Those important details about Small Business Symposium

If you are registered for Small Business Symposium, you recently received an email with the important details you need to know. That email also recommends printing it out or saving it somewhere you can access it when you are in Denver. For those of you that chose not to do either or left your printout on the printer, I thought I would post them here for you “just in case.”

Event Details:

  • Date: Monday, July 9th in the Centennial Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency Denver at the Colorado Convention Center Hotel, located next to the Colorado Convention Center in downtown Denver. Click here for a map of the area.
  • Registration for all attendees will be held on Sunday, July 8th from 11:00am to 6:00pm in the Colorado Convention Center in conjunction with the Worldwide Partner Conference registration . Day of event registration on Monday, July 9th opens at 7:30am and will take place in the Centennial Foyer on the third floor of the Hyatt Regency Denver Hotel. We encourage you to register on Sunday, if possible, to avoid delays the morning of the event.

Please note: Attendees who are also attending the Worldwide Partner Conference must register for that event at the Colorado Convention Center. If you register on Sunday, you will be registered for both events at the same time. If you register for the Symposium on Monday morning, you must also register for the Worldwide Partner Conference prior to that event.  

  • Breakfast is from 7:30 to 8:30am in the Centennial Ballroom E. The first general session begins promptly at 8:30am in the Centennial Ballroom A.

Pre-plan your day’s agenda by visiting the Worldwide Partner Conference CommNet site and using the Session Scheduler tool. Simply use the Pre-Day Event filter to select: Small Business Symposium to see all the planned sessions, their descriptions and the times they are being offered. At registration you will receive a conference guide with detailed event information including a map of the event site, a detailed agenda and keynote speaker biographies. You can also view the agenda and session descriptions by visiting https://partner.microsoft.com/sbsymposium. (Note: A Couple of your SBSC peers will be joining me on stage for a session in the afternoon)

Networking Opportunities:

  • Partner Specialization Wristbands

. Wear a wristband that corresponds to your company’s area(s) of expertise to enable quick and easy networking with other partners. You can pick-up your wristband(s) in the Centennial Foyer on the morning of the event along with a networking worksheet. Turn in your completed worksheet by 3:30 pm to the Networking Lounge for a chance to win a Zune

Roundtable Lunch.

  At lunch, pick a table to participate in a moderated discussion around key business areas of interest. Tables will be hosted by speakers from the Symposium, your peers from other Partner organizations and Microsoft representatives.

Networking Lounge. This year we have planned a dedicated placewhereyou can talk with other Partners, ask technical questions to experts from Microsoft TS2, check out the Managed Newsgroup offerings and get answers to any program questions that you have. The Networking Lounge is located in Mineral Hall D/E

Cocktail Reception. Following the event join us for a cocktail reception in the Centennial Foyer from 5:45-7:30pm. Have a drink, have some food and take this opportunity to network with other partners in the small business community. Zune winners will be selected at the reception.

Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference:
We know many of you will also be participating in the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) beginning Tuesday, July 10. There are several special activities planned especially for small business partners that you will want to add to your Conference schedule:

·

Network with your peers before you arrive by joining the Small Business Discussion Group. This group is hosted on WPC Connect and is a great way for you to stay current, share ideas, and discuss what you have seen and heard at the conference.

· Also check out the Small Business Specialist Community Blog on WPC Connect to get an early glimpse of what to expect at both the Small Business Symposium and the Worldwide Partner Conference.

  • Visit the Small Business Partner "Yellow" Lounge. This lounge is a gathering place for connecting with people who care about small business as much as you do. The Lounge is located across from Lobby F, near the 14th Street entrance to the Convention Center. Come chat with Microsoft about small business technologies and network with your peers.
  • Wear your Yellow T-Shirts and join us for breakfast in the Yellow Lounge on Tuesday, July 10 from 7:00 - 8:30 AM. Grab some breakfast, meet other Partners, and then we’ll walk over to the first General Session Keynote as a group to show everyone the strength of the small business partner community!
  • Join us for the Small Business Reception in the Yellow Lounge from 5:30 - 7:30 PM on Tuesday, July 10.

Session content from the Symposium will be available for download on-site on the afternoon of the event from computers in the Networking Lounge and the Centennial Foyer . It will also be posted to CommNet and to https://partner.microsoft.com/sbsymposium shortly following the conclusion of the event.

Please turn in your completed evaluation forms at the Cocktail Reception to receive a free gift and so that we can make the event even better the next time around.

Note: If your plans have changed and you no longer plan to attend the event, please log-in to the registration site with your credentials to cancel your registration.

 

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman
Microsoft US Senior Manager
Small Business Community Engagement
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights