Event Recap - European Collab Summit 2026 - Cologne Germany
From May 5 to 7, 2026, the global Microsoft community came together in Cologne, Germany for the European Collaboration Summit 2026, a gathering of innovators, builders, and leaders shaping the future of work. With over 275 sessions spanning the European Collaboration, AI & Cloud, and BizApps Summits, Microsoft’s presence was both expansive and impactful, bringing together product leaders, engineers, and community voices to explore what’s next across Microsoft 365, Copilot, and AI-powered collaboration. ECS By the Numbers 2,800+ attendees 275+ sessions across three co-located conferences 248 speakers from 29 countries across 5 continents 58 Microsoft speakers, 11 Microsoft Regional Directors, and 106 Microsoft MVPs 51 Microsoft-led breakout sessions 3 Microsoft keynotes A Strong Microsoft Presence Across Every Track Microsoft played a central role at this year’s summit with: 3 keynote sessions 50+ Microsoft sessions across all conference tracks These sessions were delivered by product leaders, our community team, and engineering teams, providing both strategic direction and hands-on guidance for organizations navigating AI transformation. From collaboration to cloud to business applications, Microsoft content was woven throughout the event, ensuring attendees could connect insights across the entire modern work ecosystem. Key Themes: AI, Copilot, and the Era of Intelligent Work Across Microsoft’s sessions and keynotes, several core themes stood out. Copilot and AI Agents Take Center Stage From deep dives into Copilot extensibility to real-world scenarios with AI agents, sessions highlighted how organizations can move from experimentation to scale. Attendees explored how Copilot orchestrates information, integrates across Microsoft 365, and enables entirely new ways of working. Microsoft 365 as the Platform for Modern Work Sessions across Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive reinforced how the Microsoft 365 ecosystem continues to evolve into a unified platform, connecting communication, content, and workflows with AI built in. From Productivity to Transformation Keynotes from Microsoft leaders focused on how AI is fundamentally reshaping collaboration, content, and knowledge at scale, grounded in real customer scenarios and practical adoption strategies. Microsoft Keynotes: The Evolution of Agents at Microsoft and Everywhere - Marco Casalaina, Vice President of Products, Microsoft Azure AI Marco set the stage for how Microsoft is pushing the boundaries of AI — from foundation models to production-ready AI at scale — and how organizations can harness Azure AI to drive real business outcomes. The Age of the Agent: AI That Works for You - Julie Koesmarno, Principal Group Product Manager, Microsoft Julie explored how the age of the agent is here today — how AI is moving from a tool we use to a teammate we collaborate with — with live demos by Scott Durow. The Future of AI is Already Here - Adam Harmetz, Vice President of PM, Collaborative Apps & Platforms Adam closed out the Microsoft keynote series, walking attendees through the latest in Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, OneDrive, and the broader collaboration platform — with demos by Dan Holme, Erica Toelle, and Vesa Juvonen. Breakout Sessions: Practical, Technical, and Actionable CollabSummit sessions focused on preparing organizations to fully capitalize on Microsoft 365 Copilot — from technical readiness and adoption frameworks to ROI measurement, governance, and agent extensibility. Sessions dove deep into SharePoint as the knowledge platform for Copilot and agents, OneDrive innovations, Teams as an AI-driven work hub, and the latest Microsoft 365 Copilot capabilities. AI & Cloud Summit sessions gave professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesses a chance to explore opportunities with Azure, Copilot, OpenAI, and Microsoft Foundry — with a clear focus on the impact of cloud adoption and Responsible AI. BizApps Summit sessions spotlighted the Microsoft Power Platform, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Dynamics 365, and citizen development — helping attendees understand how low-code/no-code business applications and unified data are accelerating enterprise transformation. Highlights included: Copilot orchestration and extensibility AI-powered collaboration experiences in Teams SharePoint agents and content management innovation Enterprise AI development and automation scenarios These sessions provided both strategic guidance and hands-on techniques, helping attendees turn emerging AI capabilities into real business impact. Microsoft MVPs and Regional Directors 106 MVPs and 11 Regional Directors led sessions, lightning talks, and Innovation Hub experiences — sharing expertise on Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, Power Platform, Azure AI, and more. Their contributions enriched the community experience and reinforced the spirit of shared learning that defines ECS. Expo City: Where Innovation Came to Life At the heart of the event, Expo City brought Microsoft technologies to life through live demos, partner solutions, and hands-on experiences across Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, and Power Platform. At the Microsoft booth, attendees experienced: A central collaboration hub for 1:1 developer conversations and architecture deep dives The Microsoft Foundry Information Tower, showcasing the Agent Factory and production-ready AI at scale The Microsoft Lounge for deeper conversations on building with Microsoft AI A digital engagement screen with live demos and platform walkthroughs A Community-Driven Experience Beyond the sessions, what truly defined the European Collaboration Summit was its community. With thousands of attendees, from IT leaders and developers to MVPs and students, the event fostered meaningful conversations, knowledge-sharing, and lasting connections. From the opening keynote to the closing ceremony, ECS 2026 thrived on the energy of its community. The atmosphere was alive with enthusiasm, collaboration, and genuine camaraderie. Evening gatherings and the attendee party at Wartesaal am Dom — a vibrant mix of fun and networking with great music and local flavors. Community Panel — “So You Want to Run a CollabDays?” presented by Rodrigo Pinto, Thomas Goelles, Paul Hunt, and Thomas Vochten, giving the community a playbook for running successful local events. Women in Tech and Allies Panel — hosted by Heather Cook with Karuana Gatimu, Laura Dark, and community members Isidora Katanic and Michelle Okwudiafor. AI Competition Finals on the FutureMakers Stage — startup finalists pitched AI-focused products live, with the winning team taking home a bronze package for ECS 2027. Citroën Ami Giveaway — one lucky attendee drove away with an actual brand-new Citroën Ami, making the closing ceremony a packed, can’t-miss Thank You A huge thank you to every attendee, speaker, sponsor, and volunteer who helped bring ECS 2026 to life. Your passion, curiosity, and commitment made this year’s event truly exceptional — and a special thanks to Adis Jugo, Mustafa Toroman, Waldek Mastykarz, Garry Trinder, Brett Lonsdale, Margit Jugo, and the outstanding teams of volunteers and sponsors who continue to make this vision a reality. Looking Ahead The European Collaboration Summit 2026 once again proved why it remains a cornerstone event for the Microsoft ecosystem. The journey continues as the team looks towards ECS 2027 in Düsseldorf, Germany — May 18–20, 2027, already shaping another year of world-class sessions, community moments, and opportunities to learn, connect, and grow. As organizations continue to navigate the shift toward AI-powered work, the insights shared across Microsoft’s sessions — from Copilot to Teams to SharePoint — offered a clear takeaway: the future of collaboration is intelligent, connected, and community-driven. Until then — keep exploring, innovating, and collaborating. The future is bright, and together we’re redefining the way the world works. #CollabSummit | #ECS2026 | Come Curious. Leave Inspired.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, Carrie White and April Delsing (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 - Experts Live US - New York City
On October 10 2025, Microsoft’s Times Square office hosted Experts Live US in New York City, bringing together IT pros, developers, and community leaders for a full day of insights on Microsoft technologies, AI, and modern workplace strategies. Registered: 178 In attendance: 126 A great start for a brand-new event, first time in the US! Adam Harmetz’s Keynote: The Future of Content Management with AI Adam Harmetz, VP of PM for Collaborative Apps & Platforms at Microsoft, opened the event with a visionary keynote on modernizing SharePoint and driving the next decade of content management innovation through AI and agents. His session highlighted how Copilot and intelligent automation will transform collaboration, making enterprise content smarter and more adaptive to user needs. Adam summarized Microsoft 365 & Copilot's major AI news from the past 60 days - 6 major things you need to know that Microsoft announced and made available in preview or GA. "We are moving faster than ever in the AI build out, partnering with frontier firms to show what's possible as we help orgs of all sizes stay on the forefront of AI. And as I talked about in the keynote, our research shows employees at these frontier firms are significantly more likely to say their orgs are thriving (71% to 31%). I know the pace of change is intimidating - but the payoff is worth it and we are here to help. So try out our latest innovations in Copilot, create an agent or use one of our new ones - and give us feedback. We're listening." – Adam on LinkedIN Panel Discussion: Rising Together—Allyship, Acceleration & Women Who Lead Tech Forward In a time where AI and cybersecurity evolve at breakneck speed, we cannot afford to leave talent behind. This panel explored the critical role of allyship and inclusive leadership in shaping the future of tech. Led by inspiring women in AI and security, the conversation went beyond technical frontiers to examine the structures and support systems that helped them thrive. The data tells the story: women now make up around 28% of the tech workforce, but representation in AI (22%) and cybersecurity (24%) remains far from equal. The stakes are high—studies show diverse teams detect threats 30% faster and build more ethical AI models. This wasn’t just a diversity talk; it was a strategy session. Attendees learned how allies in leadership, policy, and peer networks are accelerating change, and walked away with actionable steps to amplify underrepresented voices and redesign hiring and mentoring structures for the future we want to build. Celebrating three years of CommunityDays.org This year also marked the three-year anniversary of CommunityDays.org, a global platform born from the SharePoint Saturday movement. CommunityDays.org empowers volunteer organizers to host free technical training events worldwide, spanning Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Azure, and more. Its growth reflects the enduring spirit of community-driven learning and collaboration in the Microsoft ecosystem. We posted a longer for article on the Microsoft Tech Community to celebrate. The local volunteer event producers A huge thank you to the incredible team who made Experts Live NYC possible: Anna Bordioug, Dr. Booma Poolan Marikannan, Femke Cornelissen, Jason Rivera, Justine Wolters, Manpreet Singh, Melissa Ballesteros, Micah Heaton, Morten Knudsen, Raae Wolfram, Samir Makwana, Thomas Daly. Gratitude to sponsors Many Microsoft partners are the local, national and worldwide sponsors that help these events year after year - they pay for the food and fun prizes at many of these community events. Join the best community in tech Our CommunityDays events are always looking for speakers, and they’re a fantastic way to hone your speaking skills, get feedback directly from customers, partners, and Microsoft MVPs—and connect into The Best Community in Tech. Find upcoming events at: Community Days | Homepage About Experts Live USA Each year, Experts Live USA organizes a one-day event attended by IT Pros and Developers who come to deepen their knowledge of Microsoft technologies. National and international community experts bring attendees fully up to speed on the latest Microsoft technologies—all in a single day. Over the years, well-known speakers and MVPs have become closely associated with Experts Live. Held on four continents, more than 12 international Experts Live events take place annually, reaching over 5,000 people. Thousands more benefit from our knowledge through Experts Live Café, TV, Radio, and social media. Driven by a vision to empower the IT community worldwide, we continuously expand our reach by adding new Microsoft tech conferences in different continents, countries, and regions. And soon, the Experts Live experience will be spreading across the USA too. Experts Live US supports STEM Kids NYC, helping them bring technical classes, materials, and support to kids in the New York City area. The volunteer team gave the non-profit a check for $2000.00. WOOTWOOT!Announcing the Microsoft 365 Community Conference 2026
Your front row seat to the future of intelligent work The Microsoft 365 Community Conference is back April 21–23, 2026, at Loews Sapphire Falls and Loews Royal Pacific Resort in Orlando, Florida. This year’s theme — a beacon for builders, innovators, and icons of intelligent work — reflects the momentum across Microsoft 365 and Copilot as we enter a new era of AI‑powered productivity. Across three days, attendees will gain access to 200+ sessions, 21 workshops, and 200+ Microsoft experts and engineers, making this one of the largest and most comprehensive Microsoft 365 learning events in the world. Whether you're deploying Copilot, modernizing your intranet, securing your environment, elevating communications, or building next-generation apps and automations, there’s content tailored for every role and organization. Learn From the Product Leaders Expect big announcements, deep dives, and roadmap insights from leaders including Jeff Teper, Vasu Jakkal, Charles Lamanna, Rohan Kumar, and Jaime Teevan along with additional guests. Their keynotes will explore the future of collaboration, AI, security, and the Microsoft 365 platform — and how organizations can turn innovation into impact. Hands-On Experiences Attendees can get up close with the latest product capabilities inside the Innovation Hub — our Microsoft booth experience featuring live demos, Copilot workshops, and a full lineup of Lightning Talks throughout the week. The show floor also hosts community spotlights, podcasts, interviews, and creator activations. We’re also celebrating a major milestone: SharePoint’s 25th anniversary, including a special celebration and premiere moment that brings the community together to honor 25 years of innovation. Community at the Center Onsite programming includes the Women in Tech & Allies Luncheon, MVP meetups, NDA roundtables, community led meet & greets, and one on one opportunities to connect with Microsoft product teams. Plus, don’t miss the attendee party at Universal Islands of Adventure — always a highlight of the conference experience! Deep-Dive Workshops Those looking for hands-on, immersive learning can join pre and post-day workshops on April 19, 20 & 24, covering everything from Copilot rollout to Teams Rooms, SharePoint, Viva, security, governance, development, and more. The workshop program is designed to help organizations accelerate adoption and build real world capability fast. Join Us in Orlando Registration is officially live. Save your seat and be part of the worldwide Microsoft 365 community as we explore what’s new, what’s possible, and what’s next. 👉 Register now: https://aka.ms/M365Con26 💸Customer discount available: $150 off with code SAVE150 📅 April 21–23, 2026 📍 Orlando, FloridaGet to know the ESPC25 Community Reporters: Your front-row pass to the pulse of the conference!
If you're heading to ESPC25 in Dublin this December, you’re in for enlightening sessions, networking opportunities—and access to the heart of the event through this year’s Community Reporters. These passionate tech leaders will be capturing the energy of ESPC25, conducting interviews, sharing insights—and amplifying the voices of attendees, speakers, and sponsors. Whether you're attending in person or following along remotely, they’ll help you stay connected to the moments that matter most. Meet the incredible team of Community Reporters who will bring ESPC25 to life: 🎤 Jonah Andersson | Jonah is a developer, lead cloud dev-ops engineer, and Microsoft MVP who champions diversity in tech. She's passionate about highlighting the voices of underrepresented communities and the transformative power of Azure and AI. 🎤 Christian Buckley | A veteran of ESPC and a powerhouse in the Microsoft ecosystem, Christian is a Microsoft Regional Director and MVP. He’s known for dynamic interviews and thought-provoking panels. If you want deep insights and lively debates, follow Christian’s coverage. 🎤 Emily Mancini | Emily brings a sharp eye for design and a deep love for collaboration. As a Microsoft MVP and UX champion, she’s passionate about making tech accessible and intuitive. Expect her interviews to spotlight the human side of innovation and the power of inclusive design. 🎤 Jasper Oosterveld | Jasper is a Microsoft MVP and a data security and Microsoft 365 expert with a knack for making complex topics approachable. His coverage will focus on practical takeaways, especially around Microsoft 365 and Teams, helping attendees turn inspiration into action. 🎤 Eric Overfield | Eric is an author, Microsoft MVP and Regional Director, and a recognized authority in AI, Microsoft 365, data insights, and Azure. He’s passionate about bridging the gap between business needs and technical solutions. 🎤 Chirag Patel | Known for his infectious enthusiasm and community-first mindset, Chirag is a Microsoft MVP and Microsoft Certified Trainer who thrives on connecting people and ideas. He’ll be diving into conversations about real-world solutions, modern workplace trends, and the stories behind the tech. 🎤 Zoe Wilson | Zoe is a Microsoft MVP and Regional Director who helps clients leverage the full range of modern work technologies to drive innovation around business problems. Her interviews will explore best practices, security, and how organizations can empower users while staying compliant. Whether you're attending ESPC25 to level up your skills, connect with peers, or explore the future of Microsoft technologies, this year's Community Reporters will be your guide to the conference’s most impactful moments. Stay tuned for updates, follow the coverage, join the conversation, and be part of a community that’s driving innovation forward. We can’t wait to see you in Dublin—and if you’re still deciding, let this be your sign: #ESPC25 is where the Microsoft tech community comes alive. Subscribe to the ESPC YouTube channel https://aka.ms/ESPCYouTubeChannel and we'll have a playlist on our Microsoft Community Learning YouTube channel - https://aka.ms/Community/LearningChannel Register now! - Community discount code: ESPC25COMM (€200 off) Cheers all! HeatherRecognizing Microsoft MVPs at ESPC25
At ESPC25 in Dublin, Microsoft MVPs will be easy to spot. They will lead tutorials, power “Ask the Experts,” mentor emerging voices, and support hands-on demos across the Innovation Hub. The Most Valuable Professionals (MVP) program recognizes exceptional community leaders for their technical expertise, leadership, public speaking and writing, online influence, and a strong focus on solving real world problems. MVPs also receive early access to Microsoft products and direct communication channels with our product teams, which helps them bring timely, practical guidance back to the community. Why MVPs matter to our community MVPs are a catalyst for learning and connection. They grow technical communities by organizing meetups, welcoming new participants, and championing diversity and inclusion. They amplify expertise through talks, demos, posts, and guides that turn complex topics into repeatable paths to success. They also share product insight from the field, turning customer feedback into opportunities for improvement by telling engineering what works and what needs attention. The outcome is better products, faster adoption, and stronger communities. How to become an MVP You do not apply for the MVP Award directly. You are nominated by a current MVP or by a full time Microsoft employee. If you are active in the community, someone may notice your contributions. You can also be proactive: connect with MVPs in your domain, ask for mentorship and feedback on your portfolio, and participate in MVPled events to contribute and learn. After nomination, you will submit your community work for review. The MVP program team and the relevant product groups evaluate your impact, consistency, and alignment with the program’s values. Learn more: What is a Microsoft MVP? MVP presence at ESPC25 We’re excited to welcome 88 MVPs onsite at ESPC25. You will find MVPs throughout the event experience. Visit the “Ask the Experts” tables for practical Q&A on Microsoft Copilot, Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Viva, and more. Join MVP meetups to reconnect across regions, share ideas, and celebrate community milestones. Stop by the Innovation Hub for Lightning Talks, Tech Demos, Ideation Lab activities, and the Feedback Lounge. These are hands-on spaces where attendees can experiment, share feedback, and turn ideas into action. MVP sessions at a glance Below is the full set of tutorials and breakouts. Use the conference app for rooms and live updates. Monday — Tutorials (9:00 AM–5:00 PM) Building Custom Agents for Microsoft 365 Copilot — Andrew Connell (MVP, Voitanos, USA), Mark Rackley (MVP, Protiviti, USA) Building effective intranets: The Information Architecture (IA) Blueprint for AI Integration — Susan Hanley (MVP, Susan Hanley LLC, USA) Build Your Own Agent: Copilot Studio in a Day — Joe Griffin (MVP, proMX UK Limited, United Kingdom) Mastering SharePoint Premium from Content AI to Advanced Administration — Vlad Catrinescu (MVP, MCT, Syskit, Canada) Agentageddon and How to Prevent It — Kevin McDonnell (MVP, Avanade, United Kingdom), Zoe Wilson (Microsoft RD, MVP, Kyndryl, United Kingdom) Everything you Wanted to Know About Microsoft Fabric and Power BI, But Were Afraid to Ask — John White (MVP, AvePoint, Canada) Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals Bootcamp — Mike Maadarani (MVP, Taiga AI, Canada), Habib Mankal (MVP, WaveCore IT Inc., Canada) Getting Started with Power Platform & AI on SharePoint — Luise Freese (MVP, M365Princess, Germany) Hacking and Securing Windows Infrastructure — Paula Januszkiewicz (Microsoft RD, MVP, CQURE, Poland) Tuesday 10:15–11:15 AM Building smart agents with Azure AI Foundry — Luise Freese (MVP, Germany) Smarter Contract Management in M365: AI, eSignature & Knowledge Agent — Leon Armston (MVP, United Kingdom) Generative AI: Shaping the future of LowCode and Pro Code Development — Jussi Roine (MVP, Finland) The Oversharing Solution Blueprint — Sara Fennah (MVP, United Kingdom) The Anatomy of an Agent — Kevin McDonnell (MVP, United Kingdom) Cracking the Code of Microsoft 365 Copilot’s ROI — Pieter Op De Beeck (MVP, Belgium) Technical changes in M365 compliance — Tony Redmond (MVP, Ireland) Fireside Chat with Two Recovering Consultants — Karoliina Kettukari (MVP, Finland), Sari Soinoja (MVP, Finland) 11:45 AM–12:45 PM Scaling new heights: Mastering AI with Enterprise Scale AI Factory — Kim Berg (MVP, Sweden) Case Study: 2 years with M365 Copilot — how did we succeed — Karoliina Kettukari (MVP, Finland) Securing Generative AI: A Zero Trust Approach to Deploying Copilot in your Company — Seyfallah Tagrerout (Microsoft RD, MVP, Switzerland) Unleashing the Power of RAG in Copilot Studio: Applications and Best Practices — Rick Van Rousselt (MVP, Belgium) Model Context Protocol vs. Connectors: Rethinking Integration in the Power Platform — Mats Necker (MVP, Germany) You’re Holding it Wrong — Best practices in Power BI Reporting — John White (MVP, Canada) 2:00–3:00 PM How to work like a Brainiac with M365 Copilot — a nobrainer — Caroline Kallin (MVP, Sweden) 3:15–4:15 PM Navigating the AI Agent Landscape: Strategy, Selection, and Use Cases — Foyin OlajideBello (Microsoft RD, MVP, Ireland) From Assessment to Action: Strengthening Microsoft 365 Governance — Christian Buckley (Microsoft RD, MVP, USA) Mastering the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK — Tony Redmond (MVP, Ireland) Navigating Communication Channels in Microsoft 365 for Meaningful Engagement — Emily Mancini (MVP, USA) Testing smarter: Bringing AI into your E2E testing workflows — Elio Struyf (MVP, Belgium) 4:45–5:45 PM Keynote: Hacker’s Perspective on New Risks: Revisiting the Cybersecurity Priorities for 2025 — Paula Januszkiewicz (Microsoft RD, MVP, Poland) Copilot Customization: Choosing Between Copilot Studio & Teams Toolkit — Andrew Connell (MVP, USA), Mark Rackley (MVP, USA) Intune 2025: The Latest Features in Action — Florian Salzmann (MVP, Switzerland) Scaling Azure Applications: From Small Projects to Global Infrastructure — Tiago Costa (MVP, MCT, Portugal) Power Platform Governance: Taming the Wild West! — Agnius Bartninkas (MVP, Lithuania) Wednesday 10:15–11:15 AM Voice AI Agents with OpenAI and Microsoft Teams — Renato Romao (MVP, Ireland) Developing Hybrid Cloud with Azure Local: A Synergy of Bridging OnPremises and Cloud — Jonah Andersson (MVP, Sweden) Beyond the Black Box: Creating Transparent and Ethical Reporting for Microsoft Copilot — Thomas Golles (MVP, Austria), Stephan Bisser (MVP, Austria) From Code Villain to SPFx Hero: SPFx Best Practices for Sustainable Solutions — Dan Toft (MVP, Denmark) Deep dive into Microsoft Security Exposure Management — Jussi Roine (MVP, Finland) Implementing SCIM for MultiTenant Identity Management in M365 and Azure — Rodrigo Pinto (MVP, Portugal) ErrorFree Solutions — Error Handling in Power Apps and Power Automate — Tomasz Poszytek (MVP, Poland), Krzysztof Kania (MVP, Poland) Voices of Change: Real Stories of Mentoring in Action — Keith Atherton (MVP, United Kingdom) 11:45 AM–12:45 PM Elevate Your Intranet: Practical PresentDay Tips for a FutureReady Platform — Susan Hanley (MVP, USA) Use Agents Toolkit to Build Solutions on Microsoft 365 — Bill Ayers (MVP, MCM, MCT, United Kingdom) Accelerate Agent Building with Copilot Studio — AlbertJan Schot (MVP, Netherlands) Microsoft 365 tenant setup & configuration. Been there, done that? — Thomas Vochten (MVP, MCT, Belgium) Defence Against the Dark Arts — Building Rock Solid Entra ID Security Solutions — Andy Malone (MVP, MCT, United Kingdom) Microsoft 365 Copilot Extensibility: Navigating the Possibilities and Pitfalls — Thomas Golles (MVP, Austria), Stephan Bisser (MVP, Austria) 2:00–3:00 PM Automating 2500 RFPs per year with Azure AI Foundry and Azure AI Search — Chris O’Brien (MVP, United Kingdom) Developer challenges in GenAI projects — Stas Lebedenko (MVP, Ukraine) Automating Microsoft 365 Governance — Best Practices to Ensure Compliance — Tobias Maestrini (MVP, Switzerland), Daniel Kordes (MVP, Switzerland) The adventures of a Microsoft 365 Platform Owner — Jasper Oosterveld (MVP, Netherlands) Canvas Apps Mastery: Create Reusable Code — Krzysztof Kania (MVP, Poland) IntuneDriven Approaches to Minimize Local Admin Risks — Simon Skotheimsvik (MVP, Norway) Ask Me Anything: Life at Microsoft & the MVP Journey — Susan Hanley (MVP, USA), Jonah Andersson (MVP, Sweden) 3:15–4:15 PM Taming the Wild West of Generative AI with Purview and Defender — Tatu Seppala (MVP, Finland) Demystifying Agent Types within the Semantic Kernel Framework — Arin Roy (MVP, Netherlands) How to deal with 2.8 million files? — Sari Soinoja (MVP, Finland) Deep Dive on Power BI, Teams and SharePoint — John White (MVP, Canada) Prepare for GenAI and Copilot: Step up your Data Security and Information Governance game! — Bram de Jager (MVP, MCM, Netherlands) Entra ID App registrations — The good, bad and the ugly — Andy Malone (MVP, MCT, United Kingdom) 4:45–5:45 PM Zero Trust — Dope or Nope? — Sami Laiho (MVP, Finland) Utilize a Local LLM to Chat with Your M365 and onpremises Data — Peter Paul Kirschner (MVP, Austria), Guido Zambarda (MVP, Italy) Assess Power Platform Governance, from Results to Action — Edit Kapcari (MVP, Deutschland) AIPowered Content Management Transformation with SharePoint Premium — Eric Overfield (Microsoft RD, MVP, MCT, USA) Securing Your Copilot Agents: Implementing Robust Security Controls — Reshmee Auckloo (MVP, United Kingdom) Looking back: ESPC24 photos and highlights ESPC24 offered a vivid snapshot of community in motion. MVP meetups felt like a reunion of peers who build together. “Ask the Experts” tables turned complex questions into practical next steps. The Microsoft booth was a high energy hub where conversations led to collaboration. The D&I luncheon brought a full room together around inclusion and belonging. Connect with MVPs at ESPC25 Visit the Innovation Hub for Lightning Talks, Tech Demos, Ideation Lab activities, and the Feedback Lounge. Introduce yourself at MVP meetups. Make time for the “Ask the Experts” tables to get tailored guidance for your scenarios. If you are exploring the MVP journey, these touchpoints are ideal for learning more, sharing your portfolio, and asking for mentorship.Ignite Connections: Unleashing Community & Networking at Microsoft Ignite 2025
Microsoft Ignite is almost here, and we’re bringing the energy, innovation, and connections you’ve been waiting for! If you’re passionate about innovative and groundbreaking technology, this year’s lineup is packed with insights and inspiration you won’t want to miss. It is always fun for all of us who work on community teams at Microsoft to come together cross-division to collaborate on Community at Microsoft Ignite together. We have Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Azure, Microsoft Fabric, Copilot Studio, GitHub, Security, Windows, Surface, Microsoft MVP team, Microsoft Partner team and Cloud +AI all represented. All sessions are in person and will not be recorded so plan accordingly and be sure to stop by for stickers and the fun interactive areas for when you need a break and place to land during the show. Spotlight Sessions You Can’t Miss We’re excited to showcase the community sessions from all three of our key solution areas: AI Business Solutions, Cloud & AI Platforms, and Security. Each area features sessions designed to help you leverage Copilot, intelligent agents, and cutting-edge technologies to transform your business. Explore the full lineup below and discover every session available to maximize your Ignite experience! Community Theaters: The Agent Readiness Framework AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 11:30am - 12pm Jack Rowbotham Building Digital Trust: Aligning Microsoft Technologies with Global AI and Regulatory Frameworks Security Tuesday, November 18, 1pm – 1:30pm Sourabh Pandey Human-AI collaboration: Advancing the future of software engineering GitHub Tuesday, November 18, 1:30pm – 2pm Andrew Goodman, Kevin Rhatigan Learn Infrastructure-as-Code through Minecraft Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 2pm – 2:30pm Mark Tinderholt 10 Partner Center Hacks Every Microsoft Partner Should Know Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 2:30pm – 3pm Michelle Elston Women in Tech & Allies: Turning Allyship into Action AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:30pm Heather Cook, Karuana Gatimu, Danielle Moon AI MVP Panel – Unblocking Customer Innovation Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 3:30pm – 4pm Prashant G Bhoyar, Marco Casalaina, Martina Grom, Dux Raymond Sy Path to MVP: Windows & Devices and Intune—Tips from the Team Surface & W+D Tuesday, November 18, 4pm – 4:30pm Lior Bela, Chauncey Larsen, Donna Ryan Close More Deals with Copilot: Speed, Depth, and Customer Impact Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 4:30pm – 5pm Jennifer Brown Shaping the Future of Azure AI Foundry Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 5pm – 5:30pm Roelant Dieben, Shawn Henry, Steve Sweetman, Quirine van Walt Meijer Ask Me Anything with Scott Hanselman Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 9:15am – 9:45am Henk Boelman, Scott Hanselman So you want to become and MVP (Option 1) MVP program Wednesday, November 19, 9:45am – 10:15am Justin Garrett Get Started with Copilot Adoption – Tools, Resources and Best Practices from the Microsoft Adoption Hub AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 10:45am – 11:15am Karuana Gatimu Security Copilot Security Wednesday, November 19, 11:15am – 11:45am Saurabh Jain Getting Started with Agents for Customer Zero Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 1:15pm – 1:45pm Eddie Bader, Juhi Saha Cloud Perspectives: Lessons Learned and Experiences from Azure MVPs Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 1:45pm – 2:15pm Nelly Delgado, Taiji Hagino, Ben Reader, Jared Rhodes Copilot Studio Community AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 2:15pm – 2:45pm David Abu, Wim Coorevits Microsoft Entra for Agents: Ask Microsoft Anything Security Wednesday, November 19, 2:45pm – 3:15pm Leandro Iwase, Ngozi Nwoko, Sharon Sandhu, Nick Wryter Cloud Perspectives: A Q&A with Azure Data Leadership Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 3:30pm – 4pm Arun Ulag Navigating the Tectonic Shifts Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 4pm – 4:30pm Vincent Menzione Building Modern Businesses Through AI and Partnerships Partner-led organization Thursday, November 20, 9am – 9:30am Asher Mathew Career Chat: Advancing from Product Manager to Product Leader in Tech AI Business Solutions Thursday, November 20, 9:30am – 10am Adam Harmetz So you want to become an MVP (Option 2) MVP program Thursday, November 20, 10am – 10:30am Justin Garrett Cloud Perspectives: Azure Migration Community Insights Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 10:30am – 11am Vikram Bansal Unlock Copilot Success with Power CAT programs AI Business Solutions Thursday, November 20, 11:15am – 11:45am Chitra J, Luis Camino Operationalizing Continuous Threat Exposure Management using Microsoft Security Exposure Management Security Thursday, November 20, 1:15pm – 1:45pm Alex Steele Learn About Licensing Discounts, Azure Credits and MAICPP Support Partner-led organization Thursday, November 20, 1:45pm – 2:15pm Tafara Pulse, Omar Khalid Cloud Perspectives: Cloud Management & Ops Platform Team Insights Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 2:15pm – 2:45pm Ruhiyyih Mahalati, Farzana Rahman Adopting GitHub Enterprise: Unlocking Developer Productivity Today and Tomorrow GitHub Thursday, November 20, 2:45pm – 3:15pm Parker Johnston Behind the Scenes: The Making of the Session Recap Agent Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 4pm – 4:30pm Henk Boelman How the Data Community Can Advanced Your Data & AI Career Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 5pm – 5:30pm Rie Merritt Mentorship Matters: Building Meaningful Connections for Growth AI Business Solutions Thursday, November 20, 5pm – 5:30pm Heather Cook, Karuana Gatimua Connection Pods Becoming an MVP in Biz Apps or Copilot Studio AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 1pm – 1:45pm Heidi Jordan, Ahmed Salih Build your schedule with help from a Microsoft MVP MVP program Tuesday, November 18, 1pm – 1:45pm Kimberly Sanchez SQL Server Management Studio: Help Drive What’s Next Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:45pm Makena Watanabe Barickman Unified SecOps in Action: Practical Incident Response & Threat Hunting with Sentinel, Defender XDR & Copilot Security Tuesday, November 18, 1pm – 1:45pm Uros Babic Challenges in Migrating Data to the Cloud for AI and Analytics Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 2pm – 2:45pm Imani Hall, Vybava Ramadoss Identity Strategy Approaches Security Tuesday, November 18, 2pm – 2:45pm David Nudelman Microsoft Global Community Initiative: Connecting People, Powering Impact AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 2pm – 2:45pm Heather Cook, Isidora Katanic The Revenue Multiplier: Marketplace + Campaigns That Grow Profit Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 2pm – 2:45pm Karen Fassio Building Agents with Copilot Studio Lite vs Full AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:45pm David Abu, Mariana Prudencio Engaging with the Data Community: from User Groups to Reddit and Everywhere in Between Cloud & Ai Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:45pm Rie Merritt Maximizing Partner Profitability with Microsoft Commerce Incentives Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:45pm Brittner Saultman Microsoft Sentinel Data Ingestion: Challenges, Solutions and Best Practices Security Tuesday, November 18, 3pm – 3:45pm Sasha Kranjac Identity & Network Access Management for AI Agents Security Tuesday, November 18, 4pm – 4:45pm Nichole Peterson Mentorship That Matters AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 4pm – 4:45pm Karuana Gatimu, Jonathan Jones Navigating Partner Center: Setting Your Partnership Up for Success Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 4pm – 4:45pm Shawna Hronek Welcome to the new Azure Solutions & Ecosystem – Azure MVP Technology Area Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 4pm – 4:45pm Gauri Gorhe, Joe Sarabia Activating the Copilot Community on Agents AI Business Solutions Tuesday, November 18, 5pm – 5:45pm Ahmed Salih AI MVP Community – Meet the Experts & Join the Journey Cloud & AI Platforms Tuesday, November 18, 5pm – 5:45pm Esra Bakkalbasioglu, Promise Uche Nwachukwu B2B Revenue Optimization: Using AI for a More Human Sales Process Partner-led organization Tuesday, November 18, 5pm – 5:45pm Jennifer Brown Unification of Identity & Network Access/Microsoft Entra Suite Security Tuesday, November 18, 5pm – 5:45pm Laura Viarengo Architecting for Identity Resilience: Proactive Strategies with Microsoft Entra Security Wednesday, November 19, 9am – 9:45am Charlie Gough Get Certified: how to prepare for a Microsoft certification exam Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 9am – 9:45am Marisa Mathews Grow Together: P2P + AI Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 9am – 9:45am Danny Brown, Nyasha Tunduwani Supercharge Copilot with SharePoint Embedded: Build, Manage, and Innovate AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 9am – 9:45am Reid Carlberg, Cindy Lay Efficient Log Handling with Microsoft Sentinel and Data Lake Architecture Security Wednesday, November 19, 10am – 10:45am Thomas Kurth Hybrid AI with Surface, Copilot + PCs & Windows AI Foundry Surface & W+D Wednesday, November 19, 10am – 10:45am Frank Buchholz, Chauncey Larsen Meet your Cloud Management & Operations Platform Team Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 10am – 10:45am Rahul Bagaria Power Platform Community AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 10am – 10:45am Stephanie Cronin, Heidi Jordan, Ahmed Salih Custom & On-Prem Data Ingestion into Microsoft Sentinel: Challenges and Best Practices Security Wednesday, November 19, 11am – 11:45am Den Mutlu Maximizing your Microsoft Partnership, Profitably and Effectively Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 11am – 11:45am Eddie Bader, Juhi Saha Empowering Knowledge Discovery with SharePoint Knowledge Agent AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 11am – 11:45am Adam Harmetz, John Mighell Building Community-Led Events with Agents AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 1pm – 1:45pm David Abu, Tiffay Songvilay Insights from Microsoft MVPs on how to ramp up as an AI expert MVP program Wednesday, November 19, 1pm – 1:45pm Kimberly Sanchez New agentic capabilities in Copilot in Azure Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 1pm – 1:45pm Dean Kroker Threat-Informed Data Protection: Aligning Controls to the MITRE ATT&CK Data Lifecycle Security Wednesday, November 19, 1pm – 1:45pm Victor JR Wingsing Becoming an MVP in Azure or the Data Platform Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 2pm – 2:45pm Rie Merritt, Gerald Tiu Reimagining data protection with the new Microsoft Purview Data Security Posture Management Security Wednesday, November 19, 2pm – 2:45pm Nathalia Borges Women in Tech & Allies: From Awareness to Action AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 2pm – 2:45pm Heather Cook, Femke Cornelissen – de Bruin, Danielle Moon Maximizing your Microsoft Partnership, Profitably and Effectively Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 2pm – 2:45pm Juhi Saha Don’t Start from Scratch – Microsoft Community for the Win AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 3pm – 3:45pm David Abu, Karuana Gatimu Managing Change Through Uncertainty Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 3pm – 3:45pm Christine Bongard Securing the defaults: Building and maintaining your security baseline Security Wednesday, November 19, 3pm – 3:45pm Chris Goosen Troubleshooting AKS networking with Agentic AI Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 3pm – 3:45pm Sandhya Castelino, Alex Mang Building a Strong Foundation in Microsoft Partner Center Partner-led organization Wednesday, November 19, 4pm – 4:45pm Erin Figer Conditional Access: Practical Insights and Innovations Security Wednesday, November 19, 4pm – 4:45pm Christian DerDecker Engage, Connect, Grow: Your Path in the Microsoft Community AI Business Solutions Wednesday, November 19, 4pm – 4:45pm Heather Cook, Jonathan Jones, Shari L. Oswald, Eric Overfield Global AI Community – Connect, Learn & Share Worldwide Cloud & AI Platforms Wednesday, November 19, 4pm – 4:45pm Henk Boelman, Roelant Dieben, Kasam Shaikh, Alexander Wachtel Copilot & SSMS: Feedback Forum Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 9:15am – 10am Makena Watanabe Barickman Mastering Windows Autopatch as a Modern MSP Security Thursday, November 20, 9:15am – 10am Jeroen Burgerhout Windows Cloud Experiences: Unplugged Surface & W+D Thursday, November 20, 9:15am – 10am Jason Parker, Swarnim Srivastava, Sneha Sultania Build Your Network, Claim Your Voice: Women in IT at Ignite Surface & W+D Thursday, November 20, 10:15am – 11am Priyanka Balaji, Cassidy Fein, Valerie Goulds, Elaine You Building best practice ERP agents AI Business Solutions Thursday, November 20, 10:15am – 11am Anne Krupke, Ahmed Salih Enhancing your AI workload resiliency with the Azure Networking stack Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 10:15am – 11am Sergio Figueiredo, Mario Lopez From Hype to Hardening: Designing a Zero-Trust Framework for Copilot Security Thursday, November 20, 10:15am – 11am Victor JR Wingsing From Zero to AI on K8s: Lessons, Patterns, and Pitfalls Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 11:15am – 12pm Eric Cheng, Saurabh Sensharma Learn About Licensing Discounts, Azure Credits and MAICPP Support Partner-led organization Thursday, November 20, 11:15am – 12pm Brooke Daniel, Tafara Pulse Operationalizing Responsible AI Security in the Enterprise Security Thursday, November 20, 11:15am – 12pm Victor Jr Wingsing Becoming an MVP in M365 AI Business Solutions Thursday, November 20, 1pm – 1:45pm Galen Keene, Tiffay Songvilay, Bryan Wofford Preventing Mistakes and Misuse: The Power of MAA in Intune Security Thursday, November 20, 1pm – 1:45pm Thomas Marcussen Best practices and blockers with moving apps to Intune Security Thursday, November 20, 2pm – 2:45pm Dean Ellerby Building Resilient Enterprises: What Customers Expect from Azure Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 2pm – 2:45pm Gargi Banerjee, Surya Sripathi Raju The ROI of Microsoft Ignite: Strategies to share & scale what you learn MVP program Thursday, November 20, 2pm – 2:45pm Kimberly Sanchez Meet your Azure Engineering Team – Azure Migrate Product Group Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 3pm – 3:45pm Ashish Babbar, Raunak Pandya Context is everything: Enriching identity signals for AI-powered soc defense Security Thursday, November 20, 3pm – 3:45pm Daniel Lynch, Anna Qi The Importance of Networking to Scale your Career Partner-led organization Thursday, November 20, 3pm – 3:45pm Christine Bongard Azure AI Insiders – Your Early Access Pass to AI Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 6pm – 6:45pm Esra Bakkalbasioglu, Quirine van Walt Meijer AI Foundry Chats – Talk AI with the Azure Engineers Cloud & AI Platforms Thursday, November 20, 5pm – 5:45pm Quirine van Walt Meijer, Trish Winter-Hunt Be sure to visit the session catalog on the event website to add these sessions to your schedule and plan your experience. Experience Community at Microsoft Ignite Our Community & Networking space within The Hub is where it all happens! Join us here for Community Theater sessions and Connection Pods, where you’ll dive into roundtable discussions with experts and peers. You can also explore interactive activations designed to spark curiosity—discover new communities, take on exciting challenges, experience cutting-edge tech, and win prizes along the way! Visit the Community page on the event website to learn more about these experiences at Microsoft Ignite. Don’t Just Attend, Ignite Your Experience Microsoft Ignite is where ideas ignite and connections thrive. Register now, share this with your network, and start planning your attendee experience today. The sooner you build your schedule, the more you’ll maximize every moment. Special shout-out to Almina Khorakiwala, Cassandra Steiber, and Peter Harrington for leading the charge and bringing community feedback into this year’s Community Hub planning. Way to go, team! Join us and be part of the conversations shaping the future—because you don’t want to hear about it later, you want to experience it first.Join the M365 Community Team at Power Platform Conference
We’re heading to Las Vegas for the Power Platform Community Conference—and you can still join us! If you’re part of the Microsoft 365 community, this is your chance to see how Copilot Studio and AI Agents are transforming productivity and workflows—shaping the future of M365 with automation, integration, and intelligent solutions across Teams, SharePoint, and more. 👉 Register today and come find us in the Community Lounge! 📍 Location: MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas, NV 📅 Dates: October 28–30, 2025 🔗 Register now: https://powerplatformconf.com/#!/register Come explore the Community Lounge on the 3rd floor! Join us for interactive sessions, networking, demos & Ask a Pro stations. Don’t miss “Building Your Career” & “Don’t Start from Scratch” sessions—bookmark them in the Whova event app! 💬 How are you using Copilot today, or what’s your dream use case? Drop your thoughts below! Karuana Gatimu, Jonathan Jones, Bryan Wofford Microsoft Power Platform Community hashtag#PowerPlatform hashtag#MicrosoftCommunity hashtag#PPCC hashtag#LasVegas hashtag#CommunityEvents hashtag#CommunityLuv hashtag#M365 hashtag#CopilotStudio hashtag#AI cc: Heather CookMicrosoft at the European Collaboration Summit 2025- Düsseldorf, Germany | Microsoft Event Guide
Get ready for an exciting experience at the European Collaboration Summit, European AI & Cloud Summit, and European BizApps Summit! Taking place from May 26-28, 2025, in Düsseldorf, Germany. This event gives you the chance to explore over 250 sessions packed with insights on Microsoft 365, AI, Azure, Power Platform, Fabric, and so much more. The best part? With a small upgrade, your ticket to one conference opens the door to all three! You’ll have the flexibility to attend the sessions that excite you the most, while connecting with Microsoft experts and other tech enthusiasts along the way. Don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity to learn, grow, and network! The summit will feature pre-conference tutorials, keynotes, breakouts, and more—all dedicated to Copilot and AI, Power Platform, Azure and Microsoft 365 products. With the goal of over 3,000 attendees with 250 sessions across the events. But that's not all!! Along with the European Collaboration Summit, two more conferences are collocated: the European AI and Cloud Summit, which focuses on Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft Azure, OpenAI, and Cloud Security; and the European BizApps Summit, which centers on the Microsoft Power Platform, Microsoft Fabric, Citizen Development, and Low Code/No Code Business Applications. See sessions from all three conferences on the sessions page. Kicking off on May 25 with pre-conference tutorials, the events all run May 26-28, 2025. Since its humble beginnings in 2012 with just 200 attendees, the European Collaboration Summit has grown into the world’s largest event focused on Microsoft collaboration technologies. Originally centered on SharePoint, it quickly became a launchpad for innovations like SharePoint Server 2013 and early Office 365. Today, with over 3,000 attendees from around the globe, it’s a dynamic melting pot of professionals—from CEOs to students—gathering in Germany to connect, learn, and grow. At its core, CollabSummit champions knowledge-sharing, meaningful connections, and an inclusive community. Thank you to Adis Jugo, Mustafa Toroman, Waldek Mastykarz, Garry Trinder, Brett Lonsdale, Margit Jugo and the wonderful teams of volunteers and sponsors that make these events happen. 101 on the European Collaboration Summit What: European Collaboration Summit, European Cloud Summit, and European BizApps Summit Where: Düsseldorf, Germany CCD Congress Center, Stockumer Kirchstraße 61, 40474 Düsseldorf, Germany When: May 26th-28th 2025 Content: Microsoft presence at the European Collab Summit (ECS) | 3 keynotes | 8 Microsoft Breakout sessions | Microsoft for Startups Booth | Women in Tech and Allies Meet Up Review all sessions, tutorials, and speakers. Registration: Register today | Use the MICROSOFT15 discount code to save 15% off registration. Cost: Collab Summit Ticket - 845 EUR Collab Summit + Tutorial – 1485 EUR Master Pass – 1844 EUR Learn more about ticket prices Primary X handle & official hashtag: Twitter/Instagram: @collabsummit, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook Note: For this guide, we’ll use their main acronym ECS to talk about the event European Collaboration Summit and be clear when highlighting content in either Collab, Cloud or Biz app side of things. Microsoft keynotes European Collab Summit Microsoft Keynote The Future of AI Is Already Here Speaker: Marco Casalaina, VP Products, Azure AI and AI Futurist Date/Time: May 27th, 9:30am | Expo City Unlocking the Future of Work with AI and Microsoft 365 Speaker: Vesa Juvonen, Principal Product Manager Date/Time: May 28th, 9:00am | Room 1 Bizapps Microsoft Keynote Reimaging the future of business applications using Generative AI Speaker: Gurkan Salk, General Manager, Head of Product Copilot for Sales, Service and Finance May 28th, 9:00am | Room 3 Cloud Microsoft Keynote Leveraging Microsoft AI: Navigating the EU AI Act and Unlocking Future Opportunities Speaker: Azar Koulibaly, General Manager and Associate General Counsel May 28th, 9:00am | Room 2 😎Register today | Note: Use the MICROSOFT15 discount code to save 15% off registration. Microsoft-led breakout sessions Seize the chance to choose the sessions that perfectly match your role and interests! Every breakout session is packed with thrilling product updates, captivating demos, inspiring customer stories, invaluable best practices, and deep insights into product and solution strategies. Plus, you'll get exclusive guidance on what the future holds. Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity! You can review each full agenda for European Collab Summit sessions plus, use the event mobile app (iOS and Android) to add sessions to your schedule. Microsoft-led Collab sessions Ensuring your organization is fully prepared to harness the capabilities of Copilot for Microsoft 365 is vital. The upcoming sessions are designed to focus on technical readiness, offering the latest insights and best practices. Our experts will guide you on how to effectively utilize AI to unlock the full potential of Copilot and maximize its benefits for your organization. “AI Beginner Development Powerclass” with Carlotta Castelluccio, Korey Stegared-Pace, and Lee Stott | May 26, 9:00am | Room 6 “Building experiences for the Microsoft 365 Powerclass” with Vesa Juvonen, Hugo Bernier, David Warner II, Paolo Pialorsi, Stephan Bisser, Thomas Goelles, Derek Cash-Peterson, and Julie M Turner | May 26, 9:00am | Room 8 “Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility using VS Code - hands-on workshop” with Waldek Mastykarz, Paolo Pialorsi, and Garry Trinder | May 26, 9:00am | Room 16a “Microsoft Cloud Security Powerclass” with Tom Janetscheck and Jussi Roine “Copilot in Dynamics 365 Finance” with Severin Bock | May 26, 9:00am | Room 18a+b “Build Your Own Agent Using Microsoft Copilot Studio and Power Platform!” with Henry Jammes, Damien Bird, Bülent Altinsoy, Dewain Robinson, and Daniel Laskewitz | May 26, 9:00am | Room 17a+b “Am I Entitled? How to manage permissions dynamically in the age of Copilot” with Al Eardley | May 27, 11:00am | Room 17b “Latest platform and extensibility options for SharePoint and Viva Connections” with Vesa Juvonen | May 27, 11:00am | Room 1 “Secure and govern Microsoft 365 Copilot” with Erica Toelle | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 16b “What's New and Next for Engage and Teams: Knowledge, Storyline, Communities, Copilot and Moderation” with Dan Holme | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 1 “What's New and Next for Engage and Teams: Communications, Channels, Leadership, Campaigns and Events” with Dan Holme | May 27, 2:30pm | Room 1 “Maximizing your Information Architecture Strategy with Microsoft 365 Content Features for Copilot and Microsoft Search” with Mikael Svenson and Kasper Larsen | May 27, 3:30pm | Room 18b “Extensibility Options to Improve Your Employee Experiences within Viva Connections and SharePoint” with Vesa Juvonen | May 27, 3:30pm | Room 16b “Insider Risk Management - Technical Deep Dive” with Bernd Vellguth | May 27, 4:50pm | Room 19a “Unlocking the Potential of People Data in Microsoft 365” with Wictor Wilén | May 27, 5:50pm | Room 1 “Microsoft Defender for Office 365 - Defense in-depth" with Dominik Hoefling | May 27, 5:50pm | Room 19a “The intranet of tomorrow: Beautiful, flexible, and AI ready” with Vesa Juvonen | May 27, 5:50pm | Room 16b “Designing Business-Centric Solutions with Microsoft 365 Copilot” with Andreas Krüger | May 28, 10:20am | Room 17b “Extending Microsoft 365 Copilot” with Paolo Pialorsi | May 27, 11:00am | Room 16b “How well do Copilot and Agents know you and your team?” with Wictor Wilén | May 28, 11:20am | Room 1 “Extending Microsoft 365 Copilot with Declarative Agents” with Vesa Juvonen and Paolo Pialorsi | May 28, 11:20am | Room 16b “Together We Succeed: Harnessing Community for Career Success” with Vesa Juvonen, Garry Trinder, and Waldek Mastykarz | May 28th, 1:30pm | Run Events Stage (Expo) “SharePoint Embedded - API for your applications” with Dragan Panjkov | May 28, 2:50pm | Room 18a Microsoft-led Cloud sessions Professionals, entrepreneurs, and businesses can explore opportunities with Azure, Copilot, and OpenAI, enhancing their knowledge and networking. Attendees will experience demos, discussions, and insights into Microsoft's cloud strategy. The focus is on understanding the impact of cloud adoption and promoting Responsible AI. “Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Deployment Best Practices” with Dominik Hoefling | May 27. 11:00am | Room 14b “Integrating AI with Semantic Kernel” With Majid Hajin | May 27. 11:00am | Room 2 “Build apps that don't fail in production” with Waldek Mastykarz and Garry Trinder | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 2 “Building an Automation Framework Using Ansible for Configuring and Installing Line of Business Applications on Azure” with Kimmo Forss | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 14a “Supercharge Your Startup: Build Faster, Smarter, and Cheaper with AI Agents” with Amit Svarzenberg | May 27, 2:30pm | Room 15a “You’ve built an intelligent app powered by Gen AI models—now what?” with Julia Muiruri | May 27, 3:30pm | Room 2 “Microsoft server protection - one agent to rule them all” with Tom Janetscheck | May 27, 4:50pm | Room 2 “Orchestrating Intelligence with Multi-Agent AI Workflows” with Daron Yondem | May 27, 4:50pm | Room 14b “Build voice-based AI agents on Azure” with Boris Bazilevskiy | May 27, 4:50pm | Room 14a “AI Agents for the Rest of Us: Building with the Azure AI Agent Service” with Korey Stegared-Pace | May 27, 5:50pm | Room 2 “Personalize your AI: model Fine-Tune with your data in Azure OpenAI” with Massimo Bonanni | May 28. 10:20am | Room 14b “Building Application Landing zones in Azure” with Kimmo Forss | May 28. 11:20am | Room 14a “How to compile models and build agentic applications capable of exploiting the power of Copilot+ PCs for on-device inferencing” with Sam Kemp | May 28. 11:20am | Room 14b “Add multi-channel communication to your AI apps” with Boris Bazilevskiy | May 28. 11:20am | Room 14b “Copilot for Security - advanced automation scenarios” with Shruti Ailani and Bert-Jan Pals | May 28. 1:30pm | Room 14b “From Traction to Production: Maturing your LLMOps step by step” with Maxim Salnikov | May 28. 1:30pm | Room 16a “Device Intelligence with SLM: A Path to Edge Deployment and Cloud Integration” with Lee Stott | May 28. 1:30pm | Room 1 “Measure and mitigate risks for a generative AI app” with Carlotta Castelluccio | May 28. 2:50pm | Room 2 “Build Serverless AI Agents with Semantic Kernel & Azure Cosmos DB” with Mark Brown | May 28. 2:50pm | Room 14b Microsoft-led BizApps sessions Browse these sessions to learn about Power Platform, Power BI, Microsoft Fabric, Business Apps, Dynamics 365, and Citizen Development. “Modernize your Contact Center with Dynamics 365” with Ivica Ivančić | May 27. 11:00am | Room 6 “Unlocking the Power of AI in Microsoft Fabric” with Josh Ndemenge | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 8 “Building Power Apps in the Modern Era” with April Dunnam | May 27, 12:00pm | Room 3 “Copilot in Dynamics 365 Finance” with Severin Bock | May 27, 2:30pm | Room 7b “Mission UX: Decoding the Science of User Experience in Microsoft 365 and Power Platform” with David Warner II and Hugo Bernier | May 27, 2:30pm | Room 3 “Unleash the power of Custom Actions in Power Automate Desktop” with Dieter De Cock | May 27, 2:30pm | Room 5 “Quickstart to Microsoft Power Pages” with Dragan Panjkov | May 27, 3:30pm | Room 7a “Building Secure and Reliable Copilot Agents created with Copilot Studio” with Marco Rocca and Fabio Franzini | May 27, 5:50pm | Room 5 “Innovating with Power Platform's Copilot Studio: Extending and Enhancing SAP with Intelligent Agents” with Marysol Mantilla | May 28. 11:20am | Room 5 “The art of crafting effective prompts for your Power Platform AI tools” with April Dunnam | May 28. 11:20am | Room 3 “Copilot Studio - You Can't Improve What You Can't Measure” with Henry Jammes | May 28. 1:30pm | Room 3 “Transforming Document Management in Power Platform with Intelligent Automation” with Marco Rocca and Fabio Franzini | May 28. 3:50pm | Room 6 European AI and Cloud Summit startup stage, Powered by Microsoft for Startups Supported and co-organized by ECS and Microsoft for Startups, the Microsoft Startup Stage dynamic space is where major industry players connect to explore groundbreaking solutions. on Day1 we will introduce current Microsoft Startup AI Partners and pegagus Microsoft Startups showcasing how startups, engage with potential investors and build AI solutions, and learn from visionary thought leaders in AI and cloud computing. On Day 2 we have dedicated AI Startup pitch competition at the end of the day the Startup Pitch Competition winners will receive prestigious awards, including membership in the Microsoft for Startups Program, unlocking exclusive resources, mentorship, and growth opportunities. Showcasing Microsoft Pegasus Startups Holistic AI Synthesized Tips for Attendees Introduce Yourself Your unique insights matter! Engage with others and share your perspective. Participate Fully Put away your laptops and stay focused. Immerse yourself in sessions for in-depth learning, tips, and tricks. Share your Knowledge Don’t hesitate to offer your expertise. Sharing what you know can help others and strengthen the community. Ask Questions and Provide Feedback Your inquiries and suggestions can shape the future of our products. Don’t hold back—your voice matters! Stay Hydrated and Dress Comfortably Keep your energy up and your mind sharp. Dress for movement to enjoy the full experience. Learn more Visit CollabSummit.eu and follow the action on X/Twitter: @CollabSummit / #CollabSummit, @Microsoft365, @MSFTCopilot, @SharePoint, @OneDrive, @MicrosoftTeams, @MSPowerPlat, @Microsoft365Dev, and @MSFTAdoption. We hope to see you in Germany for one of the most impactful events of the year! The European Collaboration Summit offers unique opportunities to connect with industry leaders, explore innovations, and gain insights that can transform your career. With tailored sessions, hands-on demos, and discussions on collaboration tools, it’s the perfect platform to stay ahead of trends. Don’t miss the chance to join a thriving community and unlock your potential! Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity – register today and take advantage of the exclusive discount! Finally, don't miss the ECS 2024 recap video! Dive into the highlights and get a sneak peek of all the thrilling moments and what makes ECS events unforgettable: Cheers, Heather CookIntroducing the Community News Desk with essential content from Microsoft 365 Community Conference
With the public availability of our Microsoft 365 Community Conference content we are launching our new Microsoft Community News Desk to help you discover content and people that will enhance your experience of Microsoft services including Copilot, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Viva, Power Platform and more. Read on to discover more!
