CollabCon 2024

Disney Dining Room

Classroom 103

Classroom 104

Classroom 105

Would you rather have one ecosystem that can do everything OK?  What about a combination of a baseline platform but mixing in best of class applications?  Is there a cost benefit to picking on over the other?  How does AI fit into this whole thing?  Let's tackle what today's modern workplace even means and how best we can meet the needs of knowledge workers or for that matter any persona of your workforce.

The "New" Modern Workplace

GenAI has opened doors to a wealth of information at a speed we haven't seen before.  However, writing the prompts that get you the answers you're looking for is a skill in and of itself.  In this session, we'll explore prompt engineering techniques that will help guide your use of common GenAI tools such ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Perplexity and more to get higher quality answers and potentially lower the risk of hallucinations.  

Chatting with your new BFF: How to collaborate with AI

Discover the secret to transforming teamwork with AI-powered prompts! Join Samantha for a dynamic, hands-on session packed with live demos, interactive challenges, and real-world solutions using Microsoft 365 Copilot and Azure OpenAI. Learn how to craft powerful prompts that simplify workflows, spark creativity, and boost productivity—all while having fun.

Leave inspired, empowered, and ready to revolutionize collaboration with the magic of AI. Let’s make teamwork smarter, faster, and more impactful!

Prompt Playground: Master AI Prompt-A-Thon


Microsoft Loop is a super-charger for modern teamwork, enabling fluid collaboration across Microsoft 365 apps like Teams, Outlook, and Word. In this session, we'll explore how Loop’s components allow for real-time collaboration, updating automatically wherever they're embedded. Learn how to leverage Loop to streamline your workflows, increase collaboration efficiency, and create shared workspaces that evolve with your projects. By the end, you'll have actionable strategies for integrating Loop into your team’s daily processes and maximizing its potential to transform communication and co-creation.

Understanding the Power of Microsoft Loop: Collaboration and Co-Creation Reimagined

The effectiveness of collaboration platforms worldwide hinges on the strength of their end-users. Even with groundbreaking promises from AI, successful implementation still requires robust change management and thorough training. Organizations that realize a return on investment don’t merely invest in the technology; they also prioritize its implementation and adoption. This journey begins before the go-live phase and continues indefinitely. Drawing upon over 20 years of experience in education, change management, training, and adoption, Kristen B. Hubler will guide us toward the path of effective collaboration with the three essential building blocks of ROI. 

The Building Blocks of ROI: Getting the most from your technology investment 

Explore the comprehensive world of AI in Microsoft Teams during this session. Uncover how intelligent features enhance collaboration, streamline tasks, and elevate productivity within the Teams platform. From smart scheduling to real-time language translation, discover the diverse AI capabilities designed to transform your team's communication and efficiency.

How AI is Improving Collaboration with MSFT Collaboration

Ready to learn how to create professional video content using Microsoft's Clipchamp?  J. Peter Bruzzese takes you through the S.R.E.P. process (Storyboarding, Recording, Editing and Production) with M365's build in video editing tool.

Clipchamp from A to Z

Dive into the heart of organizational connectivity with leaders, community managers, and team members who are committed to fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration in the workplace. This session is an invaluable opportunity for those eager to enhance community engagement and leverage the full potential of Viva Engage and is presented through the lens of diversity and inclusion.

Why Should You Attend?
* Engage with Purpose: Discover how Viva Engage unites individuals across your organization, enabling them to connect with leaders, share experiences, and contribute to a vibrant work culture.
* Explore Community Dynamics: Learn about the various community types in Viva Engage, from public forums to private groups, tailored to specific topics or interests.
* Master Community Management: Gain insights into the essential role of community managers in curating content, stimulating member interaction, and overseeing community health.
* Drive Engagement: Uncover strategies to boost community engagement beyond the platform, utilizing best practices and tools like polls and announcements to keep conversations lively.
* Leverage Community Insights: Utilize community insights and analytics to evaluate community impact, refine engagement tactics, and strengthen connections within your organization.

Walk away with actionable insights that will elevate your employee engagement goals. 

Cultivating Connections: Harnessing the Power of Viva Engage for Community Building

 With Microsoft 365 you have the underlying apps to provide an end to end solution with employee recognition. Let's break down the architecture, build out where you collect information, process and extend the data with Power Automate (I still call it Flow in my mind), dynamically publish to SharePoint pages, communicate status and get approvals using Exchange Online and Teams and absolutely, visualize the data with the best app ever..PowerBI. 

Regardless of the size of your organization, you have options when managing Employee Recognition.

Hell Yes You Can Create an Employee Recognition Solution using Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 quickly brings together collaborators across your agency and your partners. That built-in collaboration, however, creates new concerns around tracking who has access across your environment. Organizations must monitor how users interact with data within a Zero Trust Architecture.

When viewed individually, core pillars of Zero Trust, such as network, data, and user, are bound in M365: How is our service secured? How do we protect sensitive data? Which users do we authenticate in our system? However, this approach misses the intersection across Zero Trusts pillars in the collaboration spaces themselves.

In the past years we've talked about Governance, but by not talking about security we are leaving a large hole in the security of our data.

In this presentation, we will discuss the importance of including your Collaboration Workspaces (Teams, SharePoint Site Collections, and Groups) in your security plans and how to leverage native and 3rd party tools to best accomplish this.

Secure Collaboration in M365 within a Zero Trust Lens

In the world of digital collaboration, high-quality audio is essential for creating engaging content, whether it's for webinars, instructional videos, podcasts, or presentations. TechSmith Audiate offers a groundbreaking solution by transcribing audio into text, making editing as simple as working with a document. This session will introduce collaboration professionals to Audiate’s intuitive features, empowering them to produce polished audio content without the complexities of traditional audio editing software.

Whether you’re working on team presentations, training materials, or cross-functional projects, this session will teach you how to streamline audio production, making it easier to collaborate and share professional-sounding results with your teams.

Cut, Polish, and Perfect: Effortless Audio Editing for Your Video Based-Projects

We will explore how the GitHub platform can revolutionize collaboration within teams, both for developers and non-developers. Discover how to streamline your workflow with IssueOps, automate processes, and leverage the power of GitHub Copilot and GitHub Advanced Security. This session will provide valuable insights and practical tips to enhance your team’s productivity and security.

Enhancing Collaboration and Automation with GitHub Platform

Join Paul Swider, Founder and CEO of RealActivity, for an insightful session on leveraging Microsoft Startups and the Founders Hub to elevate your startup. Currently, at level 4 of Founders Hub, RealActivity has achieved significant success with their product, the Physician Experience Copilot. Paul will share practical lessons and strategies for maximizing the benefits of Founders Hub resources, including Azure credits, Microsoft 365, GitHub Enterprise, and expert mentorship. Learn how these tools can drive growth, ensure compliance, and enhance your startup's journey in the .NET ecosystem. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights from an experienced founder and industry leader.

Leveraging Microsoft Founders Hub for Startups

Tuck Consulting Group will be hosting a hands-on collaboration session during the lunch hour. It will be fun. There will be winners. Make sure to grab your seats early at lunch so you don't miss out. 

Diamond Sponsor Lunch Session: Let's Collaborate!

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

Embark on a transformative journey into the future of collaborative meetings with Microsoft Mesh. In this session, we'll delve into the intricacies of setting up Microsoft Mesh, a groundbreaking platform that seamlessly integrates the virtual and physical worlds. Discover how Mesh revolutionizes traditional meetings, fostering immersive and engaging experiences for remote participants. We'll explore the myriad possibilities that Mesh brings to the meeting room. Join us to unravel the technical nuances of Microsoft Mesh setup and unlock a new era of connected and dynamic meetings.

Meshing Realities: Elevating Meetings and Beyond with Microsoft Mesh

Embrace the future of teamwork and collaboration with Microsoft Teams Premium, a comprehensive solution that enhances communication, productivity, and security across your organization. Join us for an insightful session where we'll explore the full suite of features that Teams Premium offers, including:

1. Intelligent Meetings: Experience enhanced meeting experiences with features like live translation, real-time captioning, and intelligent recap.
2. Enhanced Collaboration Tools: Empower your teams with advanced collaboration tools such as virtual whiteboards, data-driven insights, and integrated apps.
3. Advanced Security and Compliance: Safeguard your organization's data and communications with enterprise-grade security and compliance measures.

In addition to a thorough overview of Teams Premium's features, we'll also provide a live enterprise demonstration showcasing the practical application of these features in a real-world organizational setting.

Session Benefits:

1. Gain a comprehensive understanding of Microsoft Teams Premium and its capabilities.
2. Discover how Teams Premium can enhance communication, productivity, and security in your organization.
3. Witness firsthand the power of Teams Premium through an enterprise demonstration.

Empowering Your Organization with Microsoft Teams Premium: Comprehensive Overview, Features, & Demo

Need to be more engaging and productive in your meetings? Join me for an interactive session to help you schedule, facilitate and present better in meetings. 

You'll learn how to:
•	determine differences between channel and private meetings
•	Track attendee availability
•	Craft a insightful agenda with the meeting invitation
•	Set up Microsoft Forms polls for use in the meeting
•	Set up a space for meeting notes
•	Customize meeting settings
•	Share content 
•	Manage Microsoft Forms polls
•	Manage your meeting schedule with timeboxing
•	Record a meeting
•	Collect attendance

Top 10 Tips for Leading Successful Meetings in Microsoft Teams

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how Canva can be leveraged as a powerful tool for enhancing team collaboration and simultaneously developing both soft and hard skills. Participants will learn practical techniques for creating visually appealing content while fostering teamwork, creativity, and effective communication.

Empowering Team Collaboration and Skill Development with Canva

What's new with social knowledge network in Microsoft 365 and how Viva Engage is introducing new experiences that connect leaders and employees. Innovations will empower leaders to shape culture, inform and align the workforce. Employees have opportunities to gain clarity of purpose, ask questions of leadership, and contribute toward shared goals and initiatives. Join product leadership to learn more and to provide feedback on the future of leader-employee engagement in Viva.

From Engage to Storyline, New Experiences to Engage Leaders and Employees in Viva

Today employees digitally collaborate with more people, more frequently, on more things and in more ways than ever before. This increased volume, velocity, and variety is changing how digital employee collaboration is evolving. 
 
We can no longer re-actively respond to collaboration needs with baseline enablement. We need to pro-actively work to improve the collaboration and process experiences of our digital employee experience or we risk being left behind in the race for talent, competitive advantage, and better business outcomes.
 
There are proven approaches and best practices that organizations are using today to lead the way when it comes to collaboration and the employee experience. Microsoft Loop changed the way we can collaborate across experiences, Copilot has changed how we collaborate, Viva Learning has led to more organizations collaborating on learning, Viva Pulse has led to more ways of collaborating against feedback, Viva Goals has led to collaboration on priorities and alignment, Viva Insights gives us new ways to improve and optimize collaboration, and much more. 
 
Join Richard Harbridge, a Microsoft MVP and internationally recognized expert on Microsoft 365 and the Employee Experience, as he shares insight on how to better plan for, prepare for, and benefit from the future of employee collaboration.  

The Future Of Collaboration & How To Prepare Today

Come join the team from Tuck Consulting Group as they talk about how you can use a natively-integrated ClickUp and Microsoft system to deliver seamless project delivery for your clients (or internally). Bringing their expertise as a Top 5 ClickUp consulting firm and Microsoft Partner, they will share insights on topics such as:

- How to use one-click templates to create client spaces in seconds.
- How to organize your Microsoft Teams to allow for internal and external collaboration for projects.
- How to use features such as universal search in ClickUp to find things across your entire Microsoft ecosystem.
- How to embed Microsoft docs anywhere in ClickUp.

Maximizing Collaboration on Client Engagements with ClickUp & Microsoft

In this intermediate session, participants will explore how Viva Learning integrates with Microsoft Teams and SharePoint to create a seamless learning experience for the entire enterprise. We’ll cover the benefits of using Viva Learning for skill-building and knowledge sharing, navigating its user interface, and accessing content from sources like LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn. Participants will learn to personalize their learning journey, share and recommend content with colleagues, and utilize Viva Learning within Teams channels and chats for collaborative learning. Additionally, we’ll discuss the roles of managers and admins in managing learning content and tracking progress, highlighting how SharePoint enhances content management and accessibility within Viva Learning. Despite being an intro session, this is open for all levels and by the end of it, attendees will be equipped to leverage Viva Learning to foster a more engaged and skilled workforce. Best of all, everything you will learn can be done without any premium licensing or additional costs required.

Unlocking the Power of Viva Learning: Integrating Teams and SharePoint for Seamless Knowledge

Copilot AMA Panel - Ask Me Anything

Are you new to Business Intelligence and Power BI and does not know where to start or maybe at an intermediate level and want to practice more, create your portfolio while you learn more, maybe wants prepare for the Power BI Data Analyst Associate exam all using free resources. The Presenter will be sharing the learning paths she personally followed and what has been used with the women mentoring group, and Microsoft Power BI Orlando user group #communityrocks #powerbiwomen 

Prepare for Power BI Data Analyst Associate using Free Resources

With so many Viva capabilities available to organizations, it can be a challenge knowing which should be piloted together or what patterns and practices work best when piloting Viva Connections, Viva Learning, Viva Topics, Viva Goals, Viva Insights, Viva Pulse, Viva Amplify, and more. How do organizations get started successfully, overcome challenges in piloting and rolling out these experiences, and eventually scale to organization-wide deployments

Join Microsoft MVP Kanwal Khipple as he shares insight into the lessons learned and proven approaches with Microsoft Viva. Together you will explore unique and vital challenges with Viva deployments, such as challenges with multiple tenants or multiple organizations in one tenant or challenges with experiences designed for scale - determining if an org is large enough or has enough content for a great experience with Viva Topics and more

Piloting & Scaling Successfully With Microsoft Viva

In today’s chaotic business climate, leaders and teams are grappling with massive uncertainty. A.I. is reshaping industries, return-to-work feels imminent, inflation is squeezing margins, and global instability is forcing unpredictable shifts. It feels like every day brings new volatility, leaving organizations overwhelmed, reactive, and struggling to keep up.

Change is constant... but could there be a way to make it energizing?? Trying to manage this endless turbulence with old strategies won’t work. To thrive we must look beyond technology and tap into the most powerful and renewable resource we have: the energy of our people.

In this inspiring and thought-provoking keynote, leadership expert Josh Allan Dykstra will take you on a thrilling journey from the past to the future to unlock fresh insights that will help you and your team navigate unrelenting changes with more creativity, resilience, and impact.

YOU WILL LEARN:

+ The Human Energy Canvas™, a playbook for leading through uncertainty and helping you turn chaos into creative opportunity

+ 6 practical worksheets containing tools and practices that will energize your team and boost resilience in the midst of constant change and volatility 

+ A powerful strategy to build psychological safety across in-person, hybrid, or remote teams, improving learning agility and innovation

+A simple framework to unlock untapped reserves of motivation, naturally reduce burnout, and drive engagement via flow states — leading to increased productivity

Energizing Change: Transforming Work With Human Energy

The Central Florida Microsoft 365 User Group! Our group is focused on exploring the latest features of Microsoft 365 apps. Join us quarterly for in-person meetups and monthly for online meetups. These meetups include engaging discussions, presentations, and networking opportunities!

Heather Severino

We are a software development company focused on creating Syskit Point, a governance and management platform for Microsoft 365 environments.

Take a peek at what lies behind Syskit’s doors!
Our goal is simple. To support and give IT professionals, business users, and organizations better visibility, governance, and security of their Microsoft 365 environment.

Syskit is recognized for its exceptional support service and has gained the trust of over 3000 organizations worldwide.

Damir Badjari

The KWIZ team offers over 70 SharePoint web parts coupled with superior product support that help you save time and work more effectively in SharePoint.

For almost 20 years, Toronto-based company KWIZ (formerly KWizCom), has been pushing the boundaries of the Microsoft platform. Renegades in the app and add-on front, we have gone from a small one-room office, to multiple locations around the globe, servicing clients in almost every country that comes to mind. We pride ourselves on creating tech applications and services that are built on almost 2 decades of innovation, a strong culture of invention and business-ready thinking, and a relentless focus on putting our client’s needs first.

Sara Jhangiryan

We are well-versed in development and architecting solutions for your organization. We are experienced with Microsoft 365 including SharePoint, OneDrive Microsoft Teams, Yammer, Microsoft Graph. We are also skilled and able to provide training on these tools as well.

The world of technology can be fast-paced and scary. That's why our goal is to provide an experience that is tailored to your company's needs. No matter the budget, we pride ourselves on providing professional customer service. We guarantee you will be satisfied with our work. 

Ryan Schouten

MCT-ISC.com is managed by Michael Corkery and Heather Severino. Both Heather and Michael are seasoned MCTs. We are both active in our technical communities and serve as MCT regional leaders for Microsoft. MCT-ISC.com is a partnership between Custom Software Solutions, Inc. and TeachUTech.


Why we do what we do - 

MCTs and other technical trainers and presenters are often more successful when they have mentors and guides. Our success as technical trainers is due in a large part to those who pushed us out of our comfort zones and helped us learn what it takes to succeed.

We operate MCT-ISC.com as a "pay it forward" proposition. That is, it is not our goal to make a profit from any products or services that we provide. It is our intention to reinvest any proceeds so that we can develop tools and services that help future generations of technical trainers and presenters.

Comms vNext is an independent, Community-led event, created
and fashioned with the Community in mind.

Comms vNext focuses on the Microsoft Teams ecosystem, especially around communications and collaboration technologies. The majority of our speakers come from the community itself, who typically share their knowledge from day-to-day experiences helping their own organizations or customers.

Adam Ball

The KC M365 User Group is a meeting for professionals who work with Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and Dynamics 365 to network and learn from each other.

Sharon Weaver

Elevate Employee Productivity, Improve Skillset, and Ensure Organizational Compliance with Employee Training and Enablement.

J. Peter Bruzzese

Our goal is to help you bring the right resources at the right time to supplement your capabilities with ours. We keep our organization lean and bring in other resources from our network when a need arises. 

Shari Oswald

Intelligink has a single focus, helping you get the most out of the Microsoft Cloud! You probably trust your health to a doctor, education to teachers, and your car to a mechanic. Why not trust your Microsoft 365 and Azure needs to Microsoft 365 experts and Microsoft Azure experts with the Microsoft Cloud as their sole focus?

Ben Stegink

CollabCon 2024 Presented by Smarter Consulting

Lion Tech delivers technical solutions, workshops, process improvement initiatives, and project leadership. So, you can stop worrying about the risk of a lack of progress and wasted project investments. Instead, have a trusted partner who can help you unlock the potential in your people, culture, and business model to create sustainable growth and not just short-term results. 

Galen Keene

Founded in 2023, VulTech Solutions, LLC is a leading IT & production services provider that offers a comprehensive range of converged communications and technology solutions to businesses of all sizes. Our company specializes in delivering end-to-end IT solutions that streamline communication infrastructure, enhance productivity, transform businesses, and achieve business goals. Our team works closely with clients throughout the project lifecycle, starting with consultation and design, followed by implementation and ongoing management.

Eric Marsi

Tuck Consulting Group is recognized by Inc., Forbes, Financial Times, & the SBA as a leader in small business. We help nonprofits and small businesses further their missions through expert project management.

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Community Days | CollabCon 2024