Upcoming Events for September and October

While the vast majority of information workers may be working from home (WFH), the number of events being planned has not slowed down. In fact, because the costs of creating events dramatically drops when moved to online, more and more local community efforts have been expanded to include global participants, making it possible for us to participate in much more than we could ever do with physical conferences.

Having said that, we all miss those in-person events and the value of connecting with people face-to-face. As I sit here listening to the Microsoft Ignite conference keynotes (which is 100% online and free, so go register!), I would like to share links to a number of events happening this week and into October that I’d love for all of my readers to participate in:

Microsoft Ignite 2020: Empowering the technical community to help customers innovate and rebuild in a changing world - The Official Microsoft BlogMicrosoft Ignite

Microsoft’s premier IT Pro-focused event, being held entirely online September 22nd through 24th, with repeated sessions to hit every time zone, expert sessions, and multiple ways for the community to connect. Register at https://myignite.microsoft.com/

Redmondmag.comMinimizing Complexity and Sprawl with SharePoint and Microsoft 365, While Maximizing Potential in the Enterprise

Webinar hosted by Redmond Magazine and moderated by Scott Bekker (@scottbekker) on September 23rd at 11am PDT,  with myself and Egnyte’s Michael Townsend discussing the problem of content sprawl, how sprawl is generated within Microsoft 365, and some best practices for managing this sprawl. Register at https://redmondmag.com/webcasts/2020/09/egnyte-sept-23.aspx

ImageThrough the Looking Glass: A Review of Microsoft Ignite 2020

Toward the end of Microsoft Ignite, I’ll be joining a panel discussion on September 24th at 11am PDT with PixelMill’s Eric Overfield (@ericoverfield) and fellow MVP Ryan Schouten (@shrpntknight) to share our thoughts on the announcements made during Ignite, as we’ve done with past conferences. Should be a very animated discussion between 3 Microsoft MVPs! Register at https://pixelmill.com/webinar-through-the-looking-glass-a-review-of-microsoft-ignite-2020/

CollabTalk TweetJam for September 2020#CollabTalk TweetJam: Takeaways from Microsoft Ignite 2020

On Friday, September 25th at 9am PDT, I’ll be hosting another #CollabTalk tweetjam with RDs, MVPs, and experts from around the world gathering together via Twitter to share our feedback and thoughts on the #MSIgnite conference, announcements, and interactions. What I love about this format is that ANYONE can participate: simply login to your personal or work Twitter profile using your favorite site or tool, and follow the live discussion happening under the #CollabTalk hashtag, with tyGraph sponsoring and providing their powerful statistics. Over the course of the hour, I’ll post 7 questions and give time for people to respond. Find out more in the blog post.

The North American Collaboration Summit 2020: Call for Speakers / Call for Papers (CfP) @ Sessionize.comNorth American Collab Summit

On September 28th through 30th, I’ll be attending the North American Collab Summit in Branson, Missouri for my first in-person event since February. For this paid event, I’ll be presenting two sessions (on Microsoft Tasks and M365 Productivity Tips) while also helping lead the online volunteers who will be moderating each of the sessions online for this hybrid event. If you would like to join us in Branson, tickets are still available. If you cannot travel but would still like to attend, tickets are inexpensive — and all sessions are being recorded, with online and in-room moderators to help maximize your involvement for the online experience. Register at https://www.collabsummit.org/

The Great Debate: The Need For Office 365 Backup | AvePointThe Great Debate: The Need For Office 365 Backup

On October 7th at 10:00am EST, I’ll be joining AvePoint’s Dux Raymond Sy (@meetdux) and John Hodges, along with MVP Tony Redmond (@12Knocksinna) for an official debate (Lincoln/Douglas rules) on the important and slightly-controversial topic of Office 365 Backup, where many people have wondered out loud: Do I need a formal backup solution for the O365 online service? Don’t miss this great discussion! Register at https://www.avepoint.com/events/webinar/debate-o365-backup

ESPC20 Online – TechMeetupsThe European SharePoint, Office 365, and Azure Conference

And finally, on October 14th and 15th, #ESPC20 has also moved to an online format, with sessions, workshops, community interactions AND a great live stream lineup with experts, Microsoft keynotes, and myself and other community reporters providing great content and conversation…during European working hours. Register for the virtual conference at https://www.sharepointeurope.com/

I hope to see you online for one or more of these events! Looking forward to things slowly getting back to normal, with more and more in-person events being planned for early 2021. Until then, I’ll be doing as much as I can manage through these online events. Also returning to the online world in October is my Productivity Tips webinar series with Tom Duff, so watch for updates on my social channels and here on my blog! Thx

Christian Buckley

Christian is a Microsoft Regional Director and M365 Apps & Services MVP, and an award-winning product marketer and technology evangelist, based in Silicon Slopes (Lehi), Utah. He is the Director of North American Partner Management for leading ISV Rencore (https://rencore.com/), leads content strategy for TekkiGurus, and is an advisor for both revealit.TV and WellnessWits. He hosts the monthly #CollabTalk TweetJam, the weekly #CollabTalk Podcast, and the Microsoft 365 Ask-Me-Anything (#M365AMA) series.