by Ahinsa Mansukhani, Microsoft US Partner Experience Team, and Kirstin Turnbull, Mosaic B2B Experiential Design
It’s the time of year when our planning for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference begins in earnest. We’ve reassembled our team of experts to help us plan our US Partner activities at WPC 2016 (July 10–14 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada). We recently returned from a trip to Toronto, and have lots of fresh, innovative ideas that we’re excited to start working on. As Toronto natives, we are eager to show off our city!
Over the next few months, we’ll share our plans for what you can expect as we build an exceptional experience for US Partner attendees at WPC 2016 here on the US Partner Community blog.
Here are a few US Partner highlights from our incredible week at WPC 2015 in Orlando, Florida:
- US and Canadian partners attended the Microsoft North America keynote that was hosted by Judson Althoff, President of Microsoft North America. Attendee feedback was that they enjoyed seeing and hearing from actual customers. Watch the MSNA keynote session on demand
- We loved treating all of our United States Partner and Microsoft attendees to a night at Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort for the US Partner Celebration. It was fun to have the park to ourselves for the evening!
- US Partners took home a record-breaking 22 out of 43 Partner of the Year Awards, and New Signature was our US Country Partner of the Year Award winner. Watch our short, fun clips of all our US winners
- Visitors to the US Regional Lounge were treated to an experience that included espresso, custom "WPC Road Show" t-shirts, photo opportunities, and opportunities to network with the Microsoft team as well as fellow attendees
- Throughout all of our US Partner activities, we used RFID wristbands that allowed for unique, technology-oriented experiences for collecting and sharing information, photos, and more, quickly and easily
Get a taste of all the experiences described above in this short video. Read a recap of the conference here.
(Please visit the site to view this video)
Important news about US passports in 2016
A larger-than-usual number of US passports will expire in 2016, and the US Department of State is anticipating long to extra-long wait times for both new passports and renewals. Through November 30, you can take advantage of a faster processing time.
If you need a new or renewed passport for WPC 2016, we encourage you to apply early. Review the US passport website for more information
Join us on the journey to WPC 2016
These two Toronto natives look forward to sharing our exciting WPC planning updates and announcements each month. Check your passport expiration today and register for an all-access WPC 2016 pass. For a limited time, you can secure your spot for just US$1,795.
T-230 days until WPC 2016…and counting!