It’s only 4 weeks until the Microsoft Annual Partner Conference in the Gold Coast on the 5th to 8th September 2016. I thought I’d have a good long look at the agenda, and pull out the critical sessions that I think will be invaluable to Microsoft partners who sell into Education – both for this year’s sales, and longer term strategy. There’s nearly 100 different sessions happening during the four day conference, with specific sessions for sales or marketing professionals, directors and strategists. As with previous years there are some recognisable national and international speakers and thought leaders.
So here’s my take on a proposed route though the agenda for any partner that wants to build their Education business over the next 12 months and beyond. Have a look below at the sessions – you can visit the APC website for more information on the sessions, the speakers, and to start planning how to make most effective use of the time you’re investing in the conference:
Monday:
- Welcome Keynote and Microsoft Australia Partner Awards (5- 6:30 pm)
Tuesday:
- Keynote: Defining Your Future in Partnership (8:45- 9:45 am)
- Build a Profitable Cloud Business with Microsoft (10-10:45 am)
or
Growing your Linux and Open Source Cloud Business on Azure (10-10:45 am) - Moving Beyond Analytics to Enable Digital Transformation (11:15-12pm)
- Creating effective marketing campaigns to sell technology solutions (1-1:45pm)
- Education – Digital Disruption to the extreme(2-2:45pm)
- Unlock Real Value through Differentiation (3:15-4pm)
- Keynote: Unleashing Innate Creativity for Innovation (4:15-5pm)
Wednesday
- Keynote: Beyond Boring Business (8:45-9:45 am)
- The Future is Smart: How the Internet of Things is changing the way we live and work (10-10:45am)
- Business Design – how to turn your ideas into a successful business (11:15-12pm)
- Keynote: The Business of Being Human (1-1:45pm)
- Building a profitable Azure practice (2-2:45pm)
- Effective co-selling with Microsoft’s Education business on Office 365 and Azure (3:15-4pm)
- Driving Great Profit Out of Your Existing Office 365 Customer or Transition to Becoming a MSP (4:15-5pm)
Thursday
- Keynote: Unlock the financial potential of your future leaders (10-10:45am)
- When Humans and Technology collide (11:30-12:15)
or
Masterclass: Building a profitable Azure practice (11:30am-1:30pm) - Beyond the hype of artificial intelligence (12:30- 1:15pm)
- The Analytics opportunity for every partner in Education(2:15-3pm)
- Kat Holmes Design Thinking Final Keynote (3:15-4:15pm)
Of course, you won’t want to miss out on the three Education specific sessions in the agenda, in bold above, where you’ll find me and my colleagues sharing insights into how to meet the needs of education customers in Australia, and what strategies can help you best respond to market trends.
See you in the Gold Coast!
