Microsoft TechNet Virtual Conference Next Steps

Over the past 3 days the first-ever TechNet Virtual Conference delivered Microsoft’s vision of the future for IT Pros. As a proud media sponsor of the event, we here at IT/Dev Connections hope you enjoyed our live stream and also our unique engagement and interaction. We’ve been providing social and community services for years for other events such as the Microsoft Management Summit, System Center Universe, DellWorld, SpiceWorld, TechEd, and Ignite, so it was awesome for us fit into that role once again.

The 3 days were wonderful and produced some awesome content. It was a brilliant effort and we’re looking forward to working deeply with the event crew to tweak it and deliver an even more seasoned offering next year. We heard a lot of the comments, criticisms, and general feedback for the online conference, so we’ll be taking all of that into account.

Except for a decidedly “consumerized” take in one of the sessions (this event was supposed to be designed for IT Pros), one of the bigger pieces of feedback is that the sessions seemed somewhat subdued and I think that’s simply because of the method of delivery. A virtual conference, though valuable, can’t supply that extra oomph IT Pros are used to receiving from real-world conferences. Absolutely nothing can compare to in-person events for live interaction, community, sidebar discussions with the speakers, and hallway networking. These are the things that we haven’t quite yet figured out how to deliver in an Internet stream.

This is one of the primary reasons why our partnership with the TechNet Virtual Conference makes so much sense. Some may think our two events (IT/Dev Connections and TechNet Virtual Conference) are competing, but that’s simply not the case. With a virtual event, companies like Microsoft can expose product strategy and deliver technology overviews to a mass audience and then IT/Dev Connections can take over and complete the picture with an in-person event that takes attendees to the next level. It’s literally two sides of the coin. You get your product updates like is usually delivered in a round of keynotes (by product managers and sometimes journalists) and then you also get your deep-dive, technical learning delivered by the experts in the field that work with the products every day in real-world settings. In fact, this is why IT/Dev Connections is proud to be known as the Anti-Keynote Conference.

So, while the TechNet Virtual Conference gets you to the Launchpad, IT/Dev Connections takes you the rest of the way. Learn from your peers – those expert and experienced individuals and Microsoft MVPs. Dive deep and get hands-on experience into the topics delivered through the TechNet Virtual Conference and spend a full week cavorting with like-minded IT Pros who are ready to solve the most burdensome technical issues together.

IT/Dev Connections runs from October 10-13, 2016 at the ARIA Resort in Las Vegas. Attendance is purposely capped to ensure you won’t get lost in a massive crowd, you won’t have your paths directed by massive rope roads, yelled at to fall in line, or miss a critical technical session because it’s too full. And, community events are built-in to ensure you have every opportunity to become part of a strong IT Pro network dedicated to providing year round support.

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Additionally, between now and the time IT/Dev Connections kicks off, take advantage of our online eLearning sessions. These sessions are delivered by many of the same speakers and peers you find at the in-person event in October. Get a full listing of our current offerings in our Online Catalog.

Also, for a limited time you can take advantage of big savings as our thanks for attending the TechNet Virtual Conference: Get $100 with the code ITDCTNVC16 at checkout!

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