Event Guide - Microsoft at TechCon Chicago 2026
Join us in Chicago for TechCon 365! A premier Microsoft 365 and Power Platform training event featuring expert-led keynotes and sessions across Copilot, AI, Teams, Power Platform, Azure, SharePoint, Purview, and more. Whether you’re new to the platform or a seasoned admin, developer, or power user, you’ll find practical learning tailored to your role and goals. Shoutout to incredible event producers, Sharon Toler and David Wilhelm. Thank you for the partnership, your passion for supporting technical skilling and the community. Microsoft is happy to be a sponsor of this fantastic event. Thank you to the additional sponsors who participate. We’re grateful for everyone in this community who brings their energy and expertise, making this conference a can’t-miss highlight on the tech calendar each year. 101 on TechCon 365 in Chicago What: Microsoft 365 & Power Platform Conference Where: Chicago, IL - McCormick Place South When: June 15 to 19, 2026 Presenters: 130+ sessions, 25 workshops, 2 optional days of workshops to deepen your learning throughout the week. Cost: Register by May 29, 2026, and SAVE $200 of a 5-Day Pass! Price: $850 to $2,995 (there’s something for every budget, check ticket options!) Register today! Registration Savings: Use code MSCMTY to take $200 USD off your registration X & LinkedIn: @TechCon365 | TechCon365 Be Part of What’s Next Get ready for what’s next and learn what you can put into action today. With Microsoft MVPs, MCMs, Microsoft Program Managers, Microsoft Engineers, MCTs, and Microsoft Regional Directors all in one place for the week. Choose from over 150 sessions led by the experts who built the tools and solutions you use every day. TechCon 365 is an event designed to fit your experience level and area of interest. Make It Memorable From inspiring community spaces to special events (yes, including exclusive swag), this is more than a conference, it’s a full experience. Take advantage of Chicago flair and dedicated Community Meetups throughout the week to connect, recharge, and share perspectives with peers who are as passionate as you are. Register today | Note: Use the MSCMTY discount code to save $200 USD off registration. Building Connections Building connections at TechCon 365 Chicago is at the heart of the experience, bringing together a dynamic community of professionals passionate about Microsoft 365 and the future of work. Whether you’re engaging in conversations on the Expo floor or connecting during sessions and meetups, every interaction is an opportunity to learn from peers, exchange ideas, and expand your network. From first-time attendees to seasoned experts, TechCon 365 creates a welcoming environment where meaningful relationships are formed, collaborations take shape, and the community grows stronger together . Key Microsoft Sessions and Activities Keynote: Stepping Up to the Plate: Winning Strategies to Empower Your Team A keynote panel with host Heather Cook and panelists, Bryan Wofford, Charles Lakes II, Liam Cleary, Julie Turner, Shannon Lindsay, Mark Kashman (Wednesday 8:30 AM to 9:40 AM Central Time) In this keynote, you will learn that AI isn’t a solo sport. It’s a team game. It takes communication, trust, shared signals, and a commitment to help the entire lineup succeed. So, whether you’re stepping up to the plate, coaching from the dugout, or helping call the game from the front office, remember: the real power comes when we play as one team. Women in Tech Panel Host: Heather Cook. Panelists: Nisaini Rexach, and more to be revealed (Wednesday, 1:40 PM CT) All individuals, regardless of gender, are invited to join us to celebrate, talk about our progress, and focus on how we can continue to make the Microsoft ecosystem the best in the world for welcoming, mentoring and supporting women. Additionally, we aim to promote allyship and foster inclusiveness within our industry. Microsoft Led Breakout Sessions (Times are in Central Time (CT)) Building Enterprise AI Agents: From Low‑Code Copilot Studio to GitHub Copilot Integration with Minhaj Sahibzada (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Backstage event production with Microsoft 365 Copilot with Heather Cook and Bryan Wofford (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Secure and Govern AI and Agents with Microsoft & Agent 365 with Craig Jahnke and Sophie Ke (Wednesday 11:30 AM to 12:40 PM) Driving productivity with Power BI and M365 with Lada Hill and Lauren Faber (Wednesday 1:40 PM to 2:50 PM) Engage Everywhere: Communities, Events, and Storylines in Teams, Powered by AI with Steve Nguyen (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) How to Get What You Want: The Art of Prompt Engineering for Copilot with Michelle Gilbert (Wednesday 1:40pm - 2:50 pm) Avoiding the “Go-Live Hangover”: Battle-Tested Best Practices for Contact Center Implementations with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Setup M365 for Education: Copilot. Teams & More with Max Fritz (Wednesday 3:30 PM to 4:40 PM) Beyond Compliance: How Accessibility Improves Productivity in Microsoft 365 with Max Fritz (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) From Hocus Pocus to Focus: Contextualize Your Power BI Data with Stephanie Bruno and Shannon Lindsay (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Introduction to Vibing with the M365 Tools Frontier Agents and Power Platform with Ralph Rivas and Craig Jahnke (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) Work Smarter with OneDrive: AI-Enhanced Productivity Across Microsoft 365 with Vishal Lodha (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) The Next Generation of Community Storytelling: Powered by AI with Jonathan Jones (Thursday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI Ready - An Evolutive Approach with Juan Carlos Chipi (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Accessibility by Design: Building Inclusive Experiences with Microsoft 365 and Copilot with Darryl Rowe and Laurie Allen (Thursday 10:40 AM to 11:50 PM) Engage, Learn, Lead: Maximizing Impact with the Microsoft Tech Community with Josh Leporati (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) The Rise of AI Agents: Designing the Platforms That Power Enterprise AI with Marco Salas Robles and Kevin Leal (Thursday 12:50 PM to 2:00 PM) Voice Bots That Work: Designing AI Conversations Customers Don’t Hang Up On with Vinoth Balasubramanian (Thursday 2:10 PM to 3:20 PM) From Data Chaos to Copilot Confidence: Building a Secure Foundation with Purview & SAM with Bryan Wofford (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Extending Copilot with Connectors: Powering Intelligent Agents with Your Data with AJ Goldie (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Why Power BI Copilot Works (and When It Doesn’t) with Sanjay Raut and Dan English (Thursday 4:00 PM to 5:10 PM) Your Copilot Adoption Playbook: Getting Started with Microsoft Adoption Resources with Gina Hoffman and Bryan Wofford (MCAG) (Friday 9:00 AM to10:10 AM) What’s New in the Microsoft 365 Copilot App: Your AI Command Center for Work with Michael Goad (Friday 9:00 AM to 10:10 AM) AI in SharePoint in Action with Bryan Wofford (Friday 10:20 AM to 11:30 AM) Building Smarter Agents: What’s New in Agent Builder and What’s Coming Next with AJ Goldie (Friday 12:30 PM to 1:40 PM) There are over 100 sessions being given by our wonderful community of consultants, business owners, Microsoft MVPs, user group leaders and MGCI Board Members and Regional Directors. Session days and times are subject to change, please see the TechCon Chicago website for the full agenda. Community Activities TechCon 365 Chicago offers a dynamic lineup of activities designed to bring the community together and create memorable, hands-on experiences. The Expo Hall serves as the central hub of energy, where attendees can explore solutions, connect with partners, and discover the latest innovations across Microsoft 365. Interactive spaces like Ask the Experts provide direct access to Microsoft specialists and MVPs for real-time guidance and insights. Networking lunches create a relaxed setting to build meaningful connections. Together, these experiences make TechCon 365 a vibrant, connection-driven environment from start to finish. Microsoft Community Booth The Microsoft Community Booth at TechCon 365 Chicago is a space to connect directly with Microsoft product teams and Microsoft MVPs. Pick up some laptop stickers and giveaway. Learn about community programs and enter to win daily prizes. You’ll find the Microsoft Community Booth in the TechCon 365 Expo Hall We’ll host a meetup and photo for members and those curious about the Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) on Wednesday June 17 th during lunch, get a place and look for the signs, will be close to the Microsoft Community Booth. Join us in the Microsoft Community Booth for a Microsoft MVP photo on Wednesday, June 17 at 1:30pm at the end of lunch. A Few Tips for attendees Review the agenda and map out your must-see sessions Visit the Expo Floor to meet Microsoft teams and partners Join meetups for fresh connections Share your learnings and follow up after the event to keep the networking alive Stay hydrated and dress for comfort Follow TechCon 365 on LinkedIn and X, and use #TechCon365 for updates and community stories. Stay connected on Microsoft channels Microsoft Community LinkedIn Page: https://aka.ms/MSCommunityLinkedin Microsoft Tech Community: https://aka.ms/JoinMTC MSFT Adoption Twitter: https://aka.ms/MSFTAdoptionTwitter Microsoft Adoption Hub: https://aka.ms/AdoptionHub Microsoft Community Learning YouTube: https://aka.ms/community/learning One-Stop Shop for Community Events: https://www.communitydays.org Mondays at Microsoft News Show: https://aka.ms/MondaysatMicrosoft Secure Your Spot! Truly, I hope you’ll join us. Register today and use code MSCMTY for $200 USD off. This is your moment to learn, connect, and be inspired. Mark your calendar for June 15 to 19, 2026 and come make Chicago part of your tech story. We can’t wait to see you there! WOOTWOOT! Chicago is a busy city in the Summer, and there is lots going on that week. The Cubbies are at home, there are tons of musicals, and the Obama Library is opening. 2026 June: Calendar of Chicago's Events | EventGuide Visit Chicago Events from Tuesday, June 16th - Wednesday, June 17th | Choose Chicago Cheers, Heather CookEvent Recap - TechCon Atlanta - August 2025
Reflections on a Week of Innovation, Community, and Microsoft Excellence in the Heart of Atlanta We’ve just concluded an unforgettable week at the Microsoft 365, Copilot / AI & Power Platform Conference in Atlanta, GA, hosted at the Georgia World Congress Center from August 11–15, 2025. This special event, a fusion of TechCon365 and PWRCON, brought together passionate professionals, industry leaders, and a vibrant tech community to explore the very best of Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Copilot, and beyond. Event Highlights 492 attendees 61 Speakers, including 13 from Microsoft. 144 Sessions and 27 Workshops. Atlanta’s signature hospitality and vibrant atmosphere set the tone for an experience that was more than just another tech event—it was a true celebration of learning, sharing, and growth. Workshops & Hands-On Learning Attendees immersed themselves in practical, hands-on workshops designed to go beyond the slide deck. Direct access to Microsoft product teams and some of the brightest minds in the community made it possible to leave with actionable strategies and real-world skills ready to be put to work back home. Keynotes & Special Sessions Microsoft 365 Keynote: The Next Phase: AI Agents, Real-World Impact & Smarter Decisions in the Age of Copilot - with Heather Cook, Principal PM, Customer Advocacy, Microsoft, was joined by Bryan Wofford, Principal PM, Customer Advocacy, Microsoft, Olesya Sarajlic, Data Analyst, Agent Cloud. Olesya covered building agents - one for a healthcare support team and Bryan showed us all the new cool features of Copilot in SharePoint. (a nod to Melissa Torres PM on the SharePoint team who shared demo scripts with Bryan). I love how our teams help each other with building content and demos. Thank you!! I shared our M365 Copilot vision along with three topics close to my heart: 1️⃣ AI-exposed jobs – disproportionately impacting women. We need to get folks skilled, reskilled, and ready for the future. These numbers were a bummer. 2️⃣ Menopause awareness – 1 billion women in menopause as of 2025. This isn’t just a women’s health topic. It’s a workforce, leadership, and community topic. 3️⃣ The 10-10-10 guideline from author Suzy Welch, a decision-making tool my dad, Stan Cook, shared with me years ago that I still use today. Using the new Researcher Agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot, I pulled stats from the 2025 PwC Global AI Jobs Barometer Report (a must read) and generated a 21-page paper in minutes. This will fuel future blogs and content on supporting women in AI-exposed roles and amplifying conversations around women’s health. I also shared how to use Create to build an email header in a flash. It was super fun to build demos of both of these features. A shout out to team member - GPM Stephanie Horn who shared her awesome notes with me on these demos. Thank you! I also used Researcher recently to specifically deal with my own health regarding menopause, my lack of a thyroid, working on weight loss, and simply feeling better. The paper that it created from my prompts and documents about me, and what I should be doing was what inspired me to continue the dialogue on this subject for this keynote. I'll be posting about that experience between me, the agent and my doctors soon. A game changer for me personally. Menopause affects 31% of the population if you do the math - 1.1 billion women, 500 million in a partnership, on average two kids - that is ~2.5 billion people or that 31% of the population indirectly affected by something we don't talk about, we don't study and we don't give enough research funding for - we have to change this and we do that to start by talking about it - a few months ago, I met both Dr. Sharon Malone Grown Woman Talk and Tamsen Fadal who both have excellent books that I also referenced in doing my research. Breakout Sessions With session tracks covering Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Security and One Drive, the conference program truly offered something for everyone. A big THANK YOU to all the speakers who came to support the event. It was AWESOME to have so many Southeast local folks come as well and represent. Much appreciated. Microsoft-Led Sessions: Getting Ready for M365 Copilot with Bryan Wofford & Dave Minasyan Customize SharePoint Lists and Libraries Forms Using SharePoint Framework with Alex Terentiev Understanding the Voice of the Customer with Power BI and Azure Cognitive Services with Olesya Sarajlic & Stephanie Bruno Expanding SharePoint Framework Web Parts in Teams, Office and Outlook with Alex Terentiev Empower Me: Building an AI Agent for Task Automation and Decision Support with Olesya Sarajlic & Victor Cuadros Unlocking AI Governance with Microsoft Purview with Ajay Kallur Build Custom Copilot Solutions with SharePoint Embedded with Reid Carlberg Empowering Community Management with AI and Microsoft 365 with Heather Cook & Bryan Wofford Microsoft Teams: Collaboration and Communication in the era of AI with Connie Welsh Power BI monitoring with Log Analytics Workspace with Akshata Revankar The real Mechanics of AI and how we got here with Bryan Wofford Enhancing Employee Experience with Copilot with Chris L’Hommedieu Microsoft 365 PnP for SharePoint Framework Developer with Alex Terentiev Git Integration and Azure DevOps for PowerBI with Implementing CI/CD with Akshata Revankar Community & Connections Ask the Experts Located at a prime spot on the expo floor, the Ask the Experts station served as a hub for attendees to seek solutions to their toughest questions. Industry experts and Microsoft professionals engaged with participants, providing valuable insights and sparking inspiration along the way. Women in Tech and Allies Lunch A community-driven highlight, promoting support, inspiration, and the power of collaboration in tech. We had ~50 attendees. Host Heather Cook, Principal PM, MCAG and panelists Rie Merritt, Principal PM Manager, Azure Data, Danielle Moon, Sr. Specialist - AI Business Process and Olesya Sarajlic, Data Analyst and Sharee Brockington, Change Specialist, Dominion Energy. Here were the key takeaways: Your degree doesn't define your tech journey From theater major to nuclear physics PhD to dental hygienist, we all found our way into tech through curiosity and saying YES to opportunities we weren't "fully qualified" for - yes, AND! The power of mentorship vs sponsorship Mentors give you concrete steps to improve. Sponsors talk about you when you're not in the room and get you noticed. Have multiple mentors for different needs - formalize these relationships! Allyship is 1000 small actions Amplify others' voices, acknowledge contributions, and pull someone else through the door after you make it through Stop waiting to be "ready Men apply for jobs they can do 40% of, women wait until they can do 60-70%. If you can do half the job requirements, APPLY. AI is your partner, not your competitor Use tools like Copilot to handle the "make this email less angry" moments and free up time for creativity. Microsoft Global Community Initiative Meetup and Community Connections The heart of TechCon365 Atlanta was its community. The Expo Area provided a welcoming space for creative activities, casual meetups, giveaways, and connection. Evening gatherings and the conference networking social event brought energy and joy, sparking both new collaborations and lasting friendships. Looking Forward As we wrap up this incredible week in Atlanta, the spark for innovation and connection remains strong. Thank you to every attendee, speaker, and partner—especially Sharon Toler and David Wilhelm—for making this conference a can’t-miss event on the tech calendar. Mark your calendars for future TechCon365 events and keep the momentum going as you bring fresh ideas and new energy to your work and community. TechCon Dallas 2025 - November 3-7, 2025 We can’t wait to see you again. Until then—stay inspired, stay connected, and keep building the future together. Stay connected on Microsoft Community channels Microsoft Adoption Hub: https://aka.ms/AdoptionHub MSFT Adoption Twitter: https://aka.ms/MSFTAdoptionTwitter Microsoft Community LinkedIn Page: https://aka.ms/MSCommunityLinkedin Microsoft Community Learning YouTube: https://aka.ms/community/learning Microsoft Tech Community: https://aka.ms/JoinMTC One-Stop Shop for Community Events: https://www.communitydays.org Mondays at Microsoft News Show: https://aka.ms/MondaysatMicrosoftBuild your organization’s Copilot skills at TechCon365 in Washington D.C.
With the emergence of Microsoft Copilot, new tools are available to you to measure progress, implement best practices for greatest impact, and drive real value to employees – for the business. We’re working across our teams to ensure we land consistency and focus within the D.C. keynote, breakout sessions, and workshops to Copilot for Microsoft 365 and other generative AI content – alongside the apps and services you love – like SharePoint, Teams, Viva, Power Platform, Fabric, and more.
