Microsoft MVP Global Summit 2013 November: Getting Here

Sunday, November 17

This week finds me in the beautiful city of Seattle, Washington, partaking in my first Microsoft MVP Global Summit The MVP Global Summit is a multi-day event that is hosted in Bellevue and at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. With a large catalog of technical sessions and a variety of networking opportunities, the MVP Global Summit enables MVPs to connect with other MVPs, build relationships with Microsoft product managers, and provide feedback on Microsoft products and technologies.

My day started with a fairly quiet travel between the cities of Atlanta, GA and Seattle, WA. Arriving into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was its usual self around this time of the year: cloudy, cold, and misty.

View of the Port of Seattle

After landing, I grabbed a cab that would take me straight to the Hilton Bellevue hotel, where registration was a breeze. Up I went to my room to change into some jeans and headed over to the Bellevue Hyatt Regency Hotel to register for the Summit. It was almost 5:00 PM (local time) when I arrived at the Hyatt where I met up with Microsoft Dynamics GP MVPs Belinda Allen and Jivtesh Singh.

Following registration, Jivtesh, Belinda, and I directed our attention to the MVP Showcase, an expo-style event on Sunday afternoon that showcases the work of a select group of MVPs and their impact on technical communities around the world, and being held in the Grand Ballroom.

MVP Showcase 

It was time to socialize and enjoy the show (and the appetizers and free drinks!). While visiting the booths, we came across Dynamics AX MVP André Arnaud de Calavon, who was also taking in some of the information around the always interesting Microsoft Technical Communities and its initiatives to build a solid network for community leaders and speakers.

Dynamics GP MVPs Jivtesh Singh (Australia) and Belinda Allen (USA),
Dynamics AX MVP André Arnaud de Calavon (Netherlands)

Wondering around the Showcase, we were joined by Microsoft Dynamics GP MVP John Lowther. John and I had been exchanging emails and text messages prior to our arrival into town, trying to round up the Dynamics GP MVP troops.

MVP Belinda Allen and I

After walking around for a bit, John and I stopped at the Microsoft Office product team booth to participate in a couple of games. The first game was to assemble a clear plastic briefcase with the Microsoft Office Project logo on the front. The winner of this challenge would take home a very cool Office bag. Suffice to say, neither John or I won and ended up with some extra cuts on our hands and fingers as a result.

We then moved on to a Jeopardy style game where we would spin a roulette with various Office product lines and answer a question based on the outcome on the roulette. Funny to see so many non-Office MVPs striking out on these "trivia" questions.

Who wants to play?

Who's next?

It was time for dinner. With Belinda having plans to dine with her husband and Jivtesh, John and I decided to head over to the west side of town, into Seattle's Belltown for some sushi at Umi Sake House. Umi is a sophisticated twist on the Japanese Izakaya style of informal eating and drinking. The design of the restaurant mirrors a Japanese country house, including a “front” and “back” porch. This restaurant ranks consistently in the Top 10 list of best sushi restaurants in the Seattle area.

Back at the hotel, it was time to check on the goodies collected so far. It is always good to plan some extra space in the suitcase to take home all the stuff you collect at these events.

Summit jacket, geek shirt, and Duet for Microsoft Office and SAP hat

MVP water bottle, Microsoft Surface Touch Cover, and Microsoft Office Project clear briefcase

Well, tomorrow is a jam-pack day fill of sessions. While my non-disclosure agreement (NDA) prevents me from talking about the content of the sessions, I will try to bring some insight into the experience as a whole.
Until next post!

MG.-
Mariano Gomez, MVP
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