If you haven’t yet registered for Microsoft’s biggest partner event of the year, Microsoft Inspire (delivered digitally), you have one more day to do so! Register here – there is no cost to attend.

Why you should register

At Microsoft Inspire, you’ll engage with Microsoft experts and leaders along with your partner community. Take in the keynotes, network with peers, and celebrate successes. Hear the latest announcements from:

• Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO
• Judson Althoff, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Customer and Partner Solutions
• Nick Parker, President, Industry & Partner Sales
• Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and Corporate Vice President, Global Partners
• Casey McGee, Vice President, Global ISV Partner Sales
• …and many others

Learn how to drive growth and profitability with a partner-focused business platform, utilize power innovation through modernization and migration across the digital estate, recognize the digital imperative in hybrid work, assist customers to streamline their security across clouds and platforms, as well as the know-how to scale your solutions to help customers in every industry transform.

In terms of FY23 Data and AI sessions, we’ll be exploring topics like Power Innovation Across the Digital Estate in our Keynote as well as Driving Growth and Profitability with a Partner-focused Business, Next Gen Data Modernization with Azure and many other Data AI sessions.

For those focused on Business Applications, the Keynote focuses on The Digital Imperative in Hybrid Work and will be followed by breakouts like Unleash Customer Service Innovations with Dynamics 365, and Teams & Nuance, and Grow your Microsoft Cloud business with Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.

The event will also cover Sustainability, with a focus on how to respond to, expand upon, and show alignment around sustainability topics. IP Host, Angel Chee, will lead discussions around sustainability with Microsoft leaders in this 30-minute talk show. To expand further, a virtual audience Q&A is planned with a that includes Chris Capossela, Brad Smith, and Elisabeth Brinton.

Don’t miss out on the Marketplace content with sessions ranging from Make Marketplace your growth multiplier to Expand your reach and sell through Microsoft Commercial Marketplace and, of course, more!

Explore all sessions >

All content will be accessible post-event, but you’ll need to register here by end of day, July 19 to gain access.

So many ways to learn and network with interactive activities

• Ask the Experts – Bring your questions and join live sessions that dive deeper into breakout content with the teams behind the products and innovations.
• Table Topics – Learn best practices during live, on-camera discussions with community experts and other partners.
• Local Connections – Find out what’s new in your region by connecting with local partners and experts in your native language.
• Featured Partner Sessions – Learn how Microsoft and partners create exciting new business opportunities, discover innovative customer stories, and expand your own partner network.
• Networking – Use your personal profile and opt-in to Attendee Networking to set up meetings, save other attendees’ information, and connect with other partners and Microsoft employees.
• Digital Backpack – Personalize your collection of sessions to view here, where you might also add speakers and Featured Partners for reconnecting later with a virtual contact list.

You won’t want to miss out

One day remains to register for this digital, no-cost event. Watch the event live or access the rich content post-event.

There is no cost to attend, and no travel required, which will enable more partners from across the globe to attend and participate. Register for Microsoft Inspire and view the content-rich Session Catalog to learn about all the sessions hosted by leaders from across Microsoft, including social impact sessions.

This is an opportunity to come together, connect and learn from within our five core themes with sessions falling into one of these supporting categories:

• Drive growth and profitability with a partner-focused business platform
• Unleash revenue potential through migration and modernization
• Empower your customers’ shift to hybrid work with collaborative business experiences
• Offer your customers comprehensive multi-cloud, multi-platform security, compliance, and identity solutions
• Scale your solutions to help customers in every industry transform

There will be no shortage of opportunities to celebrate, learn, and connect to accelerate digital transformation.

Connection Zone

Join other partners to share opportunities and experiences to better your business during Microsoft Inspire in the Connection Zone.

Add these key Microsoft Inspire events to your calendar now!

US Local Connection

July 19, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT

We will share the impact in FY22 as we focus on what it means to bring our partners into how we go to market, and how we ensure our customers are successful. In this session we will celebrate and get excited about how our partners make more possible and how we are getting ready to drive more value to our customers.

Expand your reach and sell through Microsoft commercial marketplace

July 19, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT

The commercial marketplace is the connector between companies building cloud solutions and Microsoft customers. By publishing your solution to commercial marketplace, you can sell directly to Microsoft customers through our storefronts and in product experiences, partner with the 90,000-plus partners in the Cloud Solution Provider program and sell with our 15,000-plus global Microsoft sellers. Come offer feedback and gain insights into updates, new features, and exciting announcements.

Ask the Experts: Make marketplace your growth multiplier

July 19, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

With the high demand of cloud solutions—customers are streamlining and optimizing their cloud spend for software and services through B2B marketplaces. See how your organization can embrace a cloud go-to-market strategy and reach every Microsoft customer whether selling directly in Microsoft channels, scaling through partners, or co-selling with our global sales force through the commercial marketplace.

Drive change and grow your business 

Business is a huge driver for change in our world. We’re excited to highlight sessions that share how Microsoft and partners are accelerating innovation to build a more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable world. We’re excited to share recommended sessions regarding how businesses and organizations can help address social, economic, and environmental challenges and create positive change within their communities.

More on enabling an inclusive economy

Hear from Microsoft and partners about how we can accelerate innovation and collective impact, and power an inclusive economy.

Bring solutions to market with #BuildFor2030 and drive social impact

Available on-demand

Speakers: Gena Goh, Jacob Hsu (Catalyte), Julia Armstrong D’Agnese (Earth Knowledge), and Helen Tinnelly (Propelelo)

Grow your business through social value procurement and supplier diversity

July 19, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT

Speakers: Karen Fassio, Chaitra Vedullapalli (Women in Cloud), Shara Holliday, and Steve Garside (Hable)

Two-years later: A progress report on growing and building partner representation

July 19, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

Speakers: Regina Johnson and Daniel Ikem

More on accessibility

Learn how technology can unlock solutions that empower an inclusive and accessible world, leading to greater innovation for everyone:

Drive business value and improve experiences with disability inclusion

July 19, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM PDT

Speakers: Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Hector Minto, Estelle Jackson (Poly), Sihem Fayard (Saegus), and Bas van Leur (1uur.nu)

Discover assistive tech as a key differentiator for your business

July 19, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PDT

Speakers: Hector Minto, Elizabeth Jones, and Dona Sarkar

More on sustainability

Learn how Microsoft is helping companies accelerate solutions for a sustainable future:

Microsoft Inspire Into Focus: Sustainability

July 19, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PDT

Speakers: Brad Smith, Chris Capossela, and Elisabeth Brinton

Scale your business and impact with Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability

July 20, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM PDT

Speaker: Alec Saunders

Building industry sustainability solutions together with our partners

Available on-demand

Speakers: Baskar Radhakrishnan (NTT Data), Dale Kehler (e-Magic), and Michael Kuptz

More on enabling nonprofits

Learn more about partner opportunities to help nonprofits transform and scale mission impact:

Drive innovation and social impact with Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit

July 20, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM PDT

Speakers: Bob Kanzler (RSM US), Chris Zimney, Frank Choi (DonorSearch), and Sue Conti (RSM US)

More on empowering a diverse and inclusive ecosystem

Learn more from Microsoft partner-led communities about inclusive leadership, culture, and growth strategies that help build a world that works better for more of us.

A new approach to digital co-sell GTM with Microsoft and Channel Partner

July 19, 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM PDT

Speakers from Women in Cloud

The Great (Resignation) Retention

July 20, 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM PDT

Speakers from The WIT Network

Scale your business through P2P

July 19, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM PDT

Speakers from IAMCP

Best Practices: How to Target Microsoft’s Prioritized Industries with Your Solution

July 19, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM PDT

Speakers from IAMCP

Tools and Strategies to be Competitive Within the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program

July 20, 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM PDT

Speakers from Black Channel Partner Alliance

How to unlock the potential of women in your business, and support your attraction, retention, and leadership strategies

July 19, 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM PDT

Speakers from Women Rising Globally

Call to action

Register for Microsoft Inspire today!

The Microsoft Partner blog is your destination for information about the latest events, relevant topics, and resources.

The US Partner Community Blog (you’re reading one of our posts right now) is devoted to topics specifically curated for US partners. Here you will hear from Microsoft subject matter experts and leaders and will find resources tailored to make your partner journey successful. Posts cover topics such as the latest program information, updates, how-to guides, event announcements, and more. Find resources tailored to make your partner journey successful—blog posts, events, case studies, videos, and more—now all in one place.

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@msuspartner and @mslearningcurve) and Facebook, join our LinkedIn Group, and subscribe to the Microsoft US Partner Community channel on YouTube.

Congratulations to all of our MSUS Award winners!

Call to action

Microsoft Inspire is Microsoft’s premier partner event of the year and will take place July 19-20, 2022. There is no cost to attend this virtual event. Register for Microsoft Inspire today!

Follow our Microsoft partner blogs and social channels

The Microsoft Partner blog is your destination for information about the latest events, relevant topics, and resources.

The US Partner Community Blog (you’re reading one of our posts right now) is devoted to topics specifically curated for US partners. Here you will hear from Microsoft subject matter experts and leaders and will find resources tailored to make your partner journey successful. Posts cover topics such as the latest program information, updates, how-to guides, event announcements, and more.

Join the conversation between Microsoft and other US partners on the US Partner Zone within the Microsoft Partner Community.

And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter (@msuspartner and @mslearningcurve) and Facebook, join our LinkedIn Group, and subscribe to the Microsoft US Partner Community channel on YouTube.

Microsoft Inspire isn’t just for partners!

Microsoft Inspire is an all-digital event that will be held virtually July 19-20, 2022.

It is a unique opportunity to hear from many Microsoft executives, including:

• Satya Nadella, CEO
• Nicole Dezen, CVP, Device Partner Sales
• Nick Parker, CVP, Global Partner Solutions
• Julie Sanford, VP, Solutions Strategy & GTM;
• Vasu Jakkal, CVP, Security, Compliance and Identity;
• Judson Althoff, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer;

But just as importantly, Microsoft Inspire is your moment to learn from and forge connections with industry leaders, experts, and other partners from around the world.

Step one is to Register now. Step two is to take some time to learn more about how to be a successful Microsoft partner, navigate the ecosystem, and connect with other partners like you.

These great resources are here to help

We’ve listed these in an order that we think will help guide you in the quickest most logical way. But you can go through this journey in whichever order you feel fits you best.

Join the Microsoft Partner Network

Enroll on the Microsoft Partner Network website. This blog post will walk you through the steps.

Download the Microsoft Partner Playbook (MPP)

The Playbook is designed to be a tool you can go back to again and again. It uses the stages of the partner journey as a framework, and includes key benefits, tools, and resources. This blog post serves as a wonderful guide to the MPP. Explore the Microsoft Partner Playbook now!

Join the Microsoft Partner Community (MPC)

The MPC is a digital community designed for our partners where you can build meaningful connections, engage with experts, get answers to questions, and more.

Within the Microsoft Partner Community is the US Partner Zone, a dedicated area just for US Partners. One you join, be sure to subscribe to the Announcements forum to get the latest information and announcements regarding available resources and partner events.

Follow our Microsoft partner blogs and social channels

The Microsoft Partner blog is your destination for information about the latest events, relevant topics, and resources.

The US Partner Community Blog is devoted to topics specifically curated for US partners, such as the latest program information, updates, how-to guides, event announcements, and more. These posts come directly from Microsoft subject matter experts and leaders. Additionally, you’ll find resources tailored to make your partner journey successful.

And finally, be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook (@msuspartner), join our LinkedIn Group (Microsoft US Partner Community), and subscribe to the Microsoft US Partner Community channel on YouTube.

Other posts you may like

Register Now for Microsoft Inspire!

What you need to know about the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program

Empowering Partners through the Small Business Digital Alliance

Microsoft Inspire is the largest conference for Microsoft partners. The all-digital event will be held on July 19^th and 20^th and is provided at no cost. Register today and you – and your team – can experience Microsoft Inspire and access all the information and rich content shared during the event.

During Microsoft Inspire, partners from around the world come together to create and strengthen connections, build their business, empower possibilities, and celebrate together. It is our opportunity to discuss strategy, innovation, differentiation, growth and how we can best serve customers together, with inclusion and resilience.

Register Now

Insights, discussions, and results for partners

Wondering what Inspire is all about? Be inspired and learn about new business opportunities and solutions. Tune in to hear exciting announcements regarding topics such as feature releases and new programs. Join breakout sessions with subject matter experts and participate in live Q&A. Secure your spot in Local Connection sessions specific to US partners.

US General Session

Join Tyler Bryson, Corporate Vice President of GPS US, to hear about FY23 strategy and inspiring stories showcasing US Partners who are innovating and growing their businesses.

On-demand sessions

Over one hundred on-demand sessions will be made available. These breakout, workshop and deep dive sessions provide insights into the unique technology opportunities with Microsoft, from cloud to edge.

Stay tuned for more details and announcements as we get closer to the event.

Registration opens June 14, 2022. Just about everything you need to whet your appetite—and catch up on anything you may have missed— is in the Inspire 2021 Session catalog. Of course, we know many of you are focused on specific industry solutions, so let’s walk through some helpful industry sessions from last year.

Healthcare

Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare makes it faster and easier to provide more efficient care and help ensure the end-to-end security, and compliance of health data. This session entitled, “Grow your Business with Microsoft Industry Cloud Solutions” offers insights into Microsoft’s pivot to industries, and the partner opportunity to implement, integrate, extend, and amplify Microsoft Cloud solutions, and Microsoft industry clouds.

Retail

Microsoft Cloud for Retail brings together different data sources across the retail value chain and connects experiences throughout the shopper journey using capabilities from Dynamics 365, Microsoft 365, and Azure. This discussion “Industry alignment and transcending M365, Business Application and Azure domains” focuses on how Microsoft partners are verticalizing their offerings to better align with Microsoft, and drive transformative customer outcomes. Product, GTM, and Co-Sell verticalization are discussed in the context of Microsoft Industry Clouds.

Financial Services

Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services provides a set of cloud-based solutions that help enhance collaboration, automation, and insights to streamline processes, improves customer experience, and delivers rich data insights. Get a first-hand partner perspective on how Microsoft helps realize the full potential of customer data in “Enhance the customer experience through data insights and Dynamics 365.”

Nonprofit

Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit connects intelligent and integrated cloud capabilities of the Microsoft stack to the most common nonprofit organizational scenarios. “Microsoft Teams plus ServiceNow in your workflows and processes” helps provide nonprofit organizations with a roadmap toward a holistic, connected platform, empowering staff and volunteers to focus on the work that matters most—delivering their mission.

Manufacturing

Microsoft Cloud for Manufacturing is designed to deliver capabilities that support the core processes and requirements of the industry. ”How are global companies creating value at scale in digital manufacturing?” gives voice to how global companies are reducing conversion costs; improving inventory, performance and quality, and making their workforce more efficient.

Sustainability

Microsoft Cloud for Sustainability enables users to not only set industry-aligned sustainability targets but provides actionable insights and reduction strategies to expedite their sustainability journeys. “Harnessing digital solutions to win in a net-zero sustainable future” dives deep to show you how Microsoft is helping companies harness digital technology as a sustainability growth driver.

Don’t forget about the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards

Microsoft Inspire 2022 is the place to level-up your roadmap for the upcoming year of partnering with Microsoft, network and build connections, share best practices, experience the latest product innovations, and develop new skills by choosing from hundreds of sessions.

And don’t forget, Inspire is also when we announce the 2022 Partner of the Year Awards winners and finalists. These awards recognize outstanding successes and innovations from across the global and diverse partner ecosystem. There are a variety of categories that showcase the range of solutions built on Microsoft cloud and platforms, including two new awards that we’ve added this year:

• The Operational Excellence Award for partners who are committed to and recognize the importance of operational excellence to drive partner profitability, digital transformation, consumption, and customer loyalty.
• The Compliance Award for partners enabling customer success by delivering expertise through the technologies within the Microsoft Compliance product portfolio and advising customers as they navigate today’s compliance challenges.
• Learn more about the Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards from Rodney Clark, Corporate Vice President, Channel Sales and Channel Chief.

• Not sure where to start? Find out about Microsoft Cloud for Industries.

Winners will be announced publicly at Microsoft Inspire, the premier partner event of the year. This year’s no-cost digital event will be held on July 19 & 20, 2022, attracting partners from around the globe. Please save the date and look for registration opening in June.

Need a kick of motivation to finish up your entry? Get a quick refresher on how POTYA is an opportunity to showcase your achievements & celebrate your success and check this year’s top help and inspiration below.

Advice and inspiration for your winning 2022 submission

For inspiration around writing a stellar nomination, check out the resources below for advice from past judges, essential storytelling tips, and how past winners are reaping the benefits today:

• A POTYA judge’s advice for a winning entry
• Learn how storytelling defines POTYA winners
• Past POTYA winners share how recognition has benefitted their business
• Celebrate your social impact with POTYA and #Buildfor2030

We look forward to receiving your nomination. Be sure to finish and submit yours today so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to be the next Microsoft Partner of the Year!

We spoke with Adriana Bade, Microsoft Senior Partner Marketing Advisor, Dynamics ISVs and former judge and manager for the MSUS side of the Partner of the Year Awards, about her experience reviewing partner submissions and her top advice for partners hoping to claim their spot atop the podium this year.

Microsoft Partner of the Year Award submissions are due April 5, 2022, at 11:59pm PST. Start your nomination now.

Top tip: Dedicate time to your submission!

The Microsoft Partner of the Year Award Guidance from Judges is full of excellent advice around getting started, writing your entry, and editing and final review. But if we boiled it down to one key takeaway, what would it be?

According to former judge Adriana Bade, dedicating adequate time to design and edit your entry is the best starting point.

“It’s really important to demonstrate your credibility as a partner as well as your commitment to Microsoft,” impresses Bade. “A partner who takes the time to develop their story from end-to-end, gather the evidence to support customer ROI, and present it all in a creative way will stand out in the minds of judges as we work through subsequent rounds and final deliberation.”

No partner is too small to win or too big to fail. “We have had large, well-known partners submit sub-par entries consisting of simply bullet point answers. While their actual solution and track record may have been top-tier, they didn’t take the time to show that in their submission, which impacted their score,” recalls Bade.

Keep in mind that judges are sourced from across solution areas and roles, and typically judge nominations outside their area of expertise. What does this mean?

“Your submission needs to clearly and strongly state who you are right off the bat,” says Bade. “For example, were you the top co-sell partner last year? A former award winner? Since your reader may be someone highly technical or someone with a marketing and communications background, you need to find a way to present yourself in a way that resonates.”

As judges review your entry, they write commentary to share during subsequent rounds. By creating a connection, you are more likely to remain top-of-mind for that judge and show better during deliberations.

Let’s dive into some key areas where time makes a difference:

1.      Create space for creativity

Have you ever tried to force a joke or create something spectacular under a time crunch? In many cases, deadlines are an enemy of free-flowing creativity. As mentioned before, judge Adriana Bade credits partner creativity as one of the things that helps them stand out in the crowd.

“Entries that take a bit of risk to be different – with humor, wit, outstanding storytelling – take hold of the imagination. They have more staying power. So, if two entries both hit all the points on the rubric, the one that is more unique will still stand out,” says Bade.

Defining what angle works with your company’s character, your customer’s story, and so forth takes trial and error, and lots of refining.

2.     Center around a customer story or competitive take-out

This is not a new concept – real world evidence is enormously valuable in proving the value of what you do. However, unless you have your customer stories written, approved, and ready to go, you’ll need to invest time in talking to customers, gathering testimonials, or documenting how you swooped in to take out the competition.

This requires more than regurgitating facts. “Oftentimes we see entries where the partner has crammed in several case studies which don’t go beyond surface level,” explains Bade. “A quality customer story or competitive take-out focuses on digging into the detail and connecting the dots for the reader.” Again, your reader may not be familiar with your company or solution – the information you include in your entry will be their only source of knowledge and must be relatable.

For example, “We had one partner whose customer, a coffee wholesaler and retailer, was unprepared for the large scale direct-to-customer motion they needed to adopt when their storefronts shut down as a result of the pandemic,” recalls Bade. “The customer needed to see their inventory in a new way, which the partner was able to deliver, and then some.” Because the pandemic touched everyone and is intimately familiar to most in their professional, personal, and consumer lives, this customer story had a wide reach and was likely to resonate strongly with anyone who read it.

3.     Gather evidence to emphasize impact

In the example, above, the partner not only told a great story, but showed how their solution created a clear return on investment for their customer, the coffee wholesaler and retailer.

“At the end of the day, [judges] need to see hard data,” says Bade. Gather your facts – the metrics, numbers, and statistics that demonstrate the strength of your solution.

How many people your solution served, in what ways it increased productivity (and by how much), and so on can be captured in case studies or customer stories, but also press releases or a customer quote. Use solid stats to show what you achieved.

4.     Connect the dots for the reader

This bears repeating. Make sure to connect the dots between who you are, your customer pain points, your solution, their ROI, and so forth. Again, the judges reading your entry could be brand new to your solution area, so assume they know nothing and go above and beyond to make it clear.

A critical part of connecting the dots is demonstrating how you worked with Microsoft teams to deliver value to customers. “Listing client engagements (or wins) with products on Azure but no real Microsoft participation fails to provide a solid view of the partnership,” says Edwin Vargas, another Partner of the Year Awards judge.

5.     Do include supplemental materials

Everyone has the same 8,000 words in which to capture their story. If you nail your entry in the ways we outlined above, including supplemental materials is one more way to drive home your impact.

The main body of your entry needs to be complete – remember, connect those dots, but if you can expand on those points with quality complements, “it really does augment your application,” explains Bade. “Supplemental materials are part of your official packet which a judge must review – that’s extra time they’ll spend thinking about you and your solution.”

Supplementary materials may include full case studies, additional quotes from customers, and press releases, among others. Especially powerful are materials co-branded with Microsoft.

6.     Consider your award category

You probably already have an award category in mind, but after you’ve done the groundwork, read and choose your categories carefully. By selecting the most appropriate category, you can ensure your entry is as relevant as possible.

Also, always consider more than one category. Yes, writing more than one entry will take more time, but it will also give you a better chance of being a winner or finalist.

Stay focused, though. “Select categories you have a good chance in and spend your time creating solid submissions for those rather than trying multiple categories with less compelling entries,” says Bade. “Even if a particular solution or story fits well with multiple categories, make sure that you tailor your submission to each. Cutting and pasting something generic is a quick way to fall out before the final round.”

Remember, the ultimate goal of your Partner of the Year Award entry is to weave together a well-written story that emphasizes credibility and commitment to Microsoft in a creative way. This requires investment. Start early, take the time.

While judges don’t begin their review until the nomination window closes, starting early will give you ample time to define your unique story line, pull together the compelling evidence, prepare your supplemental information, and ensure its edited and ready to go.

Inspired? Make sure to check out the official judge’s guide, to ensure you bring forward a quality entry worthy of your solution.

Claim your place on the Partner of the Year Awards podium!

Your organization could be the next Microsoft Partner of the Year Award winner! With the submission deadline of April 5, 2022 at 6:00 PM Pacific Time looming, don’t wait to submit your nomination to be considered.

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