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    <title>rss.livelink.threads-in-node</title>
    <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/microsoft-global-community/ct-p/microsoft-global-community-initiative</link>
    <description>rss.livelink.threads-in-node</description>
    <pubDate>Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:39:53 GMT</pubDate>
    <dc:creator>microsoft-global-community-initiative</dc:creator>
    <dc:date>2026-07-07T22:39:53Z</dc:date>
    <item>
      <title>🌍 MGCI Newsletter – July 2026</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-july-2026/ba-p/4530664</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hi MGCI Members!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;As we move into summer, the MGCI community continues to show what makes this ecosystem so powerful - connection, collaboration, and shared learning.&amp;nbsp; From recent sessions that brought real-world insights to the forefront, to global events and upcoming opportunities to engage, there’s a lot happening across our community.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Let’s take a look at what’s been happening and what’s next. 🚀&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;✅ Recently Wrapped: MGCI Monthly General Session&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🎤 Learn Along with Your Community Peers!&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We came together again for another MGCI General Session learning directly from one another and we focused on a topic every event organizer struggles with, &lt;STRONG&gt;building sponsorships that actually work&lt;/STRONG&gt;.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Hosted by &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-tabster="{&amp;quot;restorer&amp;quot;:{&amp;quot;type&amp;quot;:1}}"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, this session featured &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyburris/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-tabster="{&amp;quot;restorer&amp;quot;:{&amp;quot;type&amp;quot;:1}}"&gt;Stacy Burris&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;, Event Strategy Consultant at JSB Events, who brought a unique perspective from her experience as both an event producer and sponsor.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The conversation challenged a common assumption:&lt;BR /&gt;👉 The issue isn’t your event, it’s the &lt;STRONG&gt;sponsorship product you’re offering.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Key takeaways included:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Why practitioners are your &lt;STRONG&gt;most valuable audience asset&lt;/STRONG&gt; (even without buying authority)&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;How to move beyond outdated &lt;STRONG&gt;Gold/Silver/Bronze tiers&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;The &lt;STRONG&gt;three questions&lt;/STRONG&gt; that help identify sponsors who will actually renew&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;How to create a sponsorship approach that &lt;STRONG&gt;drives commitment before the event even ends&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This session delivered practical, real-world strategies to help organizers rethink sponsorship and build partnerships that last.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;➡️ &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-JuneGeneralSession&amp;nbsp;" target="_blank"&gt;Watch the recording&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-June2026GeneralSessionDiscussion" target="_blank"&gt;➡️ Join the discussion&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🎤 Event Production Training &amp;amp; Office Hours ​&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This month’s training dove into &lt;STRONG&gt;how to find and select speakers, &lt;/STRONG&gt;removing the guesswork and awkward outreach that often slows organizers down.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The session explored how great speaker lineups don’t happen by chance, they’re intentionally built. From uncovering new voices to making confident connections, attendees walked away with a clearer path to curating sessions their communities actually want to attend.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Key takeaways:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Where to look:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Proven ways to discover high-quality, relevant speakers beyond the usual channels&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;How to connect:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Practical approaches to outreach that feel natural and effective&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;How to curate:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Building a balanced, engaging lineup that reflects your audience and drives attendance&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The session delivered actionable strategies to elevate event programming and spotlight speakers who truly resonate.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-June2026EventTrainingDiscussion&amp;nbsp;" target="_blank"&gt;✅&lt;/A&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-JuneEventOrganizerTraining" target="_blank"&gt;Watch the recording&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-June2026EventTrainingDiscussion&amp;nbsp;" target="_blank"&gt;✅ Join the Discussion&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;🌟 Community Highlight&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🎉 TechCon365 Chicago&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The community came together in Chicago for &lt;STRONG&gt;TechCon365&lt;/STRONG&gt;, bringing Microsoft 365 and Copilot conversations to life through in-person connection and deep technical learning.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Events like this continue to demonstrate:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;The power of community-driven learning&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;The importance of real-world, practitioner-led sessions&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;How connections built in person translate into stronger global collaboration&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;From hallway conversations to hands-on sessions, moments like these strengthen the fabric of our ecosystem.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🎉🎉Shout out for Paul Papanek Stork&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Congratulations on an incredible run as a conference speaker. Decades of TechCon and so many other events is an amazing achievement, but your impact reaches far beyond any one event. Over the years, you've shared your knowledge, inspired countless attendees, and helped shape our community through your generosity, expertise, and passion for teaching others. Thank you for your MVP Contributions as well.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Thank you for every session, every conversation, and every contribution you've made along the way. Your presence on our stages will be missed, and we're grateful for everything you've given to the community. Wishing you all the best in this next chapter. Thank you, Paul!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/TechCon365Chi/PaulStork" target="_blank"&gt;Check out this posting and video!&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;🗓️ Upcoming MGCI Sessions&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🎤 MGCI Monthly General Session&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Topic: CollabDays Poland&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Wrap the year with&amp;nbsp;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mziemba/" target="_blank"&gt;Michal Ziemba&lt;/A&gt;, Senior Software Architect at Capgemini and MGCI Regional Lead.&lt;BR /&gt;Discover how CollabDays Poland grew into a community people show up for and stay connected to.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 July 14⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;🍕 Event Training – July&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Topic: FOOD! Meals, Snacks, and Beverages 🍕☕&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This month’s training focuses on one of the most practical (and often underestimated) parts of event planning:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Managing food logistics and budgets&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Navigating venue requirements&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Planning for attendee experience and inclusivity&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;These sessions bring organizer-to-organizer insights you won’t find in a playbook.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 July 30 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCITrainingMTG&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;⚠️ Reminder: MGCI Summer Break&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;☀️ &lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI will be on a summer break for the month of August.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;There will be:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;No General Session&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;No Event Training&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We’ll be back in &lt;STRONG&gt;September&lt;/STRONG&gt; with more community conversations, training, and opportunities to connect.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Use this time to:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Plan your upcoming events&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Submit sessions&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Bring new voices into your local communities&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;🌎 Community Days – Upcoming Events&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The community never slows down and &lt;STRONG&gt;CommunityDays.org&lt;/STRONG&gt; continues to be the place to discover what’s happening around the world.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Upcoming Community Led Events (Free or Low Cost)&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-07-08/m365-community-days-montreal-hash2-2026-automatiser-le-travail-reel" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | M365 Community Days Montréal #2-2026 – Automatiser le travail réel&lt;/A&gt; | July 8 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-07-31/m365-community-days-nyc" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | M365 Community Days NYC&lt;/A&gt; | July 31 | New York City, New York, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-08-01/data-start-comunidad-latam-2026-capitulo-2" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Data Start - Comunidad LATAM 2026 Capítulo 2&lt;/A&gt; | August 1 | Virtual&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-08-04/community-summit-roadshow-toronto" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Toronto&lt;/A&gt; | August 4 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-08-06/community-summit-roadshow-minneapolis" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Minneapolis&lt;/A&gt; | August 6 | Bloomington, Minnesota, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-08-21/microsoft-community-days-montreal" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Microsoft Community Days Montreal&lt;/A&gt; | August 21 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-04/shift-enter-summit-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Shift Enter Summit 2026&lt;/A&gt; | September 4 | Budapest, Hungary&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-16/the-ai-native-workplace-summit-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | The AI-Native Workplace Summit 2026&lt;/A&gt; | September 16 | Virtual&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-17/helish-summit" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | HELish Summit&lt;/A&gt; | September 17 | Helsinki, Finland&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-18/m365-twin-cities" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | M365 Twin Cities&lt;/A&gt; | September 18 | Brooklyn Park, Minneapolis, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-24/baltic-summit-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Baltic Summit 2026&lt;/A&gt; | September 24-25 | Gdynia, Poland&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-25/microsoft-365-ottawa-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Microsoft 365 Ottawa 2026&lt;/A&gt; | September 25 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-10-07/m365-community-days-montreal-hash3-2026-microsoft-365-copilot" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | M365 Community Days Montréal #3-2026 – Microsoft 365 Copilot&lt;/A&gt; | October 7 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-10-16/collabdays-portugal-2026-porto-edition" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays Portugal 2026 - Porto Edition&lt;/A&gt; | October 16 | Porto, Portugal&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-10-16/collabdays-new-england-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays New England 2026&lt;/A&gt; | October 16 | Burlington, Massachusetts, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-11-17/community-summit-roadshow-denver" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Denver&lt;/A&gt; | November 17 | Denver, Colorado, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-12-08/community-summit-roadshow-ft-lauderdale" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Ft. Lauderdale&lt;/A&gt; | December 8 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2027-01-27/m365-community-days-montreal-hash4-2026-sans-gouvernance-pas-dia" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | M365 Community Days Montréal #4-2026 – Sans gouvernance, pas d’IA&lt;/A&gt; | January 27 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Upcoming Community Paid Events&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-06-29/european-power-platform-conference-2026" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | European Power Platform Conference 2026&lt;/A&gt; | June 29-July 2 | Copenhagen, Denmark&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-07-27/ai-business-solutions-partner-executive-summit" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | AI Business Solutions Partner Executive Summit&lt;/A&gt; | July 27-28 | Renton, Washington, United States&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-08-24/seattle-techcon-365-or-datacon-or-pwrcon" target="_blank"&gt;Community Days | Seattle TechCon 365 | DATACON | PWRCON&lt;/A&gt; | August 24-28 | Seattle, Washington, United&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;👉 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org" target="_blank"&gt;Explore all upcoming community events on CommunityDays.Org&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;You can also:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Discover Calls for Speakers&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Promote your own events&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Connect with organizers globally&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Whether you're attending or organizing, this platform is the hub for community-driven learning.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;💡 What Happens Next&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;June and July have shown the continued momentum of this community across events, sessions, and conversations.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;But what happens next is up to all of us.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;When you &lt;STRONG&gt;share what you’ve learned&lt;/STRONG&gt;, you strengthen someone else’s event&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;When you &lt;STRONG&gt;bring someone new into the room&lt;/STRONG&gt;, you expand what’s possible&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;When you &lt;STRONG&gt;collaborate across communities&lt;/STRONG&gt;, you turn momentum into movement&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;That’s how MGCI continues to grow - together.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sincerely,&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Your Board Officers&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Jun 2026 20:28:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-july-2026/ba-p/4530664</guid>
      <dc:creator>Jennifer-Mason</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-30T20:28:29Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Training Follow-Up: Finding and Selecting Speakers</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/training-follow-up-finding-and-selecting-speakers/m-p/4531017#M95</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Keep the conversation going... We just talked about this session this morning. What questions do you have? What conversations do you want to continue?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:59:43 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/training-follow-up-finding-and-selecting-speakers/m-p/4531017#M95</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-25T15:59:43Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community and Education Tenant Retirement</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/community-and-education-tenant-retirement/ba-p/4528125</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;We provided additional transition time for organizers and users of these experiences. That transition period is now complete. As we move our shared services forward from their Covid-era deployment into more flexible and sustainable systems there will be no further extensions, no read-only period, and no Microsoft-managed archive after retirement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Our User Group and Event Leader experience on the Microsoft Technical Community will meet some of the needs previously served by these experiences in a secure and compliant fashion.&amp;nbsp; We will continue to review other opportunities to provide Microsoft-hosted solutions for our community at large.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;What is happening on August 6, 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;All services provided by the tenants (e.g. Teams, SharePoint sites, OneDrive, Power Platform, and email) will be turned off. All accounts will be removed, and @msftcommunity.com &amp;amp; @msft365edu.com email addresses will stop working.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Recovery of anything removed will not be possible after that date.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;No data will be retained by Microsoft after retirement. Anything you need must be exported by you to a new location of your choice.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Questions?&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Direct all questions to &lt;A href="mailto:cmtymigration@microsoft.com" target="_blank"&gt;cmtymigration@microsoft.com&lt;/A&gt;. The &lt;A href="mailto:support@msftcommunity.com" target="_blank"&gt;support@msftcommunity.com&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A href="mailto:support@msft365edu.com" target="_blank"&gt;support@msft365edu.com&lt;/A&gt; mailboxes are being decommissioned along with the tenants and will not be available after August 6.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Thank you for the work you have done in these communities. Together, we provided essential infrastructure during stressful times and beyond.&amp;nbsp; Our committment to community remains, though the tools are changing.&amp;nbsp; We look forward to seeing you on the Microsoft Tech Community or at one of the many events you can find on CommunityDays.org soon.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Karuana Gatimu&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;Director, Customer Experience PM&lt;BR /&gt;M365 Customer Advocacy Group&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Decommissioning Plan Details&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Fix Date&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Milestone&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Tuesday, August 4, 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Self-export deadline at 5:00 PM Pacific; affected resources set to read-only after that time&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Thursday, August 6, 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Education Tenant and Microsoft Community Tenant services retired; accounts, services, and data removed&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Team Owner Actions:&amp;nbsp; What Owners need to do before August 4, 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;OL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Export anything you want to keep.&lt;/STRONG&gt; The export window closes at 5:00 PM Pacific on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Affected resources will be read-only after that time and deleted after August 6.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Move your User Group to the Microsoft Tech Community. &lt;/STRONG&gt;Our recommended destination for ongoing user-group activity is &lt;A href="https://techcommunity.microsoft.com" target="_blank"&gt;https://techcommunity.microsoft.com&lt;/A&gt;. The Microsoft Tech Community provides a user group experience with discussions, blogs, event spaces, member roster, and messaging — all under your control. Onboarding details are available at &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/mtc/usergroups" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/mtc/usergroups&lt;/A&gt;.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Plan for additional usage.&lt;/STRONG&gt; Email hosting, meeting hosting and document collaboration are out of scope for the Microsoft Tech Community. Microsoft is not providing migration assistance or alternative hosting for these scenarios. Depending on your group or event needs you might consider one of the available Teams or Microsoft 365 options at &lt;A href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/compare-microsoft-teams-home-options" target="_blank"&gt;Compare Microsoft Teams Pricing&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Update external links.&lt;/STRONG&gt; If your group’s website, social profiles, or event listings point to msft365edu.com or msftcommunity.com resources, update them now. Those URLs will stop resolving after retirement.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Update account usage.&lt;/STRONG&gt; If you are using your @msft365edu.com or @msftcommunity.com accounts in other services (e.g. ownership of event or call listings on &lt;A href="http://www.communitydays.org" target="_blank"&gt;www.communitydays.org&lt;/A&gt;) ensure you transfer ownership to a new account.&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/OL&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2026 22:51:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/community-and-education-tenant-retirement/ba-p/4528125</guid>
      <dc:creator>BryanHartMSFT</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-22T22:51:23Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Learn along with your community peers!</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4528640#M149</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Join Host&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (&lt;STRONG&gt;#MGCI&lt;/STRONG&gt;) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Agenda:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI Program updates&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Topic: &lt;STRONG&gt;CollabDays Poland Community Spotlight&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker&lt;/STRONG&gt;: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mziemba/" target="_blank"&gt;Michal Ziemba&lt;/A&gt;, Senior Software Architect, Capgemini and MGCI Regional Lead&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;What does it actually take to turn a local event into a community people &lt;EM&gt;show up for &lt;/EM&gt;and come back to?&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;In this Community Spotlight, Heather Cook sits down with Michal Ziemba to unpack the energy behind &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CollabDaysPoland2026" target="_blank"&gt;CollabDays Poland&lt;/A&gt;, &lt;/STRONG&gt;not just the logistics, but the mindset. From rallying organizers and speakers to creating a space that feels genuinely owned by the community, this session explores how momentum is built, not manufactured.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Expect a candid look at the decisions, trade-offs, and moments that shaped the event, from early traction to sustained impact. This isn’t about a “perfect playbook,” it’s about what happens when organizers lean into what their community actually needs and build from there.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;If you’re thinking about how to make your event feel less like a schedule and more like a shared experience, this conversation will give you a fresh lens to start from.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 July 14⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Post-event all meetings are available on demand.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 20:39:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4528640#M149</guid>
      <dc:creator>EmilyHove</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-16T20:39:05Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Community Days Sponsorships</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/community-days-sponsorships/m-p/4528603#M90</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Are traditional sponsorship tiers (Gold/Silver/Bronze) holding community events back? What’s working better for you today?&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 16 Jun 2026 17:37:29 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/community-days-sponsorships/m-p/4528603#M90</guid>
      <dc:creator>jsbburris</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-16T17:37:29Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI Training - July Topic: Food! Meals, snacks, and beverages</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/mgci-training-july-topic-food-meals-snacks-and-beverages/m-p/4525651#M81</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Getting a little ahead of ourselves, but it's a tasty topic, maybe even a little spicy. :) &amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you serving food at your event? It's one of the bigger costs for many events.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;What are your venue rules and requirements? Are you locked into their services?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;How do you address folks with dietary restrictions?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;What questions do you have about feeding your attendees?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;What should you do? How can you get engaged in the conversation?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;OL&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Chime in here.&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Do you have thoughts you'd like to contribute to the conversation? Let us know you'll be on the call!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;/OL&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:02:16 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/mgci-training-july-topic-food-meals-snacks-and-beverages/m-p/4525651#M81</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-04T18:02:16Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI Training - June Topic: Finding and selecting speakers...</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/mgci-training-june-topic-finding-and-selecting-speakers/m-p/4525288#M79</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;What are your challenges with finding and selecting speakers?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Getting the word out?&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you using the Community Days site, Sessionize, or other platforms?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;How do you drum up enough momentum and excitement for my event to drive speaker interest?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;How do you bring in speaker variety, diversity of ideas and perspectives?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;There are different challenges for first-time events than there are for repeating events...&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;What else?! Chime in here to get the conversation rolling now.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;What should you do? How can you get engaged in the conversation?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;OL&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Chime in here.&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Do you have thoughts you'd like to contribute to the conversation? Let us know you'll be on the call!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;/OL&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:59:26 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/mgci-training-june-topic-finding-and-selecting-speakers/m-p/4525288#M79</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-03T21:59:26Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI | Newsletter May 2026</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-may-2026/ba-p/4523644</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hi MGCI Members!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Things are moving fast across the MGCI community, and the energy is hard to miss. From behind-the-scenes looks at what makes Community Days DC successful to global events bringing thousands together, there’s a lot happening (and a lot to be proud of). Add in new Regional Leaders on the way, upcoming sessions, and a packed event calendar, and it’s clear this community keeps leveling up.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Let’s dive into what’s been happening around the world and what’s coming up next.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;🌎 MGCI Regional Leader Update&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We’re in the final stage of selecting our 2026 MGCI Regional Leaders. New leaders will be announced early next month, followed by onboarding shortly after.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Regional Leaders play a critical role in bringing Community Days and events to life around the world, and the dedication shown by this community continues to make a meaningful impact. We’re excited to welcome new leaders into this role.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;✅ &lt;STRONG&gt;Recently Wrapped: MGCI Monthly General Session and Event Organizer Training (May)&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;H4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Global Community Initiative General Session – May 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H4&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Topic:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Community Spotlight: Inside M365 Community Days DC 2026&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker:&lt;/STRONG&gt; &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgown/?skipRedirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Pat McGown&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We went behind the scenes with &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgown/?skipRedirect=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Pat McGown&lt;/A&gt; to unpack what it really takes to bring a community-driven event to life - the wins, the lessons, and the ideas you can take back to your own events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Watch the Recording: &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-MayGeneralSession" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-MayGeneralSession&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Event Training: Event &amp;amp; Committee Planning - May 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H4&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Hosts:&lt;/STRONG&gt; &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/wpreston/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Wes Preston&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonweaver/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Sharon Weaver&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker: &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrackley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Mark Rackley&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Topic: &lt;/STRONG&gt;Event &amp;amp; Committee Planning&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Focused on building strong planning teams, distributing responsibilities effectively, and maintaining momentum from idea to event day - helping organizers create smoother, more inclusive events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Watch the Recording: &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-MayEventTraining" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-MayEventTraining&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Join the conversation &amp;amp; access all sessions:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Live and on demand:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI updates &amp;amp; reminders:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Learn more about MGCI:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;🌍&lt;STRONG&gt; Recent Community Event Highlight: ECS 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Board Members and Regional Leaders from MGCI, as well as Microsoft peers, attended the European Collaboration Summit in Cologne, Germany.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;With 3,000 attendees, ECS is the largest conference in Europe focused on Modern Work, Microsoft 365, and Copilot. During the conference, &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karuanagatimu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Karuana Gatimu&lt;/A&gt; shared their #CommunityLuv in multiple sessions and get-togethers. A standout moment included the &lt;STRONG&gt;Women in Tech Panel &lt;/STRONG&gt;at ECS with&lt;STRONG&gt; &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/karuanagatimu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Karuana Gatimu&lt;/A&gt;, &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradark03/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Laura Dark&lt;/A&gt;, &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleokwudiafor/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Michelle Okwudiafor&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/isidora-katani%C4%87-0b479534/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Isidora Katanic&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;&lt;img /&gt;&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;🗣️&lt;STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;Upcoming&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Monthly General Sessions&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;MGCI General Sessions take place every &lt;STRONG&gt;3rd Tuesday of the month&lt;/STRONG&gt;, with both AM and PM sessions to support our global community. In June, join &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft and&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyburris/" target="_blank"&gt;Stacy Burris&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;, Event Strategy Consultant, JSB Events &lt;STRONG&gt;for a fresh take on sponsorships that go far beyond logo placement&lt;/STRONG&gt;. Discover how sponsors can create meaningful connections and how event organizers can design experiences that feel authentic, engaging, and worth every dollar. Walk away with practical, community-first ideas to boost visibility, drive real results, and make sponsorships more impactful before, during, and after the event.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 June 16 | ⏰ 8:10 AM PT | 👉 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 June 16 | ⏰ 5:10 PM PT | 👉 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;👩‍🏫 Upcoming Event Organizer Trainings&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join the monthly Event Organizer Trainings to learn how to run successful community events, from sponsorships and speakers to logistics, registration, and post-event follow-up. Sessions are led by the community, with practical insights, tips, and best practices.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table border="1" style="width: 58.3333%; border-width: 1px;"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;Date&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Topic&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Jun 25&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;How to Find and Select Speakers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Jul 30&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FOOD! Meals, Snacks, and Beverages&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.00%" /&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.00%" /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;If you have ideas, feedback, or would like to join us as a Guest Speaker to share your event tips &amp;amp; tricks, complete the form here:👉 &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc="rgb(38, 38, 38)" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🔴Mondays at Microsoft&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc="rgb(38, 38, 38)"&gt;Join &lt;STRONG&gt;Karuana Gatimu&lt;/STRONG&gt; and&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-markjs="true" data-ogac="" data-ogab="" data-ogsc="" data-ogsb=""&gt;Heather&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;Cook&lt;/STRONG&gt; every other Monday morning to stay informed in-the-know on Microsoft’s biggest topics, including the latest in AI and what’s happening in the Microsoft community. Visit&amp;nbsp;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MondaysAtMicrosoft" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="18" data-ogsc=""&gt;aka.ms/MondaysAtMicrosoft&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;to watch and subscribe!&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;💙&lt;STRONG&gt; #CommunityLuv Spotlight&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This month we're highlighting this &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommLuvLIPost" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;#CommunityLuv LinkedIn Post by Dominick Raimato (Data Platform MVP &amp;amp; MCT)&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;EM&gt;Over the past two weeks, regardless of the technology or announcements, one thing has rung true - &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23communityluv&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#CommunityLuv&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; is alive and well! Over the past two weeks I have reconnected with old friends, met new friends, and finally met some friends who I have only known virtually up until now!&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;EM&gt;If you know me, I am not one to be the first to say "Hey! Let's get a picture together!" I am trying to be better about it but alas I am human. Maybe I can get an agent to help me 😂&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;EM&gt;Regardless, the names are too many to tag on LinkedIn with a single post, so here are some of the photos I thought to grab or borrowed from others!&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;EM&gt;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23fabcon&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#FabCon&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23sqlcon&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#SQLCon&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23mvpsummit&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#MVPsummit&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23microsoftfabric&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#MicrosoftFabric&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23powerbi&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#PowerBI&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23realtimeintelligence&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#RealTimeIntelligence&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt; &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/search/results/all/?keywords=%23mvpbuzz&amp;amp;origin=HASH_TAG_FROM_FEED" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;#mvpbuzz&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;&lt;/BLOCKQUOTE&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-clear-both"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2 class="lia-clear-both"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🏆Microsoft 365 Champions Program&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;To help you drive adoption and increase your teamwork skills, the M365 Champions Program provides a call each month for the M365 community.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Calls are held the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:05 AM and 5:05 PM Pacific. &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/M365ChampionsProgram" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Check out all the resources, recordings and how to sign up&lt;/A&gt; for the Microsoft 365 Champions Program.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc="rgb(38, 38, 38)" data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;You &lt;STRONG data-ogsc=""&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc=""&gt;must register&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt; to receive the link to join, which will be sent to you in email with your webinar registration confirmation. The registration links for both sessions are below:&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI data-ogsc="rgb(38, 38, 38)"&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc=""&gt;8:05 AM PT: &lt;A href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2F4j.aplnk.red%2Fr%3Ft%3Dabrlkrudjdxkod636uada2qqvgzqer6b2b5vatyjaqanlw45oi6genizrjror4pfygjhrc2ehecqltmckvufq2hdgh6nizc3wlauqca&amp;amp;data=05%7C02%7Cika%40expertsinside.com%7Cf44be04d43a045a3807608deb838f33e%7Ca623a8d2b75146b985e078e7c8582eb1%7C0%7C0%7C639150751925506997%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;amp;sdata=mSF20a8Wy3OSKYS9CaKZ4dNdVLZU8S%2BTVKv7aDFU79c%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="4" data-ogsc=""&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc="rgb(0, 120, 212)"&gt;aka.ms/M365ChampionCallAM&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI data-ogsc="rgb(38, 38, 38)"&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc=""&gt;5:05 PM PT: &lt;A href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2F4j.aplnk.red%2Fr%3Ft%3Dabrlkrudjdxkod636uada2qqvgzqer6b2b5vatyjauanlw45oi6genizrjror4pfygjhrc2ehecqltmckvufq2hdgh6nizc3wlavsca&amp;amp;data=05%7C02%7Cika%40expertsinside.com%7Cf44be04d43a045a3807608deb838f33e%7Ca623a8d2b75146b985e078e7c8582eb1%7C0%7C0%7C639150751925519845%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;amp;sdata=xWyplo5VS%2FAXT9qbxADXEfCNTWpPqKDxpjvAbEmejXQ%3D&amp;amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="5" data-ogsc=""&gt;&lt;SPAN data-ogsc="rgb(0, 120, 212)"&gt;aka.ms/M365ChampionCallPM&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🌍Upcoming Community Events Around the World&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Events coming up in June:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AgentCampOslo" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AgentCamp Oslo 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 2 | Oslo, Norway&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MSBuildWatchParty" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Microsoft Build 2026 Watch Party + Unconference&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 2 | Arlington, VA, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/WorkplaceIntelligenceDays" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Workplace Intelligence Days - 1ère édition&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 4 | Lyon, France&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CollabDaysMadrid2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays Madrid 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 4 | Madrid, Spain&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MemphisMicrosoftCommunityDays" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Memphis Microsoft Community Days&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 5 | Memphis, Tennessee, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunitySummitRoadshowCharlotte" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Charlotte&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt; | June 9 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/Diadelaestrategiaagentesysuaplicacionenlaempresa" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Dia de la estrategia: agentes y su aplicación en la empresa&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 9 | Mexico City, Mexico&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/PowerBIDaysDC" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Power BI Days DC&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 11-12 | Arlington, Virginia, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CollabDaysPoland2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays Poland 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 11-12 | Warsaw, Poland&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CollabDaysNetherlands2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays Netherlands 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 13 | Utrecht, The Netherlands&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/POSETTECDO" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | POSETTE: An Event for Postgres 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 16-18 | Virtual - PDT&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AICDMontreal2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AI Community Days (AICD) Montréal 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 17-18 | Montreal, Canada&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AfricaPowerPlatform" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Africa Power Platform&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 20-21 | Cotonou, Benin&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AICDQuebec2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AI Community Days (AICD) Québec 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 22-23 | Quebec, Canada&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MWCP2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | MWCP 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 23-24 | Île-de-France, France&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunitySummitRoadshowPittsburgh" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Pittsburgh&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 23 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunitySummitRoadshowCleveland" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Cleveland&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 25 | Twinsburgh, Ohio, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AICommunityConferenceNewYork" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AI Community Conference - New York&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 26 | New York, New York, United States&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/GlobalFabricCommunityTunisia" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Global Fabric Community Tunisia&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 27 | Tunis, Tunisia&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CollabDaysHamburg2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | CollabDays Hamburg 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;SPAN data-contrast="auto"&gt;&amp;nbsp;| June 27 | Hamburg, Germany&lt;/SPAN&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;Check out&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org&lt;/A&gt; &lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;for events happening in communities around the world. You can filter on region, scout open Call for Speakers, find events that are looking for sponsorships, and discover community-driven events and conferences.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Closing&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;From city to city and continent to continent, the MGCI community continues to raise the bar. New ideas, stronger events, and deeper connections are happening every day and it’s all driven by this incredible network of organizers and leaders.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Keep building. Keep sharing. Keep showing what #CommunityLuv looks like in action.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;See you out there. &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🧡&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;Sincerely,&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;Your Board Officers&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🕯️Special: Rest in Peace Nicki Borell, Microsoft MVP Germany&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;The Global Community shares our deep condolences to Nicki's family, friends, loved ones, colleagues, and everyone in our community who knew Nicki. Nicki was a very active speaker at well-known community events such as ESPC, ECS and many others. We are thankful and grateful for all his contributions in our community. Rest in Peace dear Nicki&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;SPAN data-olk-copy-source="MessageBody"&gt;🙏💙&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-clear-both"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:09:20 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-may-2026/ba-p/4523644</guid>
      <dc:creator>IsidoraKatanic</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-02T21:09:20Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Learn along with your community peers!</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4524914#M147</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Join Host&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (&lt;STRONG&gt;#MGCI&lt;/STRONG&gt;) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Agenda:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI Program updates&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Topic: &lt;SPAN data-scheme-color="@FFFFFF,," data-usefontface="true" data-contrast="none"&gt;Building Sponsorship That &lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;SPAN data-scheme-color="@FFFFFF,," data-usefontface="true" data-contrast="none"&gt;Actually Works for Your &lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;SPAN data-scheme-color="@FFFFFF,," data-usefontface="true" data-contrast="none"&gt;Community Day Event&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker&lt;/STRONG&gt;: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacyburris/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Stacy Burris&lt;/A&gt;, Event Strategy Consultant, JSB Events&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;If you've ever wondered why sponsors don't renew or why it's so hard to attract new ones, this one's for you.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The problem usually isn't your event. It's the sponsorship &lt;EM&gt;product&lt;/EM&gt;&amp;nbsp;you're selling.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Stacy Burris has been a producer (ran SPTechCon and other Microsoft-ecosystem events), a sponsor (led event marketing at AvePoint), AND a consultant. She knows what it looks like from every seat at the table and she's sharing the playbook!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Don't miss this!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;What you'll take away:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;✅ Why your practitioners ARE your most valuable audience asset (even if they're not the decision-maker)&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;✅ How to replace tired Gold/Silver/Bronze tiers with opportunities sponsors actually want&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;✅ The 3 questions that separate the right sponsors from the ones who ghost you at renewal&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;✅ The one-pager that gets you next year's check before the event is even over&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 June 16⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Post-event all meetings are available on demand.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 21 Jun 2026 19:27:42 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4524914#M147</guid>
      <dc:creator>EmilyHove</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-06-21T19:27:42Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Office Hours Follow-up: What does your event team look like?</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/office-hours-follow-up-what-does-your-event-team-look-like/m-p/4523714#M74</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;We just wrapped up a MGCI Training and Office Hours session talking about this very topic. (Link to recording will be added when it's ready)&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;How does your team break down roles and responsibilities for your event planning? Tell us in the comments!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 18:39:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/office-hours-follow-up-what-does-your-event-team-look-like/m-p/4523714#M74</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-28T18:39:46Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Building Community-First Events: Lessons from M365 Community Days DC</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/building-community-first-events-lessons-from-m365-community-days/ba-p/4521654</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;I’ve helped organize a number of community events over the years, but this one stood out. Not because everything went perfectly—it didn’t—but because of how consistently the community showed up, stepped in, and made the experience better than anything we could have planned.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;That’s when it really clicked: the goal isn’t just to run a great event. It’s to build something people feel ownership in.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;300 attendees&amp;nbsp;· 50 speakers · 44 sessions · 20 MVPs&amp;nbsp;· 15 MCTs · 14 sponsors&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Fresh off M365 Community Days DC, I had the opportunity to present two MGCI general sessions sharing what it really takes to design and run a community-first event. We covered what worked, what didn’t, and what we’d change next time. But more importantly, we talked about how to move beyond just running events—and start building communities that actually last.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;From Planning to Reality… Twice&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This year didn’t go according to plan. We originally scheduled earlier in the year, but severe winter weather forced us to postpone. That meant reworking logistics, speakers, sponsors, and communications—and effectively planning the entire event twice.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;It reinforced a core reality: flexibility isn’t optional. Despite the reset, we still brought together ~300 attendees across two days. If anything, the delay strengthened engagement and commitment from the community.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Expanding to a Two-Day Model&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;One of the biggest changes this year was introducing a two-day format:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Day 1:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Paid, hands-on workshops&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Day 2:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Traditional Community Days sessions&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The goal was to create more depth. Instead of only 60-minute sessions, we introduced half-day workshops across topics like M365 administration, Power Platform, AI/Copilot, and security.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;145 workshop registrations across six sessions&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Multiple sessions sold out&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Additional revenue to offset costs and support a charitable partner&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;But the biggest takeaway wasn’t revenue. Attendees want less PowerPoint and more hands-on learning. That’s especially true in fast-moving areas like AI.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Rethinking the Event Format&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We made a deliberate decision to skip a keynote entirely. Instead, we:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Sent attendees directly into sessions&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Kicked things off with a short Teams broadcast&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Used live polling to capture real-time audience interests&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This gave speakers immediate insight into what attendees cared about—and the ability to adapt on the fly. The result was simple: engagement started earlier and stayed higher.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;The Venue Shapes the Experience&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We hosted at a Microsoft Innovation Hub in the DC metro area, and it made a noticeable difference. This wasn’t just a venue—it added to the experience:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Immersive technology demos&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Guided tours&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;A more modern, interactive environment&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The right venue doesn’t just support your event—it enhances it.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;A Community-Driven Speaker Model&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The speaker lineup reflected the breadth of the community:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MVPs, MCTs, and Microsoft employees&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;First-time speakers alongside experienced presenters&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Attendees ranging from students to seasoned professionals&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We had &lt;STRONG&gt;eight first-time speakers&lt;/STRONG&gt;, which is something we actively prioritize.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Community events shouldn’t just showcase experts—they should help create them.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img&gt;Group photo of the organizers, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers taken from the Speaker Dinner at M365 Community Days DC 2026.&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;When Things Break, the Community Steps Up&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Not everything went smoothly. In one instance, a speaker didn’t show up for a full session. Instead of canceling, members of the community stepped in and delivered the session collaboratively. It turned into one of the most engaging sessions of the event.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;It reinforced something important: community isn’t just who&amp;nbsp;&lt;SPAN style="color: rgb(30, 30, 30);"&gt;attends—it’s who steps up.&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img&gt;The hallway track looking down sponsor alley.&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Designing for Connection, Not Just Content&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sessions are only part of the value. The real impact happens in the hallway track—the conversations between sessions, the introductions, the relationships.&amp;nbsp;We designed intentionally for that:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;A custom &lt;STRONG&gt;selfie station app&lt;/STRONG&gt; with a live photo wall&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Live polling&lt;/STRONG&gt; in the kickoff&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;An &lt;STRONG&gt;Ask the Experts&lt;/STRONG&gt; lounge for 1:1 conversations&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Networking activities like bingo and sponsor engagement&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Social experiences including rooftop lunches and speaker events&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;These aren’t extras. They’re essential. They turn an event into something people remember.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Designing for Every Type of Attendee&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Not everyone engages the same way, especially at their first event. We focused on lowering the barrier to participation, offering multiple ways to engage, and helping people move from passive to active involvement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This matters for first-time attendees, career changers, and those who don’t naturally jump into a room and speak up. Small design decisions can make a big difference in whether someone just attends—or feels like they belong.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Real Moments Matter More Than Perfect Plans&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Some of the most impactful parts of the event weren’t planned:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;An attendee who found a new career through the community—and now runs events herself&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;A first-time speaker who transitioned from musician to developer&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;A session that turned into an improvised, community-led experience&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;These moments stand out more than any agenda. Community events are catalysts—they create momentum beyond the event itself.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Powered by Volunteers and the Community&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Behind the scenes, the event was powered by about 20 volunteers, community organizers and leaders, and sponsors and returning partners. We also leaned heavily on community-built tools for scheduling, polling, and engagement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This didn’t just reduce costs—it reinforced ownership. People weren’t just attending. They were part of building the experience.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Final Thoughts&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;M365 Community Days DC reinforced something simple: the best events aren’t just well-executed—they’re community-powered. And a big part of that lives in the hallway track. The conversations between sessions, the introductions, the moments of encouragement, and the relationships people build are just as important as the content on stage. That’s part of what makes experiences like this matter to MGCI. When we design for connection, not just sessions, and create space for people to participate, we create more than a successful event—we create momentum that lasts.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;If you’re building events in your own region, I hope these lessons help. And if your community has found other ways to create connection, encourage participation, or turn attendees into contributors, I’d love to see those ideas continue to spread across MGCI.&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 16:43:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/building-community-first-events-lessons-from-m365-community-days/ba-p/4521654</guid>
      <dc:creator>PMcGown_MVP</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-22T16:43:52Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Learn along with your community peers!</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4519444#M146</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Join Host&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (&lt;STRONG&gt;#MGCI&lt;/STRONG&gt;) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Agenda:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI Program updates&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Topic: Community Spotlight: M365 DC Community Days&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker&lt;/STRONG&gt;:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Patrick McGown&lt;/A&gt;,&lt;STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;Microsoft MVP, CEO at Cloudwell, and MGCI Regional Leader&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;Patrick McGown and Heather Cook&lt;/STRONG&gt;, for a behind‑the‑scenes retrospective on planning and delivering&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;M365 Community Days DC 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;, a two‑day, community‑driven conference held May 14–15 at the Microsoft Innovation Hub in Arlington, VA.&lt;BR /&gt;Patrick will share real‑world lessons learned from organizing the third annual event - bringing together Microsoft MVPs, Regional Directors, Microsoft employees, and local professionals for hands‑on workshops, breakout sessions, and unconference discussions across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR /&gt;Whether you're running a user group or scaling a regional conference, this session will highlight practical tips, creative ideas, and community‑first approaches to help you plan events that spark connection, learning, and lasting impact.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 May 19 ⏰ 5:10 PM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener" aria-label="Link https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Post-event all meetings are available on demand.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 May 2026 03:56:05 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/learn-along-with-your-community-peers/ec-p/4519444#M146</guid>
      <dc:creator>EmilyHove</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-28T03:56:05Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI Newsletter Late April / Early May 2026</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-late-april-early-may-2026/ba-p/4516347</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hi MGCI Members!&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;As April wraps up, we’re energized by another strong MGCI General Session and the continued momentum we’re seeing across global community events. From student-led innovation to Copilot-focused learning and large-scale community-led conferences, there are more ways than ever to learn, connect, and participate.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Let’s take a look at what just happened and what’s coming up next.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;✅ Recently Wrapped: MGCI Monthly General Session&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Global Community Initiative General Session – April 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Topic:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Microsoft Student Ambassadors Program&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Heather Cook&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker:&lt;/STRONG&gt; Tracey Salem, Sr. Learning Manager, Global Skilling, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;This month’s session spotlighted the &lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Student Ambassadors program&lt;/STRONG&gt;, a global community of students learning, building, and leading with Microsoft cloud and AI technologies. Tracey Salem shared fresh perspectives on how Student Ambassadors are bringing real energy into the ecosystem, from campus innovation to grassroots community engagement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;If you missed the session live, recordings will be available on demand through the MGCI learning hub.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Join the conversation &amp;amp; access sessions:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Live and on demand: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI updates &amp;amp; reminders: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Learn more about MGCI: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;🌍 Recent Community Event Highlights&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;H3 class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;🎢 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/M365Conf-CDO" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Microsoft 365 Community Conference 2026 | Orlando&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;April 21–23, 2026 | Orlando, Florida&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;The Microsoft 365 Community Conference 2026 brought the global Microsoft community together in Orlando for an in‑person, community‑driven learning experience focused on Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, Viva, security, and modern collaboration. The event featured sessions and workshops led by Microsoft engineers, product leaders, MVPs, and experienced practitioners, with a strong emphasis on real‑world scenarios and practical guidance. Beyond formal sessions, the conference created space for community meetups, roundtables, and informal conversations that strengthened connections across organizers, speakers, and attendees.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3 class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;🎨 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/ColorCloud-CDO" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | ColorCloud 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;April 15–17, 2026 | Hamburg, Germany&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;ColorCloud 2026 returned to Hamburg as a community‑led Microsoft Business Applications conference covering Dynamics 365, the Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, and AI. Sessions were delivered in both German and English, supporting a diverse European audience. The event combined hands‑on learning, expert insights, and customer stories with a strong focus on collaboration and community connection. ColorCloud continues to stand out for its creative atmosphere, bringing together consultants, developers, and business leaders to exchange practical knowledge and ideas.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3 class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;🤖 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDaysCoPilotEurope-CDO" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Copilot Community Conference Europe 2026&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;April 14, 2026 | Virtual&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;The Copilot Community Conference Europe 2026 was a free, fully virtual community event focused on Microsoft Copilot and AI‑powered productivity. The conference brought together users, administrators, developers, and adoption leaders from across Europe to share real‑world experiences and best practices. Sessions spanned Copilot for Microsoft 365, AI in the modern workplace, extensibility and development scenarios, governance and compliance considerations, and business adoption strategies. Designed to be accessible and practitioner‑focused, the event emphasized learning, exchange, and community connection in a rapidly evolving Copilot landscape.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;🗣️&lt;STRONG&gt; Upcoming&lt;/STRONG&gt; &lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Monthly General Sessions&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;MGCI General Sessions continue every &lt;STRONG&gt;3rd Tuesday of the month&lt;/STRONG&gt;, hosted in two time slots (AM and PM) to support our global community.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Coming in May:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;Join&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Patrick McGown&lt;/A&gt; and &lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;, for a behind‑the‑scenes retrospective on planning and delivering&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;M365 Community Days DC 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;, a two‑day, community‑driven conference held May 14–15 at the Microsoft Innovation Hub in Arlington, VA.&lt;BR /&gt;Patrick will share real‑world lessons learned from organizing the third annual event - bringing together Microsoft MVPs, Regional Directors, Microsoft employees, and local professionals for hands‑on workshops, breakout sessions, and unconference discussions across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR /&gt;Whether you're running a user group or scaling a regional conference, this session will highlight practical tips, creative ideas, and community‑first approaches to help you plan events that spark connection, learning, and lasting impact.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 May 19 | ⏰ 8:10 AM PT | 👉 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 May 19 | ⏰ 5:10 AM PT | 👉 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-Events" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Check out all upcoming events:&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table border="1" style="width: 100%; height: 139.2px; border-width: 1px;"&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.0371%" /&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.0371%" /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Date&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Topic&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;May 19&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Community Spotlight:&amp;nbsp;M365 Community Days DC&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Jun 16&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Driving Outcomes with Sponsorship&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Jul 21&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Community Spotlight (to be announced)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;If you have ideas, feedback, or want to join as a guest speaker, we’d love to hear from you:&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2 class=""&gt;👩‍🏫 Upcoming Event Trainings&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-Events" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Check out all upcoming and past calls and events&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table border="1" style="width: 100%; height: 139.2px; border-width: 1px;"&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50%" /&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50%" /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Date&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Topic&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;May 28&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Event &amp;amp; Committee Planning&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Jun 25&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;How to Find and Select Speakers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;Jul 30&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td style="height: 34.8px;"&gt;FOOD! Meals, Snacks, and Beverages&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;If you have ideas, feedback, or would like to join us as a Guest Speaker to share your event tips &amp;amp; tricks, complete the form here👉 &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;🌐 Community Days: Explore Upcoming Events&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;The community never sleeps and CommunityDays.org continues to be the best place to discover events happening worldwide, submit your own event, or explore active Calls for Speakers.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Check out events coming up in May:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/CommunitySummitRoadShowChicago" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Community Summit Roadshow Chicago&lt;/A&gt; - May 5-6&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/AMPDayLux" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AMP Day Luxembourg 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 7&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/Cognition-Tunis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | CognitionX - Tunis&lt;/A&gt; - May 8-9&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/M365Philly" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | M365 Philly 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 8&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/AICD-Tunis" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AICD TUNIS&lt;/A&gt; - May 9&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/DynamicsCon2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | DynamicsCon 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 12-15&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/M365CommDaysDC" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | M365 Community Days DC 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 14-15&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/M36516th" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | MN M365 16TH BI-ANNUAL SPRING WORKSHOP DAY&lt;/A&gt; - May 15&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MSAzureInfraSummit2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Microsoft Azure Infra Summit 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 19-21&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/SWOOPEMEA" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | EMEA | SWOOP Analytics SharePoint Intranet Festival 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 20&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/SWOOPAMER" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AMER | SWOOP Analytics SharePoint Intranet Festival 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 20&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/SWOOPAPAC" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | APAC | SWOOP Analytics SharePoint Intranet Festival 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 20&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/DynamicsMinds2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | DynamicsMinds 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 25-27&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/UpdateConfKrakow2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Update Conference Krakow 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 27-28&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/AMPStrasbourg2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | AMP Day Strasbourg 2026&lt;/A&gt; - May 27&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/AusDigitalWP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days | Australian Digital Workplace Conference&lt;/A&gt; - May 28-29&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;🔗 Browse all events:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;💙 #CommunityLuv Spotlight&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Comes Together in Orlando&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;Community grows through action and that was on full display when MGCI members, board leaders, and community organizers came together in person at the &lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft 365 Community Conference 2026 in Orlando&lt;/STRONG&gt;. Throughout the week, MGCI showed up across general sessions, meetups, roundtables, and informal gatherings, creating opportunities for connection beyond the agenda. From hallway conversations and community meetups to shared celebrations and learning moments, the Orlando conference reinforced what MGCI is built on: relationships, shared experiences, and the power of bringing people into the room together.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;These in‑person moments, alongside our virtual sessions throughout the year, continue to strengthen how community leaders collaborate, support one another, and carry ideas back to their local and regional communities.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-indent-padding-left-60px"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;Closing&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;When you bring someone new into the room, you expand what’s possible.&lt;BR /&gt;When you share what you learned, you strengthen someone else’s event.&lt;BR /&gt;When you collaborate across communities, momentum becomes movement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;We’re grateful to be building this together.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;Your Board Officers&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Global Community Initiative&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 04 May 2026 15:06:31 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/mgci-newsletter-late-april-early-may-2026/ba-p/4516347</guid>
      <dc:creator>Jennifer-Mason</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-04T15:06:31Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Foro Estratégico en Ciberseguridad Nodo Binacional MGCI.</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/foro-estrat%C3%A9gico-en-ciberseguridad-nodo-binacional-mgci/m-p/4516478#M63</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;MGCI Nodo Binacional: Talleres Técnicos de Ciberseguridad.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Descripción:&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;¿Buscas fortalecer tus habilidades técnicas con herramientas de Microsoft? Este foro es el centro de operaciones para nuestros próximos talleres de capacitación.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Este espacio ofrece recursos exclusivos, noticias de la comunidad y un calendario de eventos virtuales para Mujeres México. Aprende sobre defensa de amenazas, identidad y cumplimiento desde una perspectiva, científica y certificada.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Este es un espacio de la Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) diseñado para que pases de la teoría a la práctica.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;¿Qué encontrarás aquí?&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Anuncios de próximos talleres.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Guías de estudio para certificaciones mas.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Networking con otros profesionales del sector en México.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Bienvenidos.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Iniciamos el camino en Ciberseguridad con MGCI México.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;¡Hola a todos! Es un gusto saludarlos.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Mi nombre es B Aurora Rz Valles, Especialista Certificada por CONAHCYT, Director Regional Mucpaz Binacional Mex-USA Nodo, Red Nacional de Tejedoras de la Patria En El Exterior en Derechos Humanos Internacional y me emociona darles la bienvenida oficial a este foro de la Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) en México.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;He creado este espacio con un objetivo claro: pasar de la teoría a la práctica. Queremos que este foro no sea solo de lectura, sino un centro de entrenamiento donde compartiremos fechas de próximos talleres, laboratorios en vivo y recursos estratégicos sobre el ecosistema de seguridad de Microsoft.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;H6&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Gaceta MUCPAZ Insight Blog | Edición 001/ May/ 2026.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H6&gt;&lt;H5&gt;Impulsando a mujeres inmigrantes desde la tecnología y la construcción de paz&lt;/H5&gt;&lt;P&gt;Desde el programa MUCPAZ (Mujeres Constructoras de Paz), trabajamos para fortalecer el liderazgo femenino y promover comunidades más seguras, resilientes y conectadas. Nuestra misión es acompañar a mujeres especialmente inmigrantes en su camino hacia el emprendimiento, brindándoles herramientas prácticas que les permitan crecer con confianza y sostenibilidad.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;En este contexto, espacios como Microsoft Community y su ecosistema de aprendizaje juegan un papel clave, al facilitar el acceso a recursos tecnológicos, formación continua y redes de colaboración para la comunidad hispanoamericana.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Como Region Binacional estamos comprometidos en apoyar a mujeres que desean iniciar o fortalecer sus negocios, integrando la tecnología como aliada estratégica. Uno de los pilares de este proceso es la&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;seguridad digital&lt;/STRONG&gt;, esencial para proteger tanto su información personal como sus emprendimientos.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;A través de este acompañamiento, promovemos el aprendizaje en áreas como:&lt;/P&gt;&lt;UL&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Alfabetización digital y uso de herramientas tecnológicas&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Seguridad digital y protección de datos&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Uso responsable y estratégico de redes sociales&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Comercio electrónico y plataformas digitales&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Educación financiera para emprendedoras&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Marketing digital con impacto social&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Liderazgo y redes colaborativas&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;LI&gt;Acceso a recursos y oportunidades para mujeres inmigrantes.&lt;/LI&gt;&lt;/UL&gt;&lt;P&gt;El respaldo de comunidades tecnológicas fortalece este camino, permitiendo que más mujeres hispanohablantes accedan a conocimiento, innovación y oportunidades reales de crecimiento.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Creemos firmemente que cuando la tecnología se pone al servicio de las personas, se convierte en una herramienta de transformación social.&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Porque construir paz también es cerrar brechas digitales y abrir oportunidades.&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;#TechCommunity&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;#WomenInTech&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;#DigitalSkills&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;#CommunityImpact&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;#LearningTogether&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sun, 03 May 2026 17:09:54 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/foro-estrat%C3%A9gico-en-ciberseguridad-nodo-binacional-mgci/m-p/4516478#M63</guid>
      <dc:creator>Lider_RegionalMGCI</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-03T17:09:54Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Microsoft Global Community Initiative Newsletter (April)</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/microsoft-global-community-initiative-newsletter-april/ba-p/4510949</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Hi MGCI Members!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;As April moves forward, we hope you’re feeling inspired by the communities you’re part of and the ones growing all around you. From celebrating Women in Tech across the ecosystem to building excitement for the Microsoft 365 Community Conference in Orlando, shared energy and collaboration are fueling MGCI’s global momentum. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up next 🚀&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H2&gt;💗 SharePoint Turned 25&lt;/H2&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Last month a digital event and many in person events around the world celebrated the &lt;STRONG&gt;25th birthday of SharePoint&lt;/STRONG&gt;, to view the digital event check out the link here - &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/SPat25" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/SPat25&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp; Learn about the SharePoint Hackathon that so many of you participated in and get ready to view the upcoming "More than Code" short film. The cover photo is from an on-campus event with the SharePoint product team.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;🌎 &lt;/STRONG&gt;MGCI Regional Leader Update&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Applications for our &lt;STRONG&gt;2026 MGCI Regional Leaders&lt;/STRONG&gt; are under review. Stay tuned - this next wave of leadership is going to help shape how Community Days grows around the world.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="3044" data-end="3084"&gt;🗣️ MGCI Monthly General Sessions&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Our March MGCI General Session showcased the power of &lt;STRONG&gt;Women in Tech &amp;amp; Allies&lt;/STRONG&gt; communities across the Microsoft ecosystem 💜 featuring seven standout organizations creating real pathways for growth, mentorship, and leadership.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;What showed up wasn’t just representation.&lt;BR /&gt;It was &lt;STRONG&gt;momentum&lt;/STRONG&gt; 🚀&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Across these communities, we’re seeing:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;✅ Confidence being built&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🔓 Access being created&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🤝 Collective action taking shape&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;From mentorship‑driven programs to global networking and leadership pathways, these groups are turning connection into opportunity, proving that community isn’t just support.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;It’s a &lt;STRONG&gt;launchpad&lt;/STRONG&gt; for participation and advancement✨&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;If you want to explore how this momentum is turning into real‑world access and opportunity:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📖 &lt;STRONG&gt;Read the blog:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-WomeninTechandAlliesBlog-March2026" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-WomeninTechandAlliesBlog-March2026&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;🎥 &lt;STRONG&gt;Watch the session recording:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-WomenInTechandAlliesRecording" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-WomenInTechandAlliesRecording&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Ready to move from reflection to action?&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;Discover Women in Tech speakers on Sessionize and help build inclusive, well‑rounded events:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;🎤 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MSWomenInTechSessionize" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MSWomenInTechSessionize&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H3&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 &lt;/STRONG&gt;General Sessions: On Deck&lt;/H3&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Don't miss out on our monthly general sessions hosted in two different time slots&amp;nbsp;&lt;EM&gt;(AM and PM)&lt;/EM&gt;. We share the latest news and updates on what's happening behind the scenes at MGCI, as well as what's coming next. Community Members from all around the world get the opportunity to share insights on their upcoming events, current topics, community news, and interactive talks with other members. Mark your calendars now and join us every 3rd Tuesday of the month!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table border="1" style="width: 56.2037%; border-width: 1px;"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Apr 21&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Student Ambassadors - &lt;/STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-salem/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Tracey Salem&lt;/A&gt;, Senior Learning Manager, Global Skilling, Microsoft&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;May 19&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Community Spotlight:&amp;nbsp;&lt;SPAN data-teams="true"&gt;M365 Community Days DC&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Jun 16&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Community Spotlight (to be announced)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Jul 21&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Community Spotlight (to be announced)&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col style="width: 12.8638%" /&gt;&lt;col style="width: 87.1032%" /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 April 21 | ⏰ 8:10 AM PT | 👉&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;📅 April 21 | ⏰ 5:10 AM PT | 👉 &lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgPM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join Tracey Salem for an engaging look at the Microsoft Student Ambassadors program and the vibrant global community of students who are learning, building, and leading with Microsoft cloud and AI technologies. This session spotlights how Student Ambassadors bring fresh perspectives, energy, and new ways of engaging communities - both on campus and beyond. Attendees will come away inspired by what today’s students are doing, and better connected to a broader ecosystem of learners, leaders, and community builders shaping the future together.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="543" data-end="586"&gt;👩‍🏫 2026 Event Trainings&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P data-start="588" data-end="711"&gt;Join our monthly Event Production Training &amp;amp; Office Hours with our Board Members Wes Preston and Sharon Weaver and learn from different leaders, with different perspectives how to run your next event. These are interactive sessions, giving you great insights into organizing community events around the globe.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P data-start="588" data-end="711"&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P data-start="588" data-end="711"&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-Events" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-lia-auto-title="Check out all upcoming and past calls and events" data-lia-auto-title-active="0"&gt;Check out all upcoming and past calls and events&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;DIV class="styles_lia-table-wrapper__h6Xo9 styles_table-responsive__MW0lN"&gt;&lt;table border="1" style="width: 68.0556%; border-width: 1px;"&gt;&lt;tbody&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1101" data-end="1111"&gt;Apr 23&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Run of Show – Day of Event Lessons Learned&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1161" data-end="1171"&gt;May 28&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Event &amp;amp; Committee Planning&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1205" data-end="1215"&gt;Jun 25&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;How to Find and Select Speakers&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1254" data-end="1264"&gt;Jul 30&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;FOOD! Meals, Snacks, and Beverages&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1306" data-end="1316"&gt;Aug 27&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;EM data-start="1319" data-end="1346"&gt;No Meeting – Summer Break&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1351" data-end="1361"&gt;Sep 24&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Event Branding – Graphics &amp;amp; Image Tips&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1407" data-end="1417"&gt;Oct 29&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;Filling Seats! How to Market Your Event&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1464" data-end="1474"&gt;Nov 26&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;EM data-start="1477" data-end="1505"&gt;No Meeting – Holiday Break&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;tr&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;STRONG data-start="1510" data-end="1520"&gt;Dec 24&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;td&gt;&lt;EM data-start="1523" data-end="1551"&gt;No Meeting – Holiday Break&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/td&gt;&lt;/tr&gt;&lt;/tbody&gt;&lt;colgroup&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.072%" /&gt;&lt;col style="width: 50.072%" /&gt;&lt;/colgroup&gt;&lt;/table&gt;&lt;/DIV&gt;
&lt;P&gt;In case you have any ideas, feedback, or would like to join us as a Guest Speaker to share your event tips &amp;amp; tricks, complete the form here👉&amp;nbsp;&lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI-EventOrganizerFeedback&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="543" data-end="586"&gt;🌎 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://communitydays.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Community Days:&lt;/A&gt; check out upcoming events&amp;nbsp;&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The community never sleeps! And this impressive list of events proves exactly that our community is active more than ever before. New events keep getting included on &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;SPAN style="color: rgb(30, 30, 30);"&gt;and you can get your upcoming events listed too! Use this community initiative for all your event needs, like scouting active Call for Speakers, or submitting your own event to get spotted by potential sponsors.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/SPAN&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img&gt;A group of speakers on stage at a community conference in Europe&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="543" data-end="586"&gt;💖 #CommunityLuv: in the spotlights&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/himanshugoil/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Himanshu Goil&lt;/A&gt; (Empowering Local Governments and Businesses to Scale through AI Agents, Automation, and Digital Transformation | TechForGov | IGNA™ | Ignatiuz) traveled from USA to Dubai for the event&amp;nbsp;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AIMaitri" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/AIMaitri&lt;/A&gt; Where AI Meets Community. This beautiful shot was taken during his trip - read the full post here on LinkedIn:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/AIMaitriLIPost" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/AIMaitriLIPost&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;EM&gt;#CommunityLuv&amp;nbsp;&lt;/EM&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img&gt;A man standing on a bridge in Dubai, UAE&lt;/img&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;🌴🎉 &lt;/STRONG&gt;MGCI Is Bringing the Community to Orlando at the Microsoft 365 Community Conference&lt;STRONG&gt; &lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;The &lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft 365 Community Conference&lt;/STRONG&gt; is where community comes together in person.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This year inside the &lt;STRONG&gt;Microsoft Innovation Hub&lt;/STRONG&gt;, organizers, speakers, MVPs, and community leaders will turn hallway conversations into global collaborations through:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;🤝 Informal community meetups&lt;BR /&gt;🗣️ Product roundtables with Microsoft teams and community voices&lt;BR /&gt;⚡ Lightning talks from community experts&lt;BR /&gt;🧭 Guided demo stations&lt;BR /&gt;💻 Hands-on experiences with Copilot+ PCs&lt;BR /&gt;🎙️ Live podcast recordings&lt;BR /&gt;🎂 A SharePoint 25th birthday celebration&lt;BR /&gt;🧱 Build-your-own LEGO figurine stations&lt;BR /&gt;💄 &lt;STRONG&gt;Red Lip experiential moments&lt;/STRONG&gt; inside the Hub (because sometimes showing up boldly is the point)&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;MGCI will be onsite all week connecting grassroots organizers from around the world:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📍 &lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Community Meetup &lt;/STRONG&gt;Tuesday&amp;nbsp;@ 4:15 PM&lt;BR /&gt;📍 &lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Roundtable&lt;/STRONG&gt; Wednesday @ 4:15 PM&lt;BR /&gt;⚡ &lt;STRONG&gt;MGCI Lightning Talk&lt;/STRONG&gt; on the Power of Community&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Expect roundtable conversations that go beyond slides - bringing together Microsoft teams and real‑world community perspectives to share ideas, challenges, and what’s actually working across the ecosystem.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;And don’t miss:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;💬 &lt;STRONG&gt;The Women in Tech &amp;amp; Allies Lunch Discussion&lt;/STRONG&gt; &lt;STRONG&gt;-&lt;/STRONG&gt; April 22! With an executive panel and special guests from across our community, one of the most anticipated gatherings at M365 Conf - designed to spark connection, share experiences, and champion what’s next for women in tech.&lt;BR /&gt;📸 &lt;STRONG&gt;MVP Photo Opportunity&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;BR /&gt;🎬 &lt;STRONG&gt;&lt;EM&gt;More Than Code&lt;/EM&gt; -&lt;/STRONG&gt; SharePoint 25 Documentary Premiere&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Because sometimes the most important thing you take home from a conference…&lt;BR /&gt;is the people you met along the way.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;🎟️ Helping More Communities Join Us in Orlando&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;To support nonprofits and small businesses in our ecosystem, we’re offering a grant program for &lt;STRONG&gt;free or discounted tickets&lt;/STRONG&gt; to the Microsoft 365 Community Conference in Orlando (April 21–23).&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;This program is designed for:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🤝 Nonprofits&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🏢 Small businesses&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;💜 Members of Women in Tech &amp;amp; Allies community organizations&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;✈️ Travel and workshop expenses are not included and supply is limited.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Know an organization that could benefit from building skills in:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🤖 Copilot&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;💬 Microsoft Teams&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;☁️ OneDrive&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;🧩 SharePoint&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Encourage them to apply:&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn more and apply 👉&lt;BR /&gt;https://aka.ms/M365CommunityGrant&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="543" data-end="586"&gt;🌉 &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://build.microsoft.com/en-US/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Microsoft Build&lt;/A&gt;: now shipping!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Find out what Microsoft is building next in Satya Nadella's keynote during &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/MicrosoftBuild" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Microsoft Build&lt;/A&gt;. Hosted in-person and online on June 2-3, 2026 in San Francisco, USA. Connect with the developers community, join interactive meetups and workshops to debug problems with engineers who’ve already solved them. Plus, get direct access to Microsoft and GitHub technical leaders for strategic guidance.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;H1 data-start="543" data-end="586"&gt;&lt;A href="https://build.microsoft.com/en-US/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;👩‍💻&lt;/A&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://globalai.community/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;AI Agent Con&lt;/A&gt;: chapters around the world&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Is Microsoft Build not around the corner for you, or simply impossible to attend due to other reasons? Thankfully, the Global AI Community tours with local events around the world, organized by the community for the community. Check out the list featuring &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/globalaicommunity" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;local chapters across the globe&lt;/A&gt;.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;img /&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;H1&gt;💫 What Happens Next&lt;/H1&gt;
&lt;P&gt;MGCI isn’t powered by programming. It’s powered by participation. The connections made in Orlando and around the globe. The lessons shared through training. The roundtable conversations. First-time speakers stepping forward. That’s how this ecosystem grows. Community doesn’t scale through announcements. It scales through action.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Across MGCI and&amp;nbsp;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/CommunityDays.Org&lt;/A&gt;, we’re seeing organizers connect across regions, share what’s working, and build events that reflect the communities they serve — supported by the tools, training, and resources that make grassroots impact possible.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;When you bring someone new into the room, you expand what’s possible.&lt;BR /&gt;When you share what you learned, you strengthen someone else’s event.&lt;BR /&gt;When you collaborate across communities, you turn local effort into global impact.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;And that’s how momentum becomes movement.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sincerely,&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Your Board Officers&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P class="lia-clear-both"&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Microsoft Global Community Initiative&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 01:29:52 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-news/microsoft-global-community-initiative-newsletter-april/ba-p/4510949</guid>
      <dc:creator>IsidoraKatanic</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-04-16T01:29:52Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>What's new with event sponsors?</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/what-s-new-with-event-sponsors/m-p/4511296#M59</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Are there new sponsors / companies in the Community Days community looking for events to engage with?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are event producers doing anything new and interesting at events to engage with or give opportunities to sponsors?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Do sponsors have suggestions on new ways to engage with event attendees?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Has anyone had success with companies looking to hire as event sponsors? For example, typical event sponsors are service or product providers. I'm wondering if local companies looking for M365 (for example) experts, admins, developers, etc. have had success as event sponsors. Sponsorship levels to have a table and presence at an event are usually much lower than referral or head-hunter fees... (Maybe this is a separate thread...)&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://communitydays.org/event/2026-09-18/m365-twin-cities" target="_blank"&gt;Our event&lt;/A&gt; is getting ready to launch its Call for Sponsors. We're always looking for new and engaging ways to benefit both sponsors and attendees!&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR /&gt;What have you found worked for your event? Or what (as a sponsor) was a great experience at an event?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Thanks!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:43:21 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/what-s-new-with-event-sponsors/m-p/4511296#M59</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-04-14T17:43:21Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>HEY! Why are you here visiting MGCI? Tell us...</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/hey-why-are-you-here-visiting-mgci-tell-us/m-p/4511282#M58</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Greetings!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you looking for information about an event?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you considering hosting your own event?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you trying to find out who else in the community is in your area / region?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Are you looking to get involved with events and groups near you?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;Let us know!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;I'm Wes. I've been involved with M365, SharePoint, and Power Platform events in the Minneapolis, Minnesota (US) for about 20 yrs. I run one of the local @CommunityDays events (used to be called "SharePoint Saturdays"). I'm just one of many folks in the MGCI community here to answer your questions and point you towards the right folks for what you're trying to do.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:10:22 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/hey-why-are-you-here-visiting-mgci-tell-us/m-p/4511282#M58</guid>
      <dc:creator>WesPreston</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-04-14T17:10:22Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Windows 11</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/windows-11/m-p/4510443#M53</link>
      <description>&lt;P&gt;Why can&amp;nbsp; i not install Windows 11 without&amp;nbsp; the installation&amp;nbsp; software first search after driver?&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;&lt;P&gt;/masa55/&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 11 Apr 2026 11:18:18 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-discussions/windows-11/m-p/4510443#M53</guid>
      <dc:creator>7575</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-04-11T11:18:18Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI General Session AM - May 2026</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/mgci-general-session-am-may-2026/ec-p/4509750#M145</link>
      <description>&lt;H4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Learn along with your community peers!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H4&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join Host&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (&lt;STRONG&gt;#MGCI&lt;/STRONG&gt;) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Agenda:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI Program updates&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Topic: Community Spotlight: M365 DC Community Days&amp;nbsp;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speaker&lt;/STRONG&gt;: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmcgown/" target="_blank"&gt;Patrick McGown&lt;/A&gt;,&lt;STRONG&gt; &lt;/STRONG&gt;Microsoft MVP, CEO at Cloudwell, and MGCI Regional Leader&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join &lt;STRONG&gt;Patrick McGown and Heather Cook&lt;/STRONG&gt;, for a behind‑the‑scenes retrospective on planning and delivering &lt;STRONG&gt;M365 Community Days DC 2026&lt;/STRONG&gt;, a two‑day, community‑driven conference held May 14–15 at the Microsoft Innovation Hub in Arlington, VA. &lt;BR /&gt;Patrick will share real‑world lessons learned from organizing the third annual event - bringing together Microsoft MVPs, Regional Directors, Microsoft employees, and local professionals for hands‑on workshops, breakout sessions, and unconference discussions across the Microsoft 365 ecosystem.&amp;nbsp;&lt;BR /&gt;Whether you're running a user group or scaling a regional conference, this session will highlight practical tips, creative ideas, and community‑first approaches to help you plan events that spark connection, learning, and lasting impact.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 May 19 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Post-event all meetings are available on demand.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2026 22:18:46 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/mgci-general-session-am-may-2026/ec-p/4509750#M145</guid>
      <dc:creator>EmilyHove</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-04-08T22:18:46Z</dc:date>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>MGCI General Session AM - Apr 2026</title>
      <link>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/mgci-general-session-am-apr-2026/ec-p/4508878#M143</link>
      <description>&lt;H4&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Learn along with your community peers!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/H4&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join Host&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;for our Monthly Microsoft Global Community Initiative (&lt;STRONG&gt;#MGCI&lt;/STRONG&gt;) General session – and we'd love for you to join the conversation! All are welcome!&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Agenda:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;UL&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;MGCI Program updates&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Subcommittee updates from MGCI Board Members&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;LI&gt;Guest Speaker Topic: All About the Microsoft Student Ambassador Program&lt;/LI&gt;
&lt;/UL&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Host:&lt;/STRONG&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathernewman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Heather Cook&lt;/A&gt;, Principal PM, Microsoft Customer Advocacy Group, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;STRONG&gt;Guest Speakers&lt;/STRONG&gt;: &lt;A class="lia-external-url" href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-salem/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;Tracey Salem&lt;/A&gt;, Senior Learning Manager, Global Skilling, Microsoft&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Join Tracey Salem for an engaging look at the Microsoft Student Ambassadors program and the vibrant global community of students who are learning, building, and leading with Microsoft cloud and AI technologies. This session spotlights how Student Ambassadors bring fresh perspectives, energy, and new ways of engaging communities - both on campus and beyond. Attendees will come away inspired by what today’s students are doing, and better connected to a broader ecosystem of learners, leaders, and community builders shaping the future together.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;📅 Apr 21 ⏰ 8:10 AM PT&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCIMtgAM&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Bring your ideas too! Let’s share, learn, and capture best practices for producing events.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Sign up to receive our newsletter and reminders for our meetings:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCISignUP&amp;nbsp;&lt;/A&gt;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Learn about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/MGCI" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/MGCI&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Post-event all meetings are available on demand.&lt;/P&gt;
&lt;P&gt;Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel:&amp;nbsp;&lt;A href="https://aka.ms/community/learning" target="_blank" rel="noopener"&gt;https://aka.ms/community/learning&lt;/A&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/P&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 22:33:14 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/mgci-events/mgci-general-session-am-apr-2026/ec-p/4508878#M143</guid>
      <dc:creator>EmilyHove</dc:creator>
      <dc:date>2026-05-12T22:33:14Z</dc:date>
    </item>
  </channel>
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