This post has been republished via RSS; it originally appeared at: New blog articles in Microsoft Community Hub.
A special event that focused on AI technology and digitalization from a women's point of view took place in China on March 8, International Women's Day. This online event, held in partnership with the local Power Platform community and Microsoft Reactor, attracted more than 2,000 attendees.
Christina Liang, a Microsoft Community Program Manager, was instrumental in organizing the event from choosing the theme and speaker recruitment to being a panelist on the day. She shares her experience in the event, “On International Women's Day, our dedicated event greatly contributed to women empowerment in our region by offering a skill enhancement opportunity in contemporary topics. This year's focus topic was AI and digitalization from a woman's perspective, and I joined a panel discussion with a panelist of women, Hui Zou (M365 MVP), Dan Zhang (CFO of an energy company), and the MVP moderator Liu Yu to energize the festivities. The panelists, who are CFO and HR experts, shared insights on how to use AI knowledge for real-world applications in the dialogue.”
Liu Yu, a Business Applications MVP in the Power Platform community who organized the event to support women empowerment, describes the key takeaway from the event as "the growing interest and efforts of women in HR and finance sectors towards AI and digitalization." He states, ”I was inspired by seeing many women who actively engage in these fields and make strides towards leveraging technology. Looking ahead, we need to continue to support and invest resources in these areas and provide them with technical knowledge and practical experience to empower their further development. By sharing expertise and experiences, we can help their growth towards a more inclusive and successful future in the tech industry.”
This virtual event provided participants with an engaging platform to explore how technology can enhance various professional roles and foster career development. Christina remarks, “The engagement level was remarkably high, and the event successfully raised awareness of our program. It attracted a large number of attendees who are eager to learn about Microsoft technology, and we were able to deliver our message on this important day.”
The event garnered remarkable interest and acclaim. Liu summarized the overall feedback, stating, “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and we learned that attendees felt comfortable and are eager to join such sharing opportunities more. They expressed a desire for access to the latest cutting-edge knowledge from diverse communities and leaders in the future. Two industry expert guest speakers also got substantial benefits from this interaction, gaining fresh inspiration and knowledge that they plan to share within their respective fields and careers.”
This initiative also inspired Microsoft MVP attendees. “Many MVPs resonated with the insights shared by the guests. In particular, women MVPs showed their commitment to increased participation and contribution in the future,” says Liu.
Liu has been diligently engaging with women of the tech community. He elaborates on their participation within the community, stating, “Our community empowers many women speakers who are excellent knowledge producers. Not only are they technically proficient, but they are also enthusiastic about sharing knowledge and community building. Additionally, we have numerous volunteers, primarily university students. These young women actively participate in community events to stay abreast of technological advancements, engage with tech experts, acquire knowledge, and engage in extensive practice to master their skills. Among the community audience, we also have women from various societal backgrounds who actively participate in community sessions to gain knowledge and wisdom. They utilize these insights to enhance their abilities and broaden their perspectives.”
In terms of fostering diversity and inclusion in the community, this event was not just a one-off initiative but one of the ongoing community’s efforts. As a community leader dedicated to empowering women, Liu articulated his ongoing commitment to furthering women's empowerment in future initiatives. “As a low-code community, we aim to share technical information benefiting more women in the future, especially professional women in various fields. They should be one of the most significant groups to benefit from Microsoft technologies. In the future, when we organize events, we would like to collaborate with Microsoft to increase resource allocation, enhance the impact of these initiatives, and ensure that the voices of women in tech are uplifted and heard.”