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30 years of the MVP Program marked a highly awaited gathering of Most Valuable Professionals (MVP), Regional Directors (RD), Product Groups and Community Managers for the first hybrid MVP Global Summit, and 4 years since meeting in person post pandemic.
Excited MVPs ascended in the hallways of Microsoft’s Headquarters in Redmond, filling their bellies with Microsoft’s famous breakfast bacon as they prepared to embrace their day to connect and learn with their peers. Whilst around the globe, virtual attendees dedicated the early and late hours of their days (and all the hours in between!), contributing to discussion, and catching the latest product news and updates from the ground.
No matter how the event was attended, there was a clear sense of community and pride, highlighted by first time attendee, Microsoft Azure MVP Danidu Weerasinghe, who tuned in virtually from Australia and took joy in seeing his name displayed on the MVP wall of names. “Never in a million years I thought my name is going to be there in Microsoft Redmond,” said Danidu.
Highlights from the MVP Global Summit 2023
There were 479 sessions delivered across 3 days and the knowledge gathered in the rooms was inspiring. We heard from Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President Microsoft Cloud + AI, who opened the Summit thanking the MVP community for their scale of impact across 50 different languages including “being a source of inspiration to so many” and for “mentoring those building their own career skills”.
Microsoft leaders and product engineers also took the stage including Amanda Silver, Charles Lamanna, Jeff Teper, Gaurav Seth, and many more.
Scott Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Cloud + AI Group at Microsoft
In addition to sessions delivered from Redmond, the program team designed a variety of online regional sessions with Microsoft employees, MVPs, and RDs from around the world. These regional sessions were featured on the agenda to highlight localized content and connect technical leaders across 8 languages including Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and English.
The combination of online and in-person sessions provided a greater sense of inclusivity and conveyed a better representation of how we all work and collaborate. Community Program Manager, Christina Liang, who led the planning for the regional sessions says, “the MVP regional talks created a transformative experience for attendees, offering over 50 sessions in 8 languages, tailored to the local time zone. With a primary focus on AI and Azure, the content empowered participants with cutting-edge insights, practical skills, and networking opportunities, fostering innovation to drive growth in their respective fields.”
Highlights from our community
Tim Leung, an MVP awarded for his expertise in Business Applications, travelled from the UK to Redmond and reflected on his experiences of the event. “My highlight of the MVP Global Summit was meeting my peers and the Microsoft Power Platform team. It was a real privilege to be able to speak to some of the brightest minds in the industry. Thanks, Microsoft, for organizing this amazing summit!”
MVP Tim Leung with Product Manager Greg Lindhorst
Data Platform MVP, Heidi Hasting attended her first in person MVP Global Summit, describing how it felt like she was living a dream. Heidi explained, “it’s amazing to have the chance to represent my community and engage in meaningful conversations with product teams, sharing their experiences, feedback, and scenarios. The opportunity to learn from and engage in discussions with both product teams and other MVPs is invaluable”.
MVP Heidi Hasting with Community Manager, Elizabeth Pappalardo
Even for long time MVP, Senthamil Selvan, who has been awarded for his community contributions for the last 9 years, valued the unique opportunity to reconnect with his fellow MVPs. “It was a great experience to be at the summit. Many MVPs I interacted with online were able to meet me in person. The PG party and the event were great opportunities to meet MVPs”, said Senthamil.
MVP Senthamil Selvan at the MVP Global Summit 2023
Azure MVP, Sou Ishizaki, joined the MVP Global Summit from his home in Japan. It was his first time attending as he received his MVP award last August. “I learned the Summit is the opportunity not only we can learn about important information, but also, Microsoft listens to us. I felt amazing aura of experts from all over the world. It encouraged me to learn English. As a non-English speaker, I was glad to have a chance to learn technology in Japanese. It was also informative session as we discussed from a local business perspective.
The first-time Summit online attendee, Azure MVP Sou Ishizaki
The MVP Global Summit is a special event for Microsoft MVPs who have been empowering technical communities in various ways through their dedicated enthusiasm and leadership. If you like this story and would love to join the Summit in the future, the first step is to be awarded as an MVP. This can be achieved through recognition of significant impacts you make in empowering others using technology.
To read more community highlights and how our MVPs are contributing to the global developer community, check out our blog posts, #MVPBuzz on Twitter and follow @MVPAward.