Microsoft Ignite 2023 with MVP Communities

This year's conference Microsoft Ignite, which was themed around "Experience AI transformation in action, online from anywhere", was held in Seattle from November 14 to 17. As the CEO Satya Nadella mentioned at the beginning of the opening keynote speech, 'We are introducing 100 new updates,' it became an event that delivered the latest technology information, including cutting-edge Microsoft AI and Microsoft Copilot, to users around the world who participated in-person and those who watched the Ignite livestream.

At this conference, over 100 Microsoft MVPs and Regional Directors (RDs) from around the world joined the Microsoft Ignite in Seattle to explore the latest technologies that are pioneering the newly arrived AI era, and to develop new solutions and explore their applications in various businesses. For MVPs and RDs, not only was learning a purpose, but they also took part in numerous initiatives to deliver unique information as community leaders, including being session speakers, organizing demo sessions, supporting Expert Meetups and Learn Labs. Their involvement in sharing their knowledge and experience enhanced the technological understanding of other participants.

Jorge Maia, an IoT MVP in Brazil, participated in this Microsoft Ignite as a Proctor for Lab session LAB742: Configure secure access to your workloads using Azure networking, assisting participants, and at the Microsoft Learning Booth, he introduced the Microsoft Learn community and Microsoft Applied Skills, a new system for proving skills that was launched in October 2023.

“I now understand the potential of the Copilot ecosystem, which can empower companies and users. During my experience, I saw the generative AI for coding and low code in action, learned about various AI use cases, and gained great ideas to use for my own company's clients. On the infrastructure side, I learned about Arc and other essential resources for managing, securing, and observing the infrastructure,” Jorge shares what he learned at this Microsoft Ignite.

He also mentions that interactions with participants provided insights into his future community activities related to AI and related technologies. “AI has become a new buzzword and a challenge for everyone. Everybody was looking for ways to integrate it into their daily tasks. I have realized there is a real need for AI and, but there are too many misunderstandings. I have gotten several ideas to create new content for the community about this topic, integrating with infrastructure, IoT, and everyday activities, along with key points to increase our productivity.”

Jorge tells us what new technology topics at the conference he is particularly paying attention to. “I have focused on Azure IoT Operations, Azure AI Studio, and the Copilot ecosystem as my work involves IoT and digital transformation. With IoT Operations, we can now provide better solutions for complex-edged environments. Azure AI Studio provides a complete solution development environment for creating, experimenting, and developing new intelligent solutions. The Copilot ecosystem takes everyday tasks to another level. We can even create our own Copilot solution, which is great!”

With many exciting activities taking place during Ignite, Jorge had difficulty finding time to participate in sessions himself. He says, “I did some labs on the website and attended a few sessions; as I didn't have much time on the site, I saved some sessions on my Backpack; this was an excellent benefit for attendees.”

In addition to the main conference, our program hosted an exclusive event, MVP Connect, offering private networking opportunities for MVPs and RDs who usually work around the world and came to Seattle specifically for Microsoft Ignite. The leaders welcomed everyone, expressed gratitude for their community activities, and Product Group members also joined to provide information directly and receive feedback, offering a unique program experience

Tetsuya Odashima, an Azure MVP from Japan, was one of the MVPs who visited Seattle to join Microsoft Ignite. He had previously participated in conferences like Microsoft Ignite and Microsoft Build online, but this was his first visit to Seattle to experience a conference in person. “I have been satisfied with gathering information through online participation. However, attending the conference in-person made me realize that information is conveyed more accurately, and I could fully feel the passion from the speakers and fellow engineers around me. The world is indeed vast! It has motivated me to keep striving and doing my best. If I have the opportunity to attend such global events in the future, I would like to participate, and I highly recommend others to join the conference in person.”

At Microsoft Ignite, Tetsuya was particularly interested in the new technology information about Copilot services. “With the advent of Copilot, I believe the way we work will change dramatically as the use of Copilot gradually increases. I also strongly feel that we need new skills to get along well with Copilot.”

He also participated in the side event MVP Connect and expressed his enthusiasm for future growth based on this experience. “It was very impressive to see MVPs and RDs from other countries actively providing feedback for further improvements in discussion with Microsoft employees. It’s regrettable that I couldn’t converse well when approached by another MVP. I want to improve my English conversation skills…”

To learn more about Microsoft Ignite, please visit the following websites.

Microsoft Ignite (Official website)

Microsoft Ignite 2023 Book of News (Stories)

Microsoft Learn for Ignite (Microsoft Learn)

Microsoft Ignite | Cloud Skills Challenge (Microsoft Learn)

The challenges end on January 15, 2024, at 4:00 PM UTC

Microsoft Ignite (YouTube)