The opening keynote of Microsoft APC 2016
Microsoft has removed its annual Australian Partner Conference (APC) from the channel calendar, instead targeting partners, customers and developers through a unified event in Sydney.
Unveiled as the Microsoft Summit, the combined conference will take place in Sydney from 14-17 November at the International Convention Centre (ICC), featuring three events - Business Summit, Partner Summit and Tech Summit.
In a direct replacement for APC, the Partner Summit will target all existing partners, alongside potential new organisations, and will run from 14-15 November.
“Just like with APC, this will be a highlight on the Microsoft calendar,” Microsoft director for small and mid-market solutions and partner, Mark Leigh, said.
“Speaking on behalf of the team, we will look forward to spending our time with you during this week in November to create a valuable experience that works hard for you and your business long after the event concludes.”
Forever labelled as the standout channel event on the Australian calendar, APC has operated in the market for 20 years, providing an environment for the vendor’s 10,000 plus ecosystem of partners to collaborate at a local level.
“Microsoft is proud to be involved in some of Australia’s leading transformations, and we are also immensely proud of the partner ecosystem that is driving that forward,” Leigh added.
“For the last 20 years APC has been a highlight of our year and I’m excited that this legacy will be built on through the new Microsoft Summit.”
Meanwhile, the Tech Summit - set for 16-17 November - is designed for the developer community, landing in Australia following Microsoft Ignite in Orlando, USA.
The introduction of the Tech Summit is not surprising given the tech giant’s greater reliance on its expanding developer community, as application builders flock to the Microsoft Azure cloud platform.
As reported by ARN, the future of Microsoft is now in the hands of the developer community, with the vendor making key platform changes to improve builder accessibility as Windows 10 adoption surpasses the 500 million device mark.
Furthermore, the move comes more than six months after Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, addressed the Australian developer network in Sydney, following a whistle-stop local tour in November 2016.
“The Microsoft Tech Summit (16-17 November) is perfect for your IT professionals, developers and decision makers with a chance to meet and learn from the engineers and experts on the latest in Microsoft cloud technologies; and with technical training up to level 400,” Leigh explained.
In addition, the Business Summit - running on November 14 - will focus on C-suite executives and business development customers, across all industry segments such as finance, health, government, retail and education.
“Overall, the goal is for you to leave the Microsoft Summit with the connections, solutions and skills to engage, adapt and grow; today and tomorrow,” Leigh added.
