As part of the Summit EMEA Social Series, the Summit EMEA team has talked to several influencers from the industry about their experience with conferences such as Summit EMEA and why they will be attending Summit EMEA in Dublin this year. In this blog Heather Williams from D365UG/AXUG and Tony Stein from D365UG/CRMUG, give us an insight on what they are most excited about for Summit EMEA.
Why is content one of the top reasons to attend this conference?
Tony: “Summit EMEA is the marquee event for Dynamics 365 and Dynamics CRM users across Europe. The content at this conference perspective doesn’t just come from one or two voices of key knowledge sharers, it comes from a conglomerate of great people who have been in the application for a long time. Sessions are partner expert led, Microsoft expert led or most importantly, user expert led, sharing their real life experiences and knowledge.”
Heather: “Within D365UG/AXUG we always say that content is king and that networking is queen. We know users are coming over to learn and be better at the ERP product that they’ve invested in. We have built the entire agenda for this conference with that in mind.”
What content should users get excited about for this conference?
Tony: “There will be content suitable for a variety of roles. From the administrator to the project owner, the business analyst, the IT professional, the end user, the service leader, the business decision maker, there are so many users that have an impact in using Dynamics 365 or Dynamics CRM.”
Heather: “We are now at a point where we have users that are live on Dynamics 365 that are willing to tell their story. We are excited that they will be there to tell us all about that. For instance about how they have experienced moving to the cloud and how they have embrace the cloud, even in circumstances that wouldn’t be ideal for their business. Let’s face it, the story is not always peachy. As we like to say in the United States: ‘There is some ugly with the pretty.’.”
How does this conference help attendees to stay on the cutting edge of technology through content?
Heather: “Something that you will get to do at this conference is not only learn about the product that you already have in place today, but you also get the opportunity to learn what you are going to be faced with in the future.”
When talking about the education they gain from the conference, what impacts their business and day to day operations?
Heather: “Within our content we focus on the things that help you be better when you get home. For instance when you have problems with running that report or coming up with the data that you need to build the exact table to show to your executives, this conference is where you’ll roll up your sleeves and get that stuff done. Keep in mind, it might not necessarily happen during the sessions, it can be outside of sessions too. When speakers are talking, the experts are sharing and the MVP medics are buzzing, go get those answers. That’s what they are here for.”
Why is community one of the top reasons to attend this conference?
Heather: “Our community is really important when we are planning events, because a conference is only as good as the people that are part of it. There is a lot of learning that is shared. Again, learning about the good and the bad, the opportunities and the challenges. The community that you will experience at these events is your chance to get answers to your questions to better drive your business.”
Tony: “These days, there are many ways to consume information, but attending an event live is really important. Rubbing elbows and hearing real life experiences on how other people are using Dynamics 365, AX and CRM adds a new dimension. Summit EMEA is a one stop shop for all of that.”
Having access to the Microsoft engineers and support technicians is something that users won’t get every day. Why is this important?
Tony: “Your feedback to Microsoft is as important to them as it is to all of us as customers. That’s why having access to Microsoft engineers and support technicians from research and development and product marketing is so important. At Summit EMEA, we are happy to have a dedicated track called ‘Emergent Solutions’ where we will focus on the things where Microsoft is working on for future Dynamics 365, AX and CRM solutions. And guess what, your input will influence the change in the product that we use tomorrow.”
Heather: “Summit EMEA is the opportunity to get face to face with Microsoft engineers and support technicians that are driving the future of the product that you use every day. Therefore it is important to utilize this opportunity to tell them where your challenges are and where improvements can be made. Don’t just use it as an opportunity to talk about it as a conversation for today, but also a strategy for tomorrow.”
How does having this network positively impact the day to day roles of users and their businesses?
Tony: “It’s proven, communities exist because of the relationships within. Even though at an event like Summit EMEA in Dublin it’s the content that brings us there, the great experiences you will have are founded in the interactions that you have with your fellow peers and users.”
Thank you so much, Heather & Tony! Secure your tickets for Summit EMEA today and join us 24-26 April 2018 in Dublin!
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