevarajan.
The fifth iteration of the Global Power Platform Bootcamp turned into an extraordinary global initiative, as Jeevarajan noted, "This event stands as our largest endeavor to date." Based on a worldwide enthusiasm for learning about the Power Platform, the initiative was held in 57 countries and 108 locations worldwide by 162 organizers. It featured local speakers who shared their knowledge with over 9,000 participants. Charles Lamanna, Microsoft's Corporate Vice President of Business Apps & Platforms, delivered a keynote address discussing Power Platform and community engagement.
This year's Global Power Platform Bootcamp saw an increase in host locations, making it an unprecedentedly large-scale event. However, the fundamental concept remained the same: participants worldwide continued to learn about the Power Platform and enjoyed interactions with the community and Microsoft employees. Jeevarajan expressed the joy of being a global organizer, saying, "Global Power Platform Bootcamp is massive! It's a unique feeling to see the incredible pictures and posts from the global community during those two days."
Hyderabad, India
San José, Costa Rica
A notable change from last year's event was the shift in topics due to recent advancements in AI technology. In the keynote video, Corporate Vice President Charles spoke about the synergy between the Power Platform and generative AI and the importance of community feedback. Additionally, sessions increasingly featured topics related to Microsoft AI technologies, such as Azure OpenAI Service, Copilot, and Microsoft Fabric.
Witnessing the progression of technology, the Global Power Platform Bootcamp celebrated its fifth anniversary. Jeevarajan's motivation to continue contributing to this annual global community initiative was bolstered by collaboration with his fellow MVPs and other global organizers (four MVPs as we mentioned earlier, and three MVPs Ashraf Ghonaim, Goloknath Mishra, and Natraj Yegnaraman, and community leaders Dhina Gajavarathan, Sam Luo, Saurabh Pimpalgaonkar, Anchika Kumari, Chelsea Philip, and Kevin N., and Kent Weare from Microsoft). "Being part of this successful team and contributing to making this magic happen is an amazing experience," says Jeevarajan.
MVP organizers from MVP Global Summit
We also interviewed Kunal Tripathy, a member of the global organizing team and a Business Applications MVP, about his participation. He reflected on this year's event and shared how it has evolved since last year. “The 2024 Bootcamp was remarkable, marking our first-time hosting over 100 locations worldwide. It was particularly thrilling to see extensive participation in Spain, with Ana María Bisbé York playing a pivotal role as a key organizer,” says Kunal.
Kunal joined forces with Microsoft’s Kent Weare at a Power Platform Conference in October 2019 and started planning the Global Power Platform Bootcamp. Dhina Gajavarathan and Vivek Patel came on board later, and they ran the first event in February 2020. He has been leading this global event since then and says this about its importance. Kunal says, "The event started with the idea of building local communities at Global scale. The drive behind GPPB has always been to foster local communities on a global scale, creating a unified celebration of the Power Platform, akin to a worldwide festival."
Inspired by the positive outcome of their fifth event, the global organizing team is already preparing for next year. While it's uncertain how the Power Platform will evolve by then, there's no doubt that it will continue to be a valuable place for the community to learn about the latest developments in Power Platform.
For those interested in learning more about the Global Power Platform Bootcamp, please visit the official website, Global Power Platform Bootcamp. Additionally, follow our community page on LinkedIn Global Power Platform Bootcamp to stay updated on the latest news.
Before closing this story, we are so excited to share an exciting announcement. Kunal says, "GPPB will be back next year on Feb 22nd and 23rd and registration for the events starts this summer."
Seoul, Korea
Copenhagen, Denmark
