Microsoft’s underlying vision of the SharePoint product is simple: to enable improved productivity in the workplace. This vision governs the product’s design, and the support of product users is demonstrated in the value SharePoint events bring to the community.
These events are all about sharing ideas on how to use SharePoint to bring productivity and efficiency to the enterprise. And Microsoft – true to its vision – will be creating environments for the SharePoint community to share and experience other ideas or opportunities. In this post, we will look at some of the biggest events around SharePoint in 2016. So let’s get started.
SPTechCon Feb 2016
At the SharePoint Technology Conference– running from February 21st - 24th in Austin Texas – there will be technical classes and tutorials presenting ideas about how SP13, Office 365 and the new SharePoint 2016 can help users improve productivity for their businesses.
With over 40 Microsoft experts speaking, such as MVPs Marc Anderson, Robert Bogue, Christian Buckley, Liam Cleary, Michelle Caldwell - plus many more - attendees will learn about best practice for everyday business challenges and opportunities.
Victor Gliewe, an IT specialist with the US Department of Veterans Affairs, describes it as an event to attend for those wishing to learn where they are with SharePoint; what you might be missing, what you're doing right and what direction to take to improve your SharePoint experience.
Microsoft Build Apr 2016
Anticipating the next level of tailored experiences for the SharePoint community in the year ahead, we look to Microsoft Build 2016: specially designed to expose developers to Microsoft’s latest company visions and directives. Developers will learn, network and brainstorm around the new technologies coming our way in 2016/17, and the opportunities they present.
This premier developer conference will be held in San Francisco from March 30th– April 1st, where developers will attend deep dive sessions to receive in-depth training on some incredible advances in Microsoft technologies. At the 2015 event, exciting topics like building the intelligent cloud using Azure were described, and there were insights on how business processes, productivity and personal computing can be reinvented. Out of five events, this sits at the top of our list for developers.
Collab365 May 2016
Collab365 is, quite simply, the world’s biggest online conference. A 3-day online summit for IT professionals, admins and developers, Collab365 will mark the year’s biggest virtual conference event when it comes to all things Office 365, SharePoint and Azure Learning. The last Collab365 Global Conference is now available on demand and the 2016 event will be building on the successful Live Show that featured a number of expert panels, interviews and community call-outs presented by Microsoft staff, MVPs and MCMs.
While the call for speakers is open now, the keynotes are signed, sealed and to be delivered. SharePoint heavyweight Bill Baer is speaking on day 1, Microsoft Product Managers for Office 365, Jeremy Thake and Sonya Koptyev are speaking on day 2 and Mark Kashman, Senior Product Manager on SharePoint Online and NextGen Portals, is closing the final day. Those attending from their hotels, boardrooms, kitchens, cars, and anywhere else, will be treated to a great line-up.
Microsoft Ignite Sept 2016
For big thinkers and senior decision makers looking for a competitive edge or seeking what's next, the Ignite conference in Atlanta, USA is the place to go. In 2015, the evolution of SharePoint was a key topic that provided insight into various aspects of SharePoint Server 2016, SharePoint Online, hybrid, etc.
The 2016 event will host on-demand sessions covering topics such as bringing Azure to your data centre, Office 365 roadmap and innovations, an overview of Windows 10 for enterprise, and more. A test-drive session has been arranged for attendees to experience first-hand the latest technology, and explore new potentials already available or soon to be released.
European SharePoint Conference Nov 2016
At Europe’s largest SharePoint and Office 365 conference, over 1500 specialists gather to socialize and network at a number of side sessions and at the legendary Gala awards – where influencers and entrepreneurs get recognized for their contributions to the community. At this year’s conference in Stockholm, the ‘Father of SharePoint’ Jeff Teper provided insight into the future roadmap of SharePoint and OneDrive. With the main takeaway being: Microsoft will continue to deliver on-prem SharePoint versions for as long as customers want it.
The 2016 event is another must attend for the Office 365 / SharePoint pro and will be hosted in Vienna, Austria. It’ll provide a comprehensive breakdown of the latest SharePoint and Office innovations, including practical tips on leveraging SharePoint 2013 for better ROI.
Don’t miss your chance to attend
Microsoft are supplying a host of opportunities for you to take action plans and recommendations back to your company. These events are the perfect chance to take the ROI of your Microsoft SharePoint environment to the next level. Microsoft actively collects feedback about these events in a bid to continuously improve SharePoint year on year, so don't worry if you have never attended one in the past, as 2016 is sure to be the best yet!
Some other interesting events worth noting include SPS Events, Convergence and WPC where members of the SharePoint community come together to give back to the community everything they have learned. So here’s to 2016, and the events that lie ahead.
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