Wrap-up from the Australian Partner Conference
Given the Australian Partner Conference was a whopping 3 weeks ago I thought it was about time that I provided a quick wrap-up.
Some useful links before I go on:
- The Windows Essential Business Server preso that The Wayne & I did
- Links to all the other sessions in PDF, XPS & PPT formats
- List of all the award winners including SBSC Partner of the Year - Business Computing Australia
- Coverage of the SMB Server market by ARN (from an interview done in the lead-up to APC)
Basically, I loved it. Loved the interaction with SMB partners from across Australia. Loved the feedback - the good, bad & ugly - provided throughout the 3-days & especially loved causing havoc with our SMB Paper Aeroplane Competition (more on that later).
I've been back in Oz now for over 8 months & whilst there's still much to do, I can honestly say that I've never seen such a focus from our SMB team on trying to better understand & respond to partners' needs. The mix of formal & impromptu feedback sessions at APC are a testament to this with everyone from Paul Voges (boss of all things Small, Midmarket & Partners), Inese Kingsmil (Director of SMB) & even Allison Watson (Microsoft Corporate VP of Partners) taking the time to listen, to question & to understand.
These interactions plant seeds in the very DNA of Microsoft & if I may continue to torture the analogy, will bear fruit over the coming weeks & months.
As a direct result of the feedback we received at APC for example, Microsoft Australia will be sending along 18 people from across SMB, licensing, Partner programs & the OEM team to chat & interact with attendees at next week's TechEd SMB Server day. We are a large organisation & may not always be able to respond or react as quickly as you (or we) would like, but know that your input is sought & really does make a difference.
Okay, enough heartfelt ramblings & onto the now infamous, havoc causing, mess-making & all-round silly SMB Paper Aeroplane Competition. :-)
This was designed from start to finish by the amazing Michelle Agudera in our Server & Tools team as a way to get partners engaged & thinking about SBS & EBS, whilst also providing some light relief from the serious side of APC.
And my, didn't it succeed. We had over 400 entries from attendees keen to win the 30min helicopter flight over the Barrier Reef. As they folded their plans & tested their skills, we treated them to some demos on SBS & EBS, plied them with brochures & thrust the Betas of both into their hands. Many a partner came for the prize, but walked away with some new-found knowledge about SBS & how their customers could benefit from the new solutions.
We'll be running the competition again at TechEd & so if you're coming along, then start practicing today.
Cheers & some happy snaps from APC below,
Robbie
PS - congrats to the winner, Greg from OBS, who threw an amazing 19 metres!
