Have you heard about the SharePoint North American Conference that is happening in Vegas on May 21-23? What?! You HAVEN’T? Well now is the time to check it out and get yourself registered! This conference isn’t your typical technical conference – there are many reasons for that and in this blog post I am going to cover just 5 reasons that I think everyone should BE THERE!

Reason 1: Content for YOU
One of the best things about SPCNA is that there is content for everyone! No matter what role you play in your team – there will be specific content just for you. No matter if you are running servers on-prem, developing custom solutions, managing search or simply building out commuinication and collaboration sites – there is content just for you! Even if you have no hands on responsibilities and instead manage things from a strategic business level – there is still content specific to you and your role! And because of the breadth of conent provided, even those that wear multiple hats will be able to find a perfect conference schedule that speaks to thier role within the team. This is truly something that makes this conference different than any other conference this year.
Don’t belive me? I bet you in less than 5 minutes you can search through the current session list and find no less than 5 sessions that are on your MUST SEE list! Below is just a quick list of my MUST SEE sessions:
Those are just a few of the many sessions I will be attending at the conference. I challenge you to take a few minutes and map out your conference schedule. You can even share it with your manager and use that as a way to help show the value of the conference!
Reason 2: Product Team Interaction
Being able to directly talk to and influence the team that creates SharePoint is by far something that sets this conference apart. Did you know that at this conference if you have an issue with SharePoint that you could meet with and talk with the teams that build specific SharePoint features? You can directly share your input and requests. Not only will they listen, but they will ask you questions and really try to understand how it impacts your team and how you work.
Many different members of the Product Team will be attending the conference and even speaking in sessions. This is really the best opportunity to hear directly from them and to give feedback directly to them. They want to know how we are using SharePoint and they want to understand what new features we need. They are all about connecting with community and they are using this event as a platform to do just that.
Reason 3: Community Involvement
I couldn’t have a top 5 list without mentioning community! The SharePoint Community is certainly something that will set this conference apart. From sessions delivered by MVPS, happy hours hosted by Vendors and general conversations in passing – this a conference that is full of community. Everywhere you go, it will be about networking, learning from others and sharing your experiences. Because Microsoft has such a strong sense of community, the relationships built at this conference will keep going beyond the conference through tools like Twitter, User Groups and the Tech Community.
Reason 4: Learning Beyond My Team
One of the best experiences I have had a conference is being able to get a good understanding of what others on my team are doing. Because of the depth of sessions, this conference allows me to step in the shoes of others and experience some of the things that are important to them. While my primary focus is on business aspects of SharePoint – it is good for me to understand how development and administration can impact the business aspect. This conference gives me a great opportunity to do that – to attend sessions that provide overviews and map out roadmaps. Knowing this information strengthens my team and allows us to work together easily. Even better is when my entire team can attend and spread out across all the sessions and then come together to review what we learned. Some of the best strategies and plans have been made by teams attending a conference like this and putting what they learn into immediate action.
Reason 5: Support, Empowerment & Personal Growth
The final in my list of top 5 reasons is very personal to me. Attending conferences like this in the past have empowered me to be a better person. I have no doubt that this conference will be any different. From attending and leading Women in Tech sessions to joining together in Social causes or simply being inspired to try to new things in my career – I always seem to be empowered to grow from these events. The SharePoint community is a strong group of folks, that care about each other, the community and the world – they are constantly looking to leave things better than they found them and looking to build people up. Anytime a large group of them meets, there is sure to be an impact.
Well there you have it – my top 5 reasons that this conference is one of the must attend events of the year. I will BE THERE….will YOU?
