How software companies can expand their SMB reach with Microsoft Marketplace and AI
How can software companies turn a Microsoft Marketplace presence into greater customer reach and growth? Explore how Microsoft Marketplace can help software companies connect with more small and medium business (SMB) customers, support scalable sales, and expand into new markets in the age of AI. The article highlights Ntegral’s evolution from a traditional systems integrator to a software company with more than 300 enterprise solutions and deployments in more than 150 countries. You’ll also get a preview of what Ntegral President and CTO Dexter Hardy will bring to Ultimate Partner LIVE Reston, including practical perspectives on building beyond a Marketplace listing, developing pipeline, reaching SMB customers, and incorporating AI into a broader growth strategy. Read the full article to discover how Marketplace, AI-powered innovation, and an SMB-focused product strategy can work together to create new opportunities for software companies. 👉 Explore now: How software companies can reach more SMB customers through Microsoft Marketplace in the age of AIMarketplace trainings and events calendar (updated 10/9/26)
-Welcome to our calendar for accessing upcoming Marketplace trainings and events, along with links to recent resources. This page is a go-to resource for discovering training sessions and events designed specifically for software development companies related to Microsoft Marketplace. Whether you’re building innovative solutions or publishing to the commercial marketplace, you’ll find content to help you stay ahead in today’s fast-moving tech landscape. We’ve organized dedicated areas for partners and customers, making it easy to find sessions most relevant to your needs. Some events are upcoming, while others are past recordings that remain valuable for learning and growth. This page is updated frequently with new opportunities. Be sure to subscribe for notifications; instructions are provided at the bottom of this post. Explore the upcoming AI events below, revisit past sessions, and feel free to comment with any questions. ****Sessions updated as of 10/9/2026**** Partner and Channel Partner sessions Recorded Partner Office Hour Sessions Date Area Title Description Link 10/7/26 (US) 10/8/26 (HKT) Regional session Multiparty private offers: Channel growth in Hong Kong Explore multiparty private offers in Hong Kong and learn how Microsoft Marketplace can accelerate channel-led sales and growth. View the recording 10/7/2026 Guest office hour Marketplace co-sell playbook: From co-sell ready to closed-won Join this partner-focused session with speaker Kevin Flitcroft of Spektra Systems to learn how successful organizations turn co-sell opportunities into closed-won business. View the recording 9/10/26 Partner session How leading partners drive co-sell success with Marketplace Learn how successful software companies use Microsoft Marketplace to expand reach, strengthen co-sell relationships, and drive repeatable revenue growth. Join Reis Barrie of Carve Partners for insights into building Marketplace momentum and creating co-sell opportunities across the Microsoft partner ecosystem. View the recording 08/06/2026 (JAPAN) Regional session Multiparty private offers through Marketplace: channel growth in Japan Discover how multiparty private offers can help software companies and channel partners pursue new channel-led growth opportunities in Japan. This session conducted in Japanese explains the deal flow, eligibility requirements, first steps, and customer value including how eligible purchases can contribute toward Azure consumption commitments. View the recording 07/15/2026 (AUS) Regional session Multiparty private offers through Marketplace: channel growth in Australia Microsoft Marketplace offers multiple ways for partners to work together and grow through the channel. With multiparty private offers launching in Australia on July 16, alongside resale enabled offers, join us to learn how can you can activate channel-led sales. View the recording ********** FY26 ********** 06/17/26 Office Hour The Marketplace playbook for channel-led sales Get a practical playbook for scaling channel-led sales through Microsoft Marketplace, including how to recruit and activate partners using resale-enabled offers and multiparty private offers. Learn proven best practices, go-to-market resources, and real-world lessons. View the recording 05/19/26 Office Hour Multi-currency private offers in Microsoft Marketplace Join a practical walkthrough to learn how multi-currency transaction are managed through Marketplace. Gain confidence in creating private offers in local currency and get foundational knowledge to support sales of resale enabled offers. View the recording 05/07/26 Partner Session Turning co-sell readiness into real Microsoft Marketplace revenue Join Clazar as they share insights on how to be co-sell ready and how to translate it into a meaningful pipeline and an active, revenue generating partnership with Microsoft sellers. View the recording 4/28/26 Partner Session Maximize selling with Microsoft and Marketplace ROI Join us as WorkSpan shares real workflows used by partners who have closed over $5B in co-sell revenue with Microsoft. Learn best practices for navigating selling end-to-end with Microsoft. View the recording 04/15/26 Office Hour Seamless private offers: From creation to purchase and activation Join this Partner Center walkthrough of private offer execution from creation to customer purchase to partner activation View the recording 04/02/26 Partner Session Why Azure belongs in your multi-cloud strategy Tune in to hear WeTransact share when and why Azure should be part of your strategy. Find out how to replicate solutions for Azure. Hear why Marketplace-aligned companies are able to move quickly using Microsoft tools, funding, and incentives. View the recording 03/24/26 Partner Session Best practices for scaling Marketplace channel-led sales Join guest speaker team from Tackle as they walk through opportunities to scale partner driven revenue. Hear how to activate channel opportunities using multiparty private offers and learn when to leverage resale-enabled offers to expand partner reach. View the recording 03/18/26 Office Hour (Partner) Build, publish, and optimize Marketplace offers with App Advisor Learn what App Advisor is, how it works, and how it can help partners accelerate Marketplace offer creation. Live demo walk through; validating value to publishing and optimizing your listing. View the recording 03/11/26 Partner Session AI-powered automation for Marketplace private offers and IP co-sell Learn from guest speaker Jon Yoo, Suger, how software development companies can use AI-powered automation to simplify buying through Microsoft Marketplace, streamline private offers, and optimize co-selling opportunities. View the recording 02/25/26 Partner Session Inside Azure IP co-sell: What high-performing software developers do differently Get an inside look at the signals Microsoft uses to evaluate Marketplace and Azure IP co-sell readiness with insights from Barbara Treviño of Labra. Learn what top software companies do differently to accelerate approvals and boost GTM impact. View the recording 02/18/26 Office Hour (Partner) How to build a Microsoft Marketplace channel practice Building a successful Marketplace practice takes the right people, process, and strategy working together. Learn how top performing partners organize their teams across alliances, operations and leadership View the recording 1/21/26 Office Hour (Partner) Microsoft Partner Center reporting Get to know the Partner Center Insights and Earnings workspaces. Walk through Earnings, Customer, Order, Usage and Revenue reports. View the recording 12/18/25 Office Hour (Partner) Introducing resale enabled offers Explore resale enabled offers through Microsoft Marketplace. View recording 12/04/25 Partner Session AI-powered acceleration: scale faster on Microsoft Marketplace Go beyond listing basics and explore how Microsoft Marketplace can act as a strategic revenue engine. View recording 11/04/25 Partner Session How to structure your Microsoft Partner Center account for long-term success Learn best practices for setting up your Partner Center account for operational and marketplace success. View recording 08/28/25 Office Hour (Partner) Certified software designations: FY26 benefits updates Overview of certified software designations and FY26 benefit updates. View recording Recorded Customer Office Hour sessions Date Area Title Description Link 09/2/2026 Office Hour (Customer) Evaluate and buy solutions with Microsoft Marketplace Help customers evaluate and buy solutions with greater confidence. This Microsoft Marketplace session explores intelligent discovery, free trials, private offer requests, flexible contract durations, and practical ways partners and sellers can create purchasing arrangements aligned to customer priorities. View the recording 07/29/2026 Office Hour (Customer) Accelerating AI development with Microsoft Marketplace Learn how Microsoft Marketplace helps software development companies simplify procurement, streamline integration, and access AI models and developer tools through a single platform. Find out how to accelerate time to market, enhance operational efficiency and scale customer reach across Azure, Microsoft 365, and the Microsoft global partner ecosystem. View the recording ********** FY26 ********** 06/24/26 Office Hour (Customer) Microsoft Marketplace as FinOps platform Learn how Marketplace can help organizations simplify procurement, centralize billing, and better align software investments to optimize cloud and AI spend. Discover actionable strategies to improve cost visibility and ROI and leverage Marketplace as a key component of your FinOps approach. View the recording 05/28/26 Office Hour (Customer) Dragon Copilot AI apps and agents in Microsoft Marketplace Healthcare organizations discover how Dragon Copilot can help accelerate time to value by connecting with trusted partner solutions that streamline workflows and embed AI directly into daily operations. View the recording 04/29/26 Office Hour (Customer) Using Microsoft Marketplace to optimize Azure spend For organizations with an Azure cloud commitment Microsoft Marketplace can be a powerful tool for optimizing how the spend is used. Explore how your organization can leverage its Azure commitment to support software investments through Microsoft Marketplace. View the recording 03/25/26 Office Hour (Customer) Charting your AI strategy for manufacturing with Marketplace Build, buy, or blend? Gain the insights you need as a manufacturer to scale AI apps and agents across the factory floor using Microsoft Marketplace. Hear about practical manufacturing scenarios View the recording 02/25/26 Office Hour (Customer) Accelerate AI adoption through Microsoft Marketplace Explore practical AI use cases available through Microsoft Marketplace - from prebuilt AI apps and agents to AI-powered solutions that simplify deployment. View the recording 01/28/26 Office Hour (Customer) Optimize cloud cost and performance Learn proven strategies to accelerate time-to-value for cloud and AI investments using Microsoft Marketplace. View the recording 12/11/25 Office Hour (Customer) Chart your AI app and agent strategy Insights into build, buy, or blend approaches for AI apps and agents using Microsoft Marketplace. View recording 07/30/25 Office Hour (Customer) FinOps and the Microsoft Marketplace Learn how Microsoft Marketplace supports FinOps practitioners and accelerates AI transformation. View recording Subscribe to this post If you're not already a Tech Community member, create an account at techcommunity.microsoft.com. Select Subscribe from the three‑dot menu in the upper‑right corner of this post. Under Notification Settings, choose to be notified of edits and comments, and select whether you'd like updates immediately, daily, or weekly (weekly recommended). You can also subscribe to the entire Marketplace Community via the Marketplace Community homepage. ``ESPC Microsoft 365 and AI 2026 Event Guide
Event at a Glance ESPC is Europe's premier Microsoft 365 and AI conference. It brings together IT professionals, business leaders, developers, architects, partners, MVPs, community leaders, and Microsoft experts to learn, connect, and explore the latest innovations across Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, and more. Microsoft is a lead partner and headline sponsor, using ESPC as a key opportunity to engage with customers, partners, and the Microsoft community. Dates: November 30 - December 3, 2026 Location: RAI Amsterdam, Netherlands Venue: RAI Amsterdam, Europaplein 24, 1078 GZ Amsterdam, Netherlands (Entrance C) Hashtag: #ESPC26 Microsoft Role: Headline Sponsor Sessions: 35+ Microsoft-led Speakers: 100+ (MVPs, RDs, Microsoft and community members) Why Attend ESPC 2026? ESPC is where the Microsoft community comes together to learn, connect, and shape what’s next. From Microsoft keynotes and product-maker sessions to hands-on demos, community meetups, and networking opportunities, attendees gain direct access to the people building the technologies they use every day. ESPC is known for its welcoming community atmosphere, making it easy to learn from peers, share ideas, and build meaningful professional relationships. Learn from Microsoft - Hear directly from Microsoft leaders, engineers, product makers, and customer experience experts as they share the latest developments across Microsoft 365, Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Security, Fabric, Azure, and AI. Explore What's New in AI and Copilot - Discover how organizations are adopting AI, deploying Copilot, building agents, and transforming productivity. Gain practical guidance, real-world insights, and technical knowledge you can take back to your team. Get Hands-On with Innovation - Visit the Microsoft Innovation Hub to experience live demos, engage with product experts, explore new capabilities, and participate in interactive experiences designed to help you learn by doing. Connect with the Community - Meet MVPs, partners, customers, developers, architects, IT professionals, and community leaders from around the world. Whether in a session, the Community Lounge, a meetup, or a networking event, ESPC creates opportunities to build lasting connections. Return with Actionable Ideas - Beyond inspiration, ESPC focuses on practical learning. Attendees leave with new skills, proven approaches, and fresh perspectives they can immediately apply to modernize collaboration, accelerate adoption, strengthen governance, and drive AI-powered transformation within their organizations Microsoft Presence Microsoft will have a significant presence throughout the conference, including: Microsoft keynotes and product announcements Product makers, engineers, and customer experience leaders Microsoft-led breakout sessions Innovation Hub experience on the expo floor Innovation Stage lightning talks Ask the Expert opportunities Executive engagement activities Women in Tech & Allies programming Community meetups and networking experiences Meet the Microsoft Keynote speakers Jeff Teper, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Apps & Agents Karuana Gatimu, Director, Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration Vesa Juvonen, Principal Product Manager Keynotes Microsoft Opening Keynote | Tuesday, December 1 | 9:00 AM The AI-Powered Enterprise Speaker: Jeff Teper, Executive Vice President, Microsoft Apps & Agents Microsoft's opening keynote will explore how the biggest AI value gains extend beyond individual applications and personal productivity gains. They emerge when organizations connect people, knowledge, business processes, data, workflows, and agents into a unified operating model. You can expect valuable insights into business transformation trends, product innovation, and demos to show how everyday work is evolving. Whether you're a decision maker, business leader, or technology professional, this session will offer practical perspectives on navigating the next wave of digital transformation. Demonstrations Miceile Barrett, Principal Group Product Manager, Michel Bouman, Senior Program Manager, Kendra Springer, Principal Group PM Manager Microsoft Product Keynote | Wednesday, December 2 | 9:00 AM Leading Through Change: Fireside Conversations on AI, Productivity, and Business Transformation Speaker: Karuana Gatimu, Director of the Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration A product-focused keynote highlighting customer adoption, community innovation, and practical approaches for leveraging Microsoft 365 Copilot, agents, and modern workplace technologies. Known for translating complex technology into actionable guidance, Karuana will share practical insights, real-world examples, and best practices that you can take back to your teams. From collaboration and productivity to AI-powered innovation, this keynote will provide valuable inspiration for organizations looking to maximize their Microsoft investments. Closing Keynote | Thursday, December 3 | 9:00 AM Crafting the Next Era of Work with AI and Empathy Speaker: Vesa Juvonen, Principal Product Manager, Microsoft As organizations continue to embrace AI, one question becomes increasingly important: how do we balance technological advancement with human connection? In this keynote, Vesa Juvonen will explore how innovation and empathy can work together to shape the future workplace. Through practical examples and relatable insights, Vesa will share ideas for embracing new technologies while keeping people at the center of transformation efforts. Whether you're leading organizational change, building solutions, supporting users, or exploring ways to work smarter, this session will provide actionable ideas to help you navigate the evolving world of work. Microsoft sessions Tuesday: 10:15-11:15 - Frontier transformation with Microsoft Copilot and Work IQ with John Mighell, Microsoft / Shanna Bosmans, Microsoft 10:15-11:15 - Microsoft Teams: Harnessing agents where work gets done with Matt Slomka, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - Agent 365: Securing, Governing, and Managing the Agentic Enterprise with Sesha Mani, Microsoft / Vinod Kurpad, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - Extending Microsoft Copilot: Understanding Your Options with Vesa Juvonen, Microsoft / Paolo Pialorsi, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - OneDrive: Your Hub for Productivity and Collaboration Excellence (Product Team Overview) with Arjun Tomar, Microsoft / Lincoln DeMaris, Microsoft 14:00-15:00 - Harnessing Connectors to Power Intelligent Agents in Microsoft 365 with Manas Biswas, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Modernize Legacy Systems for the Copilot Era with SharePoint Embedded with Marc Windle, Microsoft / James Eccles, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Copilot Cowork in Action: What It Is, How to Get It & What You Can Do With It with Melissa Hale, Kerv / Daniel Laskewitz, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Giving your office eyes, ears and a brain with Michel Bouman, Microsoft / Matt Slomka, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Build Once, Ground Everywhere: Developing Agents with the WorkIQ API with Shyam Narayan, Microsoft / Yogesh Ratnaparkhi, Microsoft Wednesday: 10:15-11:15 - SharePoint: The Knowledge Platform for Copilot & Agents (Product Team Overview) with Zach Rosenfield, Microsoft / Miceile Barrett, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - OneDrive: Your Hub for Productivity and Collaboration Excellence (Product Team Overview) with Arjun Tomar, Microsoft / Lincoln DeMaris, Microsoft 14:00-15:00 - Secure your Copilot Era: 3Rs you should care: Readiness-Relevancy-Resiliency with Brad Gussin, Microsoft / Kartik Pullabhotla, Microsoft 15:15-16:15 - Unlocking Business Value with Copilot, Agents, and Content Automation with Bryan Wofford, Microsoft / Karuana Gatimu, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - Digital Me: Meet Your Microsoft Scout with TBA, Microsoft 16:45-17:45 - M365 Content Governing Agent powered by SAM. Governing Content at the Speed of AI with Sanjoyan Mustafi, Microsoft / Jill McClenahan, Microsoft Thursday: 11:45-12:45 - How to avoid “(fin)Ooops” in AI: practical tokenomics for Copilot agents with Hanna Engel, Microsoft 11:45-12:45 - MCP in Power Platform: One Year Later – Building Custom MCP Servers with Low Code with Daniel Laskewitz, Microsoft / Mats Necker, MVP, dhino 15:15-16:15 - From Conversation to Action: Building Copilot Apps That Transform Work with Vesa Juvonen, Microsoft / Bert Jansen, Microsoft Community Sessions There are over 100 sessions presented by the Microsoft Community – Microsoft Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs), Regional Directors, Microsoft Global Community Initiative Board Members and Regional Leads, Microsoft Partners and more. ESPC also has a Programme Team that curates all of the content for the event. Thank you Luise Freese, Maarten Eekels, Rik Hepworth, and Chris O’Brien for your curation, partnership and working so hard to architect a fabulous programme for 2026. Learn more about the team here: European SharePoint Conference 2026 | ESPC 2026 Microsoft Innovation Hub The Innovation Hub serves as Microsoft's home on the ESPC expo floor and gives attendees opportunities to interact directly with product teams through demos, conversations, and hands-on experiences. We are excited to announce that Dona Sarkar, Principal CX Program Manager, Microsoft will be leading a learning promptahon workshop in the Ideation Lab. More info and a few other activations with names you know to be announced. Innovation Hub Zones Innovation Stage Lightning talks Live demos Product-maker presentations Demo Stations Microsoft Copilot Copilot Studio and Agents OneDrive & SharePoint AI Adoption Surface + AI Skilling Bar Surface devices with AI integration AI skilling experiences Practical learning scenarios Ideation Lab Interactive workshops Community collaboration Future-of-work discussions Planned Hours Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM Wednesday: 10:15 AM - 6:00 PM Thursday: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM Community Activities Microsoft is partnering closely with the broader Microsoft community to deliver: Community Lounge meetups Ask the Expert activities Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) engagement Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI) engagement Innovation Stage presentations Community networking opportunities Community activities are integrated directly into the Innovation Hub and Community Lounge experience, creating opportunities for attendees to engage with Microsoft leaders, MVPs, partners, and community organizers. Women in Tech & Allies Activities WIT Community Lounge Meetup Calling all Women in Tech and Allies! Join us during lunch on the first day of ESPC to say hello, make new connections, and perhaps find an ESPC show buddy. This is a casual meetup with no formal agenda. Simply pick up your lunch and join us at the tables marked with WITA signs. Date: Tuesday, December 1 Time: 12:45 –2:00 PM CET Location: Community Lounge Inspire Stage breakout Leading with Allyship: Building Inclusive Communities in the Age of AI Date: Wednesday, December 2 Time: 10:15–11:15 AM CET Location: Inspire Stage Hosts: Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft and Femke Cornelissen, Chief AI Transformation Officer, Wortell Panelists: Jayshree Ostwal, MVP, Manager, AI Solution Architect, Avanade, Lindsay Shelton, MVP, Digital Workplace Advisor, Epiq, Merethe Stave, MVP, Chief Customer Officer and Senior Cloud Architect, CloudWay, Onyinye Madubuko,MVP, Senior M365 Consultant, Ergo, Reshmee Auckloo, MVP, Modern Workplace Associate Manager, Avanade Women in Tech & Allies Lunch Shaping the Future Together: Women in Tech and Allies Driving Change Date: Wednesday, December 2 Time: 12:45-2:00 PM CET Location: Elicium 1 Host: Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Panelists: Danielle Moon, Sr. Specialist – AI Business Process, Women in Power Platform, Microsoft, Karuana Gatimu, Director of the Microsoft SCALE Experience Group, AI & Collaboration, Microsoft, Jessie Hwang, Customer Experience Product Manager, Microsoft, Hanna Engel, Cloud Solution Architect | Azure & AI, Microsoft, Dona Sarkar, Chief Troublemaker | Enterprise AI Advocacy, Microsoft, Ioana-Cristina Sbiera, Field Integrated Marketing Manager, Microsoft Microsoft Event Team Executive Producer - Heather Cook, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Content Narrative Lead – Bryan Wofford, Principal Customer Experience Manager, Microsoft Community & Innovation Hub Lead – Jonathan Jones, Customer Experience Program Manager, Microsoft ESPC Organizers Thank you to our event producers: Bridgette Robertson, Partnership Development & Programme Executive, Ella Murphy, Marketing Manager, Joanne Mangan, Product & Partner Manager, John Carroll, Business Development Lead, Katie Boland, Events Administrator, Kevin Monahan, General Manager, Sarah Grech, Events Coordinator, Sean Colleran, Marketing Executive Links and Social Event Resources - ESPC Website Social Media Hashtag – #ESPC26 X/Twitter – ESPC Community LinkedIn – ESPC LinkedIn Instagram – ESPC_Community See you there! ESPC 2026 represents an important opportunity to connect product makers, customers, partners, MVPs, and the broader Microsoft community in one of the most engaged Microsoft ecosystems in the world. Across four days of learning, networking, hands-on experiences, and community-led conversations, Microsoft will showcase the latest innovations in Microsoft 365, Copilot, AI, Teams, SharePoint, Power Platform, Fabric, Security, and Azure while creating meaningful opportunities for attendees to learn, connect, and share what’s next. We look forward to welcoming the community to Amsterdam and making ESPC 2026 a memorable, inclusive, and impactful experience for everyone involved. See you at ESPC 2026. #ESPC26New Resource Available: Event Recap Template for Event Producers
Creating post-event content just got easier. To help Event Producers quickly share highlights, key takeaways, and community impact after their events, we've created a standardized Event Recap template for you to leverage (and/or make it your own) - it is a great way to continue to amplify and thank your speakers, sponsors and volunteers. These templates are designed to save time, ensure consistency, and make it easier to amplify the success of your event across Microsoft channels and social platforms. Simply customize the content with your event details, highlights, and resources, then publish. Whether you're recapping a CommunityDays event, workshop, meetup, or larger conference, the templates provide a great starting point for sharing your event story with attendees and the broader community. Access the templates in the MGCI Event Producer resources and use them as part of your post-event communications workflow. Thank you for helping showcase the incredible work happening across our community programs. https://aka.ms/MGCIResources - Check the Event Producers Playbook and all the templates are there. Let us know below what other templates you would like us to create and post up for download! Cheers Heather Photo from Experts Live NYC, October 2025.Grow channel-led sales in Hong Kong
Explore how software companies and channel partners can reach more customers and grow together through Microsoft Marketplace. This October 8 regional office hour covers multiparty private offers, resale enabled offers, when to use them together, and practical readiness steps. Join at 9:00 AM HKT (5:00 pm PDT October 7 for North America) and strengthen your next co-sell and customer-value conversation with confidence. Learn how to grow through Microsoft Marketplace: Multiparty private offers through Marketplace: Channel growth in Hong KongEvent Recap - M365 Twin Cities 2026
Inside M365 Twin Cities 2026: A Day of Microsoft 365, AI, and Community M365 Twin Cities 2026 connected Microsoft experts, MVPs, partners, and community members for a practical day of learning at Hennepin Technical College. Through keynotes, technical sessions, and direct access to specialists, attendees gained actionable ideas across Microsoft 365, AI, Copilot, Power Platform, and modern work—and strengthened relationships across the regional Microsoft community. Event facts Date: September 18, 2026 Venue: Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park, MN Reach: 530 registrations, 320 attendees, 35 sessions, 38 speakers Event website: Community Days | M365 Twin Cities Event app and social: M365 Twin Cities | LinkedIn Introduction On September 18, 2026, the Microsoft community gathered at Hennepin Technical College, Brooklyn Park, MN for M365 Twin Cities, a community-driven event dedicated to helping professionals navigate the future of work with Microsoft technologies. From AI and Copilot innovation to hands-on technical learning and community engagement, the event delivered a full day of insights, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Microsoft speakers, industry experts, partners, and community leaders came together to share expertise, answer questions, and inspire attendees with real-world examples of how Microsoft 365 and AI are transforming the way people work. The result was an energizing event that showcased both the innovation happening across the Microsoft ecosystem and the strength of the community that helps bring it to life. In a Nutshell M365 Twin Cities 2026 brought together the Microsoft 365 community for a full day of learning, collaboration, and connection at Hennepin Technical College in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. The event featured a mix of Microsoft-led technical and business-focused sessions, Ask the Experts opportunities, and community-driven conversations that helped attendees explore the latest innovations across Microsoft 365, Copilot, AI, Power Platform, data, and modern workplace technologies. Why it mattered M365 Twin Cities created a direct connection between Microsoft product teams, field experts, MVPs, partners, and customers. That access helped attendees move beyond product announcements to practical implementation guidance, candid answers, and lessons from peers facing similar business and technical challenges—particularly around emerging AI and Copilot capabilities. Beyond the content itself, M365 Twin Cities continues to demonstrate the strength of the Microsoft community ecosystem, where knowledge sharing, mentorship, and networking help organizations accelerate adoption and innovation. Key Content & Highlights Microsoft thought leaders and product experts delivered technical sessions focused on the future of AI-powered productivity, Microsoft 365, Copilot, and business transformation. Featured content highlighted how organizations can build entirely new systems of work using AI, agents, and Microsoft platforms. Sessions showcased practical applications, product innovation, and roadmaps that attendees can take back to their organizations. Microsoft led sessions at M365 Twin Cities: Power BI Gotchas - Dan's Dirty Dozen by Dan English Designing for the Future: Apps, Agents, Automation, and Governance in Power Platform by Brian Caauwe The Next Generation of Community Storytelling: Powered by AI by Jonathan Jones What is it like to work at Microsoft? By Liz Sundet Microsoft Community and networking The community experience was a defining aspect of the event. Attendees connected with Microsoft representatives, MVPs, speakers, partners, and fellow professionals throughout the day, creating valuable opportunities for collaboration and relationship building. Community-focused activities, sponsor interactions, speaker meetups, and informal networking conversations reinforced the "Community Luv" spirit that has become a hallmark of Microsoft community events. The event highlighted how community-led learning continues to play a critical role in helping professionals share best practices, discover new ideas, and build lasting connections across the Microsoft ecosystem. What the program achieved M365 Twin Cities successfully delivered a forum where attendees could: Learn directly from Microsoft experts and industry leaders. Explore the latest innovations across Microsoft 365, Copilot, AI, Power Platform, and modern work solutions. Engage in meaningful discussions through expert sessions and Ask the Experts opportunities. Build connections with peers, partners, MVPs, and Microsoft employees. Strengthen the regional Microsoft community through shared learning and collaboration. The result was an event that advanced technical knowledge, encouraged adoption of new Microsoft technologies, and reinforced the value of community-driven learning and networking across the Microsoft ecosystem. Explore our upcoming Community Days events at https://aka.ms/CommunityDays. See you at the next one!Microsoft Ignite: Build the skills customers are searching for
You don’t want to miss out: the right learning experience can turn new technology into practical action. Don’t miss your chance to turn new technology into practical action. As small and medium-sized business (SMB), mid-market, and enterprise customers alike move from AI experimentation to adoption at scale, they’re looking for partners who can effectively embed agents, intelligence, and trust across their businesses. Register for Microsoft Ignite, the weeklong event taking place November 17–20—where you can build expertise that informs customer conversations and solution development. Sessions fill up quickly, so build an agenda today that’s tailored to your goals and leave with practical knowledge you can use to win customers, shape solutions, and grow your business. Register today!Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest - July 2026
In this edition of the Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest, you'll find essential announcements, events, and key updates designed to drive your business forward, accelerate deal closures, and maximize your Marketplace success. Partner Center announcements As we kick off the new fiscal year, we're building upon a quarter that delivered valuable enhancements for both Marketplace partners and customers. We’ve focused on expanding partner-led growth across regions, simplifying SaaS transactions, and helping you improve co-sell outcomes. 🌍 Multiparty private offers expand across EMEA and APAC On May 27, Microsoft Marketplace expanded multiparty private offers to 30 countries in Europe, with availability in Australia, Japan, and South Africa coming July 15. Read the blog to discover how we are enabling new opportunities for channel-led growth through Marketplace. Why it matters Software companies gain more opportunities to reach new customers and drive growth without adding operational complexity. Channel partners differentiate their offerings with vetted software solutions while maintaining customer relationships. Recommended action Microsoft’s Jason Rook breaks down six practical steps to activate your channel strategy through Microsoft Marketplace, helping software companies recruit, enable, and scale partner-led growth. 📗Get the playbook 🌏 Resale enabled offers support expands to New Zealand Microsoft continues expanding channel-led sales opportunities by making resale enabled offers available through Microsoft Marketplace to customers in New Zealand as of May 26. Why it matters Channel partners can create and manage offers directly, without relying on software companies to build bespoke private offers. For software companies, resale enabled offers provide a scalable way to grow through trusted channel partners and expand into new markets. 👉 Learn more 📆 Custom contract lengths As of July 6, custom contract lengths for private offers are generally available. Partners can now create private offers with custom contract lengths of up to 10 years in Microsoft Marketplace. Why it matters Flexibility to better meet customer requirements Ability to configure contract durations from 1 to 120 months Define non-standard contract lengths, like 18 months or 45 months Support for both SaaS and professional services transactions 👉 Read the announcement ⚡ Auto activation for SaaS offers On May 18, Microsoft released the optional auto activation for SaaS offers, streamlining customer's Marketplace purchase and onboarding experience. What’s new Billing and subscription activation can now begin immediately when a customer completes a purchase Partners receive a real-time webhook signal to trigger onboarding Available for both public and private offers Default behavior For existing plans auto activation is off, unless you enable it When creating new plans auto activation is on, by default, unless you disable it Why it matters Reduces friction between purchase and onboarding Improves revenue predictability with immediate billing Enables a faster, more seamless customer experience Recommended action Evaluate your SaaS offers and enable auto activation where it aligns with your onboarding model. Make sure your sales and customer guidance reflect the updated experience. 👉 Learn more 🔔 Improve referral quality to accelerate co-sell deals Microsoft has updated how inbound co-sell referrals are reviewed and processed to improve speed and alignment with Microsoft account teams. What’s changing All referrals are now automatically checked for completeness and quality at submission. To avoid delays, ensure every referral includes: Solution area / play Estimated deal value Estimated close date (valid future date) Clear customer need and business context Customer contact (or consent to share later) Why it matters Submitting complete referrals helps you: Get faster seller engagement Reduce rework and follow-ups Improve acceptance rates Move deals forward more predictably Recommended action Audit your referral submission process and ensure these five fields are consistently included across all deals. 👉 Learn more about managing co-sell opportunities ⚠️ Review: Ensure the right contacts receive important partner communications Now is a great time to take care of digital housekeeping. Microsoft is reminding partners to review assigned Partner Center roles and email configurations to avoid missing critical notifications and account updates. Why it matters Having assigned roles like global admin or billing admin does not guarantee email delivery. If accounts aren’t configured correctly, you and your team may miss time-sensitive notifications. Missing communications can result in missed compliance deadlines or delayed actions that may impact your business. Recommended actions Verify your primary contact email is up to date Ensure role-based accounts can receive emails Add Microsoft system emails as safe senders Review role guidance on Microsoft Learn ✨ Bonus: Sign up for the monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program newsletter to stay informed of updates, incentives, and partner opportunities. It’s an easy way to get partner news delivered directly to your inbox. Events Recent events Marketplace as a FinOps platform Explore how Microsoft Marketplace helps simplify purchasing, centralize billing, and better align software investments to optimize cloud spending. As organizations scale cloud and AI investments, managing spend across tools and vendors becomes more complex. Tune in to learn practical ways to better understand the ROI of your organization’s cloud and AI investments. You will walk away with actionable insights to use Microsoft Marketplace as part of your FinOps strategy 📽️ Watch the recording The Marketplace playbook for channel-led sales Get step-by-step guidance and go-to-market resources to help you recruit and activate partners for channel-led sales through Microsoft Marketplace. Through resale enabled offers and multiparty private offers, software companies can empower partners to sell on their behalf to drive scale, reach new markets, and unlock new co-sell opportunities. In markets where both resale enabled offers and multiparty private offers are available, software companies can also scale through distributors, who can activate their broader channel networks. 📽️ Watch the recording Multicurrency transactions explained As Marketplace adoption continues to grow more partners are navigating sales that involve multiple currencies, local customer invoicing, and evolving seller of record responsibilities. Understanding how currency exchanges impact private offers, partner payments, and customer billing is critical to successfully managing Marketplace transactions across global geographies. 📽️ Watch the recording Upcoming events Channel growth in Australia ⌚Wednesday, July 15 at 9:30 AEST Microsoft Marketplace provides several ways for partners to collaborate and grow through the channel. With multiparty private offers launching in Australia on July 16, alongside resale enabled offers, this expansion helps partners strengthen customer relationships, fuel more partner-to-partner opportunities, simplify transactions, and find new growth opportunities. Leave with practical guidance on how these capabilities work together and how to put them into action. 📆 Save to your calendar MCAPS Start for Partners 📆 Wednesday, July 22 from 7:00 – 11:00 am PDT MCAPS Start for Partners gives software companies an early look at Microsoft’s FY27 priorities, investments, and growth opportunities. Learn how AI innovation and agentic applications are creating new customer demand, discover marketplace and co-sell opportunities to expand reach, and explore strategies to modernize, differentiate, and grow your business in the year ahead. 👉 Learn more and register today 🚀 Closing thoughts The last quarter delivered meaningful platform enhancements to make Microsoft Marketplace easier to scale, faster for customers to discover solutions and transact, and more effective for partners to manage business. 👍 Take the next step Explore new regions for multiparty private offers and resale enabled offers Review your strategy for activation of customer SaaS subscriptions Improve your co-sell submission quality Small changes in these areas can have a big impact on your pipeline, conversion, and overall Marketplace success.Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest - August 2026
What's new in Marketplace Convert more buyers into customers Microsoft recently expanded Marketplace listing capabilities with enhancements to free trials and the introduction of an option to request private offers, giving partners more ways to engage buyers at different stages of the purchasing journey. Customers can now discover and evaluate solutions through expanded trial experiences and transition more easily into paid subscription discussions by requesting custom pricing and terms directly from your Marketplace listings. ✨ Help customers evaluate your solution with free trials What's new On July 23 we announced the release of Marketplace enhanced trial capabilities. Customers can try solutions with confidence with the free trials in Microsoft Marketplace. Trials are available for multiple offer types, including SaaS, Azure virtual machines, Dynamics 365, and Power BI offers. New capabilities include: Custom meter trials: Partners can configure trials for SaaS solutions with metered pricing. Flexible trial durations: Partners can now configure SaaS trial durations from 1 to 180 days. Partner analytics: Partners can access SaaS trial analytics - including free trials initiated, active free trials, free trials converted, free trials not converted, and average trial duration - all within Partner Center Insights workspace. Customer discovery and management: Customers can better discover and manage trials. Upgrade to paid subscription during trial: Customers can upgrade to paid subscription at public pricing any time during a SaaS trial. Why it matters With enhanced trial capabilities in Microsoft Marketplace, partners can run self-service trials that make it easier for customers to try before they buy — whether for metered, per-user, or flat-rate pricing offers. Marketplace gives partners one place to manage trials end to end — from provisioning and mid-trial changes to insights — while improving offer discoverability through improved search, filters, and dedicated trial badges. Recommended action Review your Marketplace offers and trial strategy. For eligible SaaS offers, evaluate whether free trials can help you engage with more qualified buyers, faster. 📖 Learn more about free trials for SaaS ⚡ Customers can now request a private offer on Marketplace What’s new As of July 20, you can add a private offer request option directly on your Marketplace product pages. Customer requests are captured as Marketplace leads in referrals workspace and connected customer relationship management (CRM) integrations you’ve setup. This setting is disabled by default. You can easily activate it for applicable public offers. Why it matters More and more customers are seeking customized contracts and subscription pricing and terms tailored to their individual needs. This simple call to action reduces friction and helps you start the conversation with prospective buyers. Recommended action In the Marketplace offers workspace of Partner Center, update each of your offers for which you provide customers private offers. Enable the Request Private Offer setting and republish the offer. Events Recent events Multiparty private offers expand channel growth opportunities in Australia, Japan and South Africa Multiparty private offers continue to help software companies accelerate channel-led sales through Microsoft Marketplace. This past month, we hosted two region-focused Marketplace office hours sessions designed to help partners better understand local market opportunities, engage distributors and resellers, and scale Marketplace transactions through channel ecosystems in Australia and Japan. Whether you're looking to expand an existing Marketplace motion or explore new geographic opportunities, these sessions will provide practical guidance and market-specific insights to help you grow. See a list of currently supported countries/regions. Check out the recorded sessions: • Channel growth in Australia (English) • Channel growth in Japan (Japanese) Helping developers build, monetize, and scale AI solutions with Marketplace Discover how Microsoft Marketplace helps software companies access AI models and developer tools, accelerate application development, and reach customers through Microsoft's global commercial ecosystem. Learn how to monetize applications and agents without building and maintaining your own commerce and distribution infrastructure. Watch the recording Upcoming events Build AI-powered solutions, monetize through Microsoft Marketplace, and scale revenue through Microsoft expertise, skilling, and investments. Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace is an upcoming unified offering for software development companies to bring AI-powered solutions to market, drive customer acquisition and revenue growth, and scale through Microsoft Marketplace with technical guidance, skilling, and investments aligned to every stage of growth. 📆 Join us on August 26th before general availability to learn about the new offering, benefit alignment, migration guidance, and enrollment requirements. Next steps Turn insights into FY27 success — starting today. Ready to carry the momentum forward from MCAPS Start for Partners? Get everything you need to refine and execute your FY27 strategy in the Partner Activation Zone, including session recordings, ready-to-use playbooks, and tools to start building pipeline. Leverage your Marketplace Rewards benefits Discover use cases and how to leverage your Azure sponsorship. With Marketplace Rewards Azure sponsorships, eligible software development companies can increase sales through Microsoft Marketplace by using the sponsorships for customer deployments tied to Marketplace deals—and to offset infrastructure costs from eligible free trial offers. 📍Review the Marketplace Rewards Azure sponsorship policy guide for the latestMicrosoft Marketplace Partner Digest - September 2026
Marketplace innovations are simplifying every stage of the customer journey. Microsoft Marketplace continues to make it easier for customers to discover, purchase, and manage the solutions that power their businesses. This month, we're highlighting new AI-powered discovery experiences that help customers find and evaluate solutions faster, innovative healthcare opportunities through Dragon Copilot Physician apps and agents, and new capabilities that support procurement, billing, and subscription management at scale. Together, these investments help reduce friction across the customer journey while creating new opportunities for partners to grow through Marketplace. ✨ Find the right solutions faster with intelligent discovery What's new Microsoft Marketplace now includes intelligent discovery, an AI-powered experience that helps customers discover, compare, and evaluate solutions using natural language rather than traditional keyword searches. Customers can describe their business needs in everyday language and receive tailored recommendations, side-by-side product comparisons, and deeper product analysis to support purchasing decisions. Key capabilities include: Use natural language to describe requirements and business goals Automatically identify relevant filters and narrow results Compare solutions side-by-side based on Marketplace metadata Explore solution details using AI-assisted product analysis Move from discovery to evaluation with greater confidence Why it matters Customers increasingly expect AI-assisted buying experiences. Intelligent discovery helps buyers navigate a growing Marketplace catalog more efficiently, reducing the time required to find relevant solutions and evaluate alternatives. This can help partners improve visibility, attract more qualified prospects, and create stronger pathways from discovery to purchase. Marketplace AI offerings continue to grow rapidly, with more than 6,500 AI apps and agents now available in the catalog. Recommended action Review your Marketplace listings to ensure product descriptions, categories, industries, use cases, and solution metadata accurately reflect the problems your solution solves. High-quality Marketplace content helps intelligent discovery surface your offerings to the right customers. 🔎 Learn more about searching and comparing products with intelligent discovery in Microsoft Marketplace ⚡ Help customers align Marketplace purchases of your products with their internal procurement and financial processes What’s new Purchase order management and spend mapping capabilities are now generally available in Microsoft Marketplace, helping organizations associate Marketplace purchases with internal procurement identifiers and financial reporting requirements. These capabilities help customers connect Marketplace transactions to purchase orders, cost centers, departments, business units, and other financial controls. Key capabilities include: Associate Marketplace purchases with purchase orders Map Marketplace spend to internal financial identifiers Improve chargeback and allocation reporting Support invoice reconciliation and procurement processes Increase visibility into Marketplace spending against budgets Why it matters Customers consistently identify invoicing, procurement integration, spend visibility, and financial governance as important considerations when scaling Marketplace purchasing. Helping customers align Marketplace transactions with existing procurement workflows can reduce operational friction and support broader Marketplace adoption. Recommended action Review customer-facing sales materials and deployment discussions to understand how purchase orders, spend mapping, and financial governance capabilities may support procurement, finance, and FinOps stakeholders during the buying process. 📍Learn more about purchase orders and allocating Marketplace spend in Azure portal 🐉Reach healthcare customers through Dragon Copilot What's new Microsoft Marketplace now supports Dragon Copilot Physician Apps and Agents, the first offer type in a planned family of Dragon Copilot offers. Available in the United States, these partner solutions can be discovered and purchased through Microsoft Marketplace, configured through the Dragon Admin Center, and surfaced directly within physician workflows in Dragon Copilot. Key capabilities include: Publish healthcare-focused apps and agents through a dedicated Marketplace offer type Reach healthcare organizations adopting Dragon Copilot and deliver capabilities directly within clinician workflows Utilize Microsoft Marketplace for commerce, discovery, and fulfillment Why it matters Healthcare organizations are looking for AI solutions that fit naturally into existing clinical workflows. Dragon Copilot Physician apps and agents give partners a scalable route to market: solutions can be purchased through Microsoft Marketplace, configured through the Dragon Admin Center, and made available directly within clinical workflows. Recommended action Evaluate whether your healthcare solution could benefit from integration with Dragon Copilot and explore the new Marketplace offer type for physician apps and agents. Learn more about Dragon Copilot Physician apps and agents Events Recent events Announcing Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace is an upcoming Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program offering that guides software development companies to build AI-powered solutions, monetize through Microsoft Marketplace, and scale revenue through Microsoft expertise, skilling, and investments. 📺 Watch the briefing now 🔗 Learn more: aka.ms/FA-for-Marketplace How leading partners drive co-sell success with Marketplace Learn how successful software companies use Microsoft Marketplace to expand reach, strengthen co-sell relationships, and drive repeatable revenue growth. Join Reis Barrie of Carve Partners for insights into building Marketplace momentum and creating co-sell opportunities across the Microsoft partner ecosystem. Watch on-demand Evaluate and buy solutions with Microsoft Marketplace Help customers evaluate and buy solutions with greater confidence. This Microsoft Marketplace session explores intelligent discovery, free trials, private offer requests, flexible contract durations, and practical ways partners and sellers can create purchasing arrangements aligned to customer priorities. Watch on-demand Upcoming events New monthly partner skilling series 📆Beginning Sept. 23, 2026, 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM PDT Microsoft is launching Partnering for Success Together, a new monthly partner skilling series designed to help partners stay up to date on Microsoft's latest investments, go-to-market priorities, and customer opportunities. Hosted through the Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub, each session provides guidance and updates across Microsoft's commercial solution areas, helping partners understand what's new and how to translate announcements into customer impact. Two live sessions will be provided at different times to accommodate global audiences. Register for the first event scheduled September 23 and add future monthly skilling events to your development plan. Register now on the Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub Microsoft co-sell playbook: From co-sell ready to close-won 📆 Wednesday, Oct 07, 2026, 8:30 AM PDT Join this partner-focused session to learn how successful organizations turn co-sell opportunities into closed-won business. Kevin Flitcroft of Spektra Systems shares proven strategies for stakeholder alignment, commercial readiness, Microsoft Marketplace positioning, and customer-focused sales execution. Get the details and add to your calendar Next steps Position your solution for AI-powered discovery The Marketplace experience continues to evolve to help customers discover, evaluate, and purchase solutions more efficiently. By improving how your solution is represented in Marketplace and taking advantage of new Marketplace capabilities, you can increase visibility, engage more qualified buyers, and accelerate growth through Microsoft's commercial ecosystem. Not sure where to start? Get guidance and recommendations through App Advisor.
