I have spent this week attending the Microsoft MVP Summit at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond. It is the 4^th time I have made the long journey from New Zealand, and I felt like a seasoned attendee until I arrived on campus and then I had those same feelings I had the very first time I visited.

There were several things that made my experience this year different to previous years. I attended as a Microsoft Regional Director for the first time, signed my book for the Microsoft Library and explored the new parts of the campus that were under construction during my 2023 visit.

On Monday, I was invited, along with 40 or so other MVPs to a book signing at the Microsoft Library. My struggle with writing at school, followed me into adult life. Around 15 years ago I decided to start blogging, initially to give myself a place to practice writing and to collate my thoughts on technology. In 2021 this turned into a book writing project, which was both difficult but also a great personal growth challenge.  I did it!

Book signing at the Microsoft Library!

MVP Authors at the Microsoft Library

In July 2023, I became a Microsoft Regional Director. This is a small group of just over 200 people from 49 countries, all of whom have experience that spans across technologies and business. The vision of the RD Community is to be the most influential community of strategic industry advisors to Microsoft. The conversations with leadership people from across product groups, and the collective experience of the RD Community is next level!

Microsoft Regional Directors 2024

I can’t write about this year’s summit, without mentioning Leila Etaati. Leila passed away on New Years eve, leaving an enormous hole in the hearts of many people in our community. She was also Reza Rad’s beloved partner in everything! I was glad to see Reza attending the Summit and to see people in our community making loving gestures including reserving a seat in her memory at the Keynote.

It was great to see and spend time with other Kiwi MVPs, representing our local community across product categories. A big shout out to our fabulous MVP Community Manager, Elizabeth who managed to get us together for this photo, before disappearing and reappearing as Clippy!

Kiwi MVP’s at the Summit

You may be wondering what is this Summit all about? It is about connecting MVP’s and RD’s with people at Microsoft. It is about listing to Microsoft’s plans and providing feedback. It is about being open and honest about what we think. It is also about respect for the process of building the platforms that empower businesses, organisations, and people everywhere.  This cannot be achieved without trust in both directions, and this means I cannot talk about anything we discussed.

There are a few things that I have taken away and can talk about:

• Trust is the most important word in the Microsoft vocabulary.
• Responsible AI is something we should all care about.
• Sustainability is a concern, and we should hold cloud providers to their environmental pledges.
• Building diverse teams and inclusive culture helps empower everyone.
• We should consider lessons from the past when doing new things.

The most valuable part of the MVP Summit is the ability to connect with people within the teams that build the software we use everyday and to meet other MVP’s and RD’s. It is really is a unique experience! The connections and exchange of ideas is something I have never experienced at any other event.

Right now, I am sitting in Seattle (SeaTac) Airport, gathering my thoughts while waiting for a delayed flight. I can’t help but think this is one of the most exciting times to be working in the tech industry, we have better tools than ever before, AI is driving innovation across industries, and it creates new opportunities for everyone.

I saw this quote outside a Boxing Gym in downtown Seattle “If you want something you have never had, then you need to do something you have never done!” I think this summed up my week.