Amber Hickman |
This year’s Microsoft Ignite will take place virtually and in-person at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, USA, from 19-22 November.
Attendees will gain insights from Microsoft and partners who build, market, sell, deploy and support solutions based on Microsoft technologies. We spoke to Nicole Dezen, chief partner officer and corporate vice president to find out more.
What are some of the key themes for this year’s Ignite and what can attendees expect from the event?
Since its debut in Chicago in 2015, Microsoft Ignite has been one of our premier annual flagship events showcasing the latest innovations, product updates, and breakthroughs across our ecosystem. In addition to the in person experience in Chicago, the online experiences offer each participant unique and invaluable opportunities to learn, connect and explore.
This year’s event will, of course, have an emphasis on artificial intelligence innovation. There will also be ample opportunities for attendees to explore the Microsoft technology ecosystem, skill up on current and emerging technologies, and network face-to-face with colleagues in their community.
Attendees will also get firsthand access to news and announcements, new features and solutions, and they can engage with a diverse community of experts and enthusiasts, share knowledge, collaborate and learn from each other.
Microsoft partners will be also able to meet with other partners, customers and Microsoft leaders; access keynotes focused on the different opportunities with Microsoft and AI; and join sessions to learn more about updates to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. We will also be celebrating our Partner of the Year Award winners.
Tell us about the return to a larger in-person gathering, and how this extends the reach of the virtual experience.
In recent years, Microsoft Ignite has been a global digital event welcoming over 300,000 attendees, with an integrated, Seattle based in-person experience hosting around 4,000 guests.
In November 2024, Microsoft Ignite will transform again and increase in-person capacity by more than double, integrating with the event formerly known as Microsoft Inspire and allowing over 10,000 attendees to join us in Chicago.
We invite all our partners to join us at Microsoft Ignite, either in person in Chicago or digitally. No matter where they are, partners can connect with other partners, Microsoft leaders and customers, engage in the technical content sessions and learn about the latest Microsoft innovation.
This year we will also provide business content for our partners to learn more about the program updates, key investments and go-to-market opportunities.
Microsoft Ignite provides an opportunity to showcase partner collaborations
The partner ecosystem is obviously an essential part of any Microsoft event. Can you tell us a little about some of the partner involvement in this year’s Ignite?
The Microsoft Partner ecosystem includes more than 500,000 partners who build, market, sell, deploy and support solutions based on Microsoft AI and Commercial Cloud. In 2023, 32 per cent of the registered Microsoft Ignite attendees were from partner organisations.
We anticipate a high percentage of Ignite attendees to be from our partner organisations again this year, and there will be a variety of experiences for partners to choose from.
We have designed content for partners that want to gain technical experience, focusing on the latest Microsoft innovation and getting hands-on practice with it, and we will also have more business-focused content for partners that want to learn how best to engage with Microsoft, no matter where they are in their journey with us. This includes content about the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, how to achieve designations and specialisations, how to co-sell with Microsoft, using the Azure Marketplace to grow your business and more.
To help partners prepare for Ignite we hosted MCAPS Start for Partners in July, a digital event to kick off our new fiscal year. I encourage partners who have not yet viewed that content to do so, so they are informed of our fiscal year priorities, program updates and investments that will be the foundation of what we share with partners at Ignite.
What elements of the event are you most looking forward to?
It will be terrific to be with partners and customers in Chicago to share Microsoft’s future vision, key news and announcements, and compelling customer and partner stories that address the themes and issues that are most pressing for our customers and the world in which we live. We continue to hear from partners how much they’ve missed the in-person connections at events, so we are thrilled to be able to offer this. Having an event that brings customers and partners together with Microsoft creates even more opportunity.
I’m also looking forward to celebrating the amazing work of our Partner of the Year Award winners. We announced the winners in late June and look forward to providing a special in-person experience for them.
It’s going to be a fantastic event, and I encourage all our partners to participate.