2013 MVP Summit and 20th Anniversary

Editor’s note: The following post was written by MVP Events Manager Paulette Suddarth

This is always an exciting time for everyone at Microsoft who is lucky enough to engage with technical communities—the run-up to the MVP Global Summit. And this year’s Summit coincides with the kick-off to the 20-year anniversary celebration of the MVP Award!

It will feature 1,400 MVPs from around the globe and hundreds of Microsoft team members coming together to share their ideas and news about Microsoft technologies in more than 550 technical sessions.

Nowhere is the spirit of community more alive than at the MVP Global Summit because it takes everyone to pull off this world-class event.

The product teams have been working for months to create technical sessions that will support the contributions MVPs make in their communities, and which set the stage for gaining valuable feedback from MVPs about current and upcoming product features.

The MVP Award team has been looking over every detail of the event—now the largest community event in the world—to make sure it is a productive and enjoyable experience for everyone who is able to join us here at Microsoft’s world headquarters in Redmond.

And MVPs have played an enormous role in the success and continued evolution of this event. Most who participated in last year’s Summit took the time to offer us detailed feedback about what worked and what could have been better to help us continually refine the Summit.

Some sat on a feedback committee to help us determine event components like this year’s menu, which may seem like a small thing unless you’ve ever endured a multi-day conference with less than stellar food.

Many helped us decide the design for this Summit’s commemorative shirt by voting on it in social media.

And two MVPs, Lino Tadros and John Waters, created this year’s MVP Global Summit Schedule Builder phone app in all three major phone platforms to help MVPs around the world make the most of their Summit experience.

In addition, 20 MVPs were selected as top innovative contributors in their regions and have volunteered to participate in a pre-Summit session this Sunday at the Hyatt to showcase the global reach and contributions of this community.

As a truly community event, it takes a village to create the MVP Global Summit each year. And each year, we begin gathering community feedback and planning next year’s Summit immediately on the heels of the one that has just ended. 

Remember to join in on the 20th anniversary celebration. If you are able to join us, please take a moment to sign the 20-Year Anniversary banner and mark your place in time with this remarkable community.