Posted by Jemima Herman, Worldwide Partner Conference lead for the Microsoft US Partner Team.

jemimag

I am excitedly counting down the weeks and less-than-patiently waiting for July to arrive so we can all be in Toronto together. Until then, at least I get to write about the great WPC we're planning for U.S. partners. Here is what I’m most excited about right now: sessions, Deepak Chopra, and (as always) the networking opportunities!

Sessions

I briefly touched on each day's session focus in an earlier post, and now I want to talk about the arc and momentum of the week—how the days and sessions are designed to build a truly rich Conference experience for you.

  • On Monday we're focusing on products—e.g., Cloud Services, Microsoft Dynamics, Windows, Windows Phone—so you can immediately start getting the roadmaps that apply to your Microsoft practice and business.
  • On Tuesday, we divide up by partner type—e.g., Value-Added Reseller, ISV, OEM, Large Account Reseller, Services —so you can meet with peers and your Microsoft contacts, and begin to integrate the product information from Monday with more specific business goals.
  • On Wednesday it all comes together. Wednesday is customer segment focused—a time to ask and answer the question, "How do I sell my services and solutions to enterprise or small business customers?" Plus: we have Deepak Chopra as our guest speaker during the keynote to bring in new ideas and ways of thinking—see my thoughts on this below!
  • On Thursday the focus is on you (U.S. partners). In our U.S. Track sessions, the U.S. Partner Team takes what you’ve heard throughout the week and helps you build a plan around it for your business. See our U.S. Track Day Session List.

Also, based on your feedback, we're adding more roundtables to each day of WPC so there is more opportunity to discuss, ask, and share with other attendees. Many of these roundtables will be led by, or have active participation by, Microsoft U.S. leaders.

Wednesday’s Keynote

For years, I've been impressed by Deepak Chopra's insights. And apparently the Wall Street Journal agrees with me—they named his book The Soul of Leadership one of the best five business titles of 2011. I'm thrilled that he's kicking off our Wednesday sessions with a talk about how to be a forward thinker—and how to use technology to your advantage. I'm definitely prepared to have my socks knocked off.

Networking!

Have I mentioned before that I've been going to WPC for nine years? Over those 9 years—first as a Partner Account Manager in New York City, now in my role as U.S. partner team lead for WPC—the connections I have made have consistently helped me do my job better. That's one reason I'm thrilled that this year we're rolling out a new, improved version of WPC Connect, which will be available at the end of May. The new tool integrates with Outlook and addresses feedback we have heard from WPC attendees over the past few years. Look for an announcement here and through the U.S. WPC Community when it’s time to make those connections!

That's all for now, but you will of course be hearing from me again soon, as there is lots of great momentum as we cruise toward July. Until then, be sure to register for the Conference and get ready to travel to Canada.