<div><p><b><u>UPDATE</u></b>:&nbsp;The group reservation block has expired, but if you'd like information about joining the cruise, please either complete this form or email <a href="mailto:jonathanweaver@travelmation.net" target="_blank">Jonathan Weaver</a>, and we will check the current ship availability and pricing.&nbsp;<a href="https://bit.ly/jwtravelform">https://bit.ly/jwtravelform</a></p><h3 spellcheck="false" data-ms-editor="true"><strong>Join Microsoft MVPs, Regional Directors, and other Community Members on the best floating meetup of the year!</strong></h3><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>February 4th-February 11th, 2024</strong></div><div>&nbsp;</div><div><strong>Leaving out of the Port of Miami, we will be sailing on the Oasis of the Seas to the Bahamas and the Caribbean on this unique networking and collaboration opportunity.</strong></div></div>
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<div>On Sea Days, we will have topic-based meetups scheduled with industry experts.</div>
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<div>Meetup topics and Agendas TBD.</div>
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<div>Cruisers will have many opportunities to meet, hang out, and build connections with members of the Global Microsoft Community on this one-of-a-kind floating networking conference. Unlike your typical conferences, we will not be spending hours in classrooms watching presentations and eating boxed lunches. During this gathering you will have time to interact with other community members freely, while sipping a beverage at the Piano Bar, dining in the 5 Star main dining room, watching a Broadway show, or while splitting a pizza at the 24 hour pizza stand. And when you aren't on the ship, you will have the opportunity to check&nbsp; Bahamas, Haiti, and Jamaica off your bucket lists.</div>

M365 Community Days at Sea 2024

Main Agenda

Welcome to M365 Community Days at Sea

There is a lot of buzz currently around the possibilities involving OpenAI. With natural and easy-to-implement extensibility options involving the Power Platform, it can be effortless to bring the tools together. But is it possible to go beyond just pure gimmicky demos, such as generating an image of a cute cat or translating some text, and do something meaningful in a business context?

In this session, I'll showcase how this powerful new technology can address different business scenarios and enhance some of the capabilities we see on offer within our Dynamics 365 range of applications. At the end of the session, attendees will gain a firm understanding of how to get started with OpenAI, better understand practical applications for this tool within different business scenarios and how Copliot capabilities bridges the gap for makers and end users.

Let's Get Practical with OpenAI

In this session we will details all the new capabilities included in the latest paid extensions from Microsoft 365. And we will find where and how it is possible to have a great ROI from these amazing new capabilities.

How to get value from Copilot for Microsoft 365, Viva, Syntex, Teams Premium and Copilot for Viva ?

At the heart of the session is a specially designed board game that adds an exciting element of interactivity. This game puts participants in the driver’s seat of a change initiative, allowing them to experience the impact of their decisions on the project timeline, organizational trust, and long-term change adoption.
To facilitate meaningful connections, participants will be divided into small groups. These groups will provide a collaborative environment where attendees can engage in discussions, share insights, and learn from one another’s experiences. By encouraging networking and relationship building, we aim to create a supportive community of professionals who can learn and grow together.
Participants will navigate various scenarios and challenges, making critical decisions that mirror real-life change management situations. By experiencing the consequences of their choices within the safe confines of the game, attendees will gain valuable insights into the complexities of change initiatives and the importance of effective Change Leadership.


Change Leadership: Navigating Trust and Adoption for Project Success

Toxic workplaces can silently erode employee well-being, productivity, and organizational success. This presentation aims to illuminate the subtle signs and underlying causes of toxic work environments from both my personal and learned experience. By examining the often-overlooked indicators of toxicity, such as poor communication, excessive competition, and subtle behavioral patterns, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the detrimental effects these environments can have on individuals and organizations. By exploring leadership styles, organizational factors, and workplace dynamics, this presentation uncovers the root causes of toxicity. Furthermore, the presentation explores the far-reaching impacts of toxic work environments on employee well-being, engagement, and overall productivity. This presentation equips participants with insights and actionable steps to create healthier work environments that foster positive outcomes for employees and organizations.

Beyond the Surface: Delving into the Subtle Signs and Underlying Causes of Toxic Workplaces

Ahoy, security enthusiasts! Embark on an adventure of mapping the renowned Center for Internet Security (CIS) Controls to the security options in Microsoft Teams.

With the increasing reliance on Microsoft Teams as a collaboration platform, it is essential for organizations to ensure the security and compliance of their Teams environment. By mapping the CIS Controls, a proven framework for securing organizations, to the specific recommendations in Microsoft Teams, attendees will gain valuable insights into implementing comprehensive security measures for their Teams deployments.

During this session, Kasia Nowicka and Marijn Somers, MVP, will:

Briefly introduce audience to the CIS Controls framework and its significance in cybersecurity.
Walk through most crucial and relevant Teams configurations options mapped to CIS controls. 
Share their tips on leveraging additional tools and resources to enhance Teams security and overall security posture.

The session will provide practical guidance and actionable insights for IT admins, security/compliance professionals and decision-makers. 

Navigating the Seas of Security: CIS Controls and Microsoft Teams

When collaborating with external partners, you most likely created B2B guest accounts in your tenant. You actively invited them using Azure Active Directory or added them to your Teams in Microsoft Teams. 
When your partner companies change their email domains, e.g., changing the primary domain brand, you might end up in a situation where you cannot send email messages any more. They receive a non-delivery notification, even when using the new email address.
During this session, you learn about the reasons for this by-design feature of Azure Active Directory and how to resolve it in your tenant. 

Email mysteries of Microsoft 365 B2B guest accounts

Set sail with us and join our panel discussion on the future of AI. Join leading experts as we chart the course of Artificial Intelligence, exploring its transformative potential and ethical implications. From AI's impact on industries to its influence on society, we'll navigate through the waves of innovation and drafting the tremendous beneficial impact on human being.

Get ready and sail with us through the mysteries and promises of AI in this one-of-a-kind panel discussion.

AI Horizons: Navigating the Future at Sea

Do you dream of seeing the world, but feel you need to wait until you retire to be able to do so? In this day and age, there's no reason to wait! I sold my house and gave away most of my belongings 8 years ago, and until recently was traveling the world while still working in the M365 space. If this sounds like something you'd fancy doing, come hear my experiences... Learn about logistics and tips to create the lifestyle of your dreams. It's not all roses, of course, so I'll talk about the downsides as well. But if you have a taste for adventure and a flexible attitude, you too can become a Digital Nomad!

Set Yourself Free: The Digital Nomad Lifestyle

The competition for speaking slots at conferences is becoming ever greater. Events are seeking that utopian mix of sessions to help their event sell out.  As speakers we need to think what we can do to help ensure our session makes the cut.  

We all have those things that go in the suitcase first when packing for a trip. As speakers do we need some similar essential tricks to use everywhere?

This conversation starter session will look at one of the potential ‘travel essentials’ of speaking, personal branding.

The session will cover:
•	What is personal branding?
•	Do you need it?
•	How to build the brand

Is Personal Branding a speaking essential or can you travel without it?

Microsoft SharePoint Server on-premises now makes it better, and easier, than ever to integrate with SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business providing a rich, robust, and powerful collaboration hybrid solution for your organization.

In this session we will learn what SharePoint/OneDrive hybrid is about, as well as why it may be beneficial to your organization. We’ll explore the several hybrid components including Active Directory configurations, search, managed metadata, connectivity services, as well as other hybrid components and their requirements.

In addition, we'll introduce an overview of the configuration steps necessary in both Microsoft 365 and SharePoint Server on-premises for a successful hybrid configuration. 

What's all the hype about SharePoint/OneDrive hybrid

Did you know 76% of users say they would stay at a company longer if they could benefit from learning? Viva Learning makes training a priority and pairs the learner up with courses where they are already collaborating in Teams. Come to this session to learn more about integrating your learning experience across devices. Spoiler alert: Viva Learning recommendations are now included in their Viva Insights emails. Join us as we explore bringing learning into the flow of work. This session is targeted to business analysts, product owners, change managers, and human resources and training professionals.