Like most things ... There are a lot of moving parts to get Kevin (aka KT) to be able to speak at any event and this one was no exception. We want to thank Jon Roskill and Kati Quigley for a few things. One, keeping a promise and two, seeing it through. Both Jon and Kati are high profile executives with big roles at Microsoft. Jon is the Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Partner Group and Kati is the Senior Director, WW Partner Community Events at Microsoft. They and their teams run the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) event. We appreciate everything they did to make it possible to have KT speak at the IAMCP – Puget Sound chapter.
Making it Happen
Jon and Kati have both spoken at previous IAMCP meetings and mentioned they'd work on getting Steve Ballmer to speak to our group. Timing is everything. June is the lead in to the WPC which always happens in July and this year will take place in Houston. Because of the timing of WPC a proposal was made to have Kevin Turner speak. Partially because he has never presented to our IAMCP chapter and also as a bit of a warm up to WPC.
In case you haven’t been to the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (yet!) it is where 15,000+ Microsoft staffers and partners come together to meet, share stories and grow our mutual businesses. Kevin Turner always delivers great keynotes at the WPC. We got to see a bit of a pre-run for this and hear what's coming down the path from Microsoft.
Of course, We are still counting on a Steve Ballmer presentation. Maybe when we break 100 members in the chapter. That sounds like a pretty good milestone and metric. One that might even make KT smile.
What were the key messages?
Kevin was great and his down home candor comes through. He spoke about the direction Microsoft is headed and the opportunities for partners.
The Top 3 Points for partner opportunities are:
- Cloud
- Cloud
- and a bit more Cloud
He pointed out that cloud and cloud enablement is the fastest growing segment in the history of Microsoft. Partners that adopt, enhance and extend the cloud will be in a great position to align closely with Microsoft.
Of course, Kevin spoke about partners and the partner community. He was asked some great questions during the Q&A and as expected he was to the point and candid. His best quotable line to me was …
"If you can't differentiate... You can't make money"
He said this applies to himself too. Microsoft and the Microsoft Partner Community need to continue innovating and pushing the edges. With 640,000 partners and a worldwide footprint I think Microsoft and the partner community are in a great position to make a big difference in the coming years.
Any Big Announcements?
Another question during the Q&A was if he was going to be making any big announcements. His response was as funny as it was timely. He said … “Why yes, yes I am. On July 10th I’ll be making a few big announcements” This is right in the middle of the upcoming Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) event in Houston next month where Kevin will be keynoting.
Call to Action – How can you get involved?
- Sign up for IAMCP today … it takes just a few minutes. Pick your local chapter (Ours is listed under “Seattle” – join us, sign up for the newsletter, then attend the next meeting)
- Attend WPC – Details are here
- Growing the Microsoft Partner Community – A post with Jon Roskill speaking at the IAMCP – Puget Sound chapter by Christian Buckley
- Here are a few things to do Before, During and After WPC & The Four F’s of WPC by Jeff Shuey
Thank you again to Kevin Turner, Jon Roskill, Kati Quiqley and the Microsoft Civica office. The IAMCP – Puget Sound board appreciates your time and continued commitment to the partner community.
See you in Houston!
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