This time I didn’t attend or follow Microsoft Build just online, but instead I was speaking at the Microsoft Build Spotlight UK live on stage at Microsoft UK headquarters at Reading. I had the pleasure to spend time with my good friend Chris Hoard and meet several UK Tech Community friends like Chirag Patel, Chris Huntingford & many more during Wednesday 25th – and of course our superb hosts “blue badge” Microsoft UK employees. Thank you for organizing and coming to this event – it was truly worth the time and traveling for me! While late evenings leave you tired, I will have great memories of the event. After all – this is about Tech Community!
As you don’t get a Speaker tag every year for Microsoft Build I was very happy to be able to walk around the venue wearing this. And of course I needed to take the iconic “standing next to the Microsoft sign” picture.
Chris Hoard and I were in the session room getting things ready, when I just had to take a photo of us a few minutes before we started. Our third host, Sharon Sumner, was presenting with us online. The setup for hybrid event like this worked very well. During our Microsoft Teams – are you ready for the Metaverse? session we had great talk about Metaverse with both on-site and online audience. We had over 100 online attendees at one moment and there were over 20 in the room. 30 minutes is quite a short one for that, but we stayed on time and had lots of energy in the room! The recording will be available for on-demand viewing so make sure to check it out!
Big thank you for the wonderful audience!
After the session there were several interesting and captivating follow-up talks! Later on the day Chris, Sharon and I were joined with Tom Morgan and Garry Trinder for Q&A Session Create next-gen experiences at scale with M365.
Lunch, snacks and beverages were excellent – especially the paella. It was proper street food! But we also had fun at the photo booth and Microsoft Build background.
Facilities at Microsoft UK were very good for the occasion. Overall it had a great conference feeling with all displays and Build streams rolling in..
It was great seeing people engage in active conversations and of course joining in them. During afternoon and outside sessions the place was much more crowded. Facilities made it possible for people to work, be in meetings and enjoy the event – event-work balance. The best was of course that the WLAN worked like a charm.
Fresh coffee and very tasty juices. It was possible to stroll around the venue and stop for talks or watching streams.
And weather permitting (no, it didn’t rain all the time) it was good for chilling outside.
I did enjoy the event very much. I hope I get to return to other Microsoft UK events in the future – great audience, great staff and superb friends!
Until we meet again!
Vesa Nopanen - My Metaverse Day 