Build your organization’s Copilot skills at TechCon365 in Washington D.C.
With the emergence of Microsoft Copilot, new tools are available to you to measure progress, implement best practices for greatest impact, and drive real value to employees – for the business. We’re working across our teams to ensure we land consistency and focus within the D.C. keynote, breakout sessions, and workshops to Copilot for Microsoft 365 and other generative AI content – alongside the apps and services you love – like SharePoint, Teams, Viva, Power Platform, Fabric, and more.Event Recap - TechCon Chicago 2026
TechCon 365 Chicago is part of the TechCon series of regional Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Azure data conferences — one of the most widely attended community-run Microsoft conference series in North America. For FY26, the Chicago edition was focused on Microsoft 365, Collaboration, Microsoft 365 Copilot and Power Platform. Dates: June 15–19, 2026 Venue: McCormick Place South, 2301 S. King Drive, Chicago, IL 60616 Reach: 650+ attendees | 43 US states | 14 countries Event website: Home - Microsoft TechCon365 Chicago - A Microsoft 365 Conference & Copilot Conference In a Nutshell TechCon 365 Chicago 2026 delivered: A full-stage, 90-minute keynote anchored by Microsoft leaders, using a baseball playbook metaphor to frame the AI + Microsoft 365 transformation story 20+ Microsoft-led and 100+ Community-led sessions spanning Copilot adoption, AI in SharePoint, Power Platform, governance, and community engagement A dedicated Microsoft Community Zone (Expo Hall) for face-to-face engagement, demos, and community resource sign-ups Multiple Ask the Experts slots giving attendees direct access to product experts The Women in Tech and Allies Discussion, building on the MGCI community inclusion agenda Microsoft / Team Involvement Microsoft was a principal sponsor of TechCon 365 Chicago 2026, with the SCALE Microsoft Community Team leading the Microsoft engagement from planning through execution. Microsoft Production Team Heather Cook, Principal PM, SCALE Team — Production Lead & Keynote/Session Speaker Bryan Wofford, Principal PM, SCALE Team — Production PM & Session Speaker, MVP Lead Jonathan Jones – Program Manager, SCALE Team - Booth & Community Emily Hove — Event Logistics, SCALE Team Event Producers (TechCon side) David Wilhelm Sharon Toler Ashley Wilhelm Liz Sundet Key Content & Highlights Keynote “Stepping Up to the Plate: Winning Strategies to Empower Your Team” | Wed, June 17 | 8:30–9:40 AM | Stage S105bcd The 90-minute keynote used a baseball lens to map the Microsoft 365 + AI + Power Platform transformation journey, organizing the message into four “bases”: First Base: AI in Action – From Promise to Real Work (Copilot as leadoff hitter) Second Base: The Foundation Matters – Governance, Security, and Readiness Third Base: Adoption Is the Hard Part – coaching, culture, and confidence Home Plate: Building the Platform – Extensibility and What's Next with Power Platform The keynote brought together Microsoft and community voices on the same stage, reinforcing the message that AI transformation is a team sport. Speakers included Heather Cook, Bryan Wofford, Charles Lakes II, Liam Clearly, Julie Turner, Shannon Lindsay, and Mark Kashman. We may have had a seventh inning stretch to sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame". Named Microsoft Sessions 20+ Microsoft-led sessions were delivered across the five days, spanning beginner to advanced levels. 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) For all community sessions and the overall agenda from this show: https://aka.ms/TechCon365/2026/Sessions Thank you to all the Microsoft speakers who gave terrific sessions and staffed our Microsoft Community Lounge: AJ Goldie, Allison Michels, April Delsing, Bryan Wofford, Carrie White, Craig Jahnke, Dan English, Darryl Rowe, Gina Hoffman, Jonathan Jones, Juan Carlos Chipi, Lada Hill, Lauren Faber, Marco Salas Robles, Max Fritz, Michael Goad, Michelle Gilbert, Minhaj Sahibzada, Nisaini Rexach, Sanjay Raut, Sophie Ke, Steve Nguyen, Vinoth Balasubramanian, Vishal Lodha. Thank you to all community speakers for bringing your awesomeness to this show, so many repeat speakers bringing their A game and welcome to all of the first timers!! You Rock! Ask the Experts Microsoft experts participated in open drop-in Ask the Experts sessions in the Expo Hall / South Concourse Lobby, giving attendees direct access for one-on-one Q&A and guidance. Microsoft Community Zone (Expo Hall) The Microsoft Community Zone served as the hub for community engagement throughout the event — featuring branded resources, QR code sign-up stations for MGCI and Microsoft Tech Community, and staffed meet-and-greet hours with Microsoft speakers and experts. Microsoft MVPs at TechCon A big thank you to all the Microsoft MVPs who spoke and staffed the event: Andrew Hess, Anna Bordioug, Antonio Maio, Asif Rehmani, Brian Alderman, Cathy Dew, Charles Lakes II, Chris McNulty, Christian Buckley, David Drever, Derek Cash-Peterson, Don Kirkham, Drew Madelung, Galen Keene, Geetha Sivasailam, Gokan Ozcifci, Heidi Jordan, Jared Matfess, John Kerski, John White, Joy Apple, Julie Turner, Karinne Bessette, Lindsay Shelton, Luc Labelle, Marc D Anderson, Mark Kashman, Mark Rackley, Mike Maadarani, Norm Young, Paul Papanek Stork, Prashant G Bhoyar, Ralph Rivas, Ryan Schouten, Samir Makwana, Sarah Haase, Scott Shearer, Shari Oswald, Stephanie Bruno, Susan Hanley, Tiffany Songvilay, Treb Gatte, Vlad Catrinescu, Wes Preston, and William Huneycutt. Women in Tech and Allies Discussion Heather Cook led a collaborative discussion alongside Nisaini Rexach, April Delsing, Carrie White all from Microsoft and Kelly Fernandez, Executive Director of TedXChicago bringing together women in tech and allies to share perspectives, experiences, and inspiration. The session is part of Microsoft's ongoing Women in M365 community initiative. Sponsors A big thank you to all the sponsors What Attendees Valued Most When asked what they valued most, attendees consistently cited five themes: Networking — the #1 answer: meeting peers with shared challenges and forming lasting connections Workshops & hands-on demos — live, participatory sessions cited as highlights by both new and returning attendees Direct access to MVPs & experts — one-on-one conversations with speakers and subject matter experts Copilot & AI sessions — practical, applicable Copilot and AI implementation content Overall session quality — well-paced sessions with actionable takeaways and strong speaker insight Wrap-Up Summary TechCon 365 Chicago 2026 was a clear success and a strong validation of Microsoft's investment in community-run, practitioner-focused technical events. A Big THANK YOU to the TechCon producers David Wilhelm, Sharon Toler, Ashley Wilhelm, Liz Sundet and the entire team for an outstanding event.
