<h4 data-ux="FeaturedHeading" data-aid="CONTENT_WELCOME_TITLE_RENDERED" data-typography="HeadingDelta">Welcome to North America MCT Summit</h4>
<div data-ux="FeaturedText" data-aid="CONTENT_WELCOME_DESCRIPTION_RENDERED" data-typography="BodyAlpha"><p>Join us in Redmond, WA at the Aloft|Element hotels on 21-23 March 2025 for the North America MCT Summit. This is your opportunity to learn and to network with Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) from all over the world.&nbsp;</p><p>We are returning to the 3-day format for 2025. Take advantage of the $400 early registration price when you register before 18 January 2025. After that date, a $450 registration price applies.</p><p>The summit will include content that is covered under the MCT non-disclosure agreements. For this reason, the event is limited to MCTs, Microsoft full-time employees, and sponsors.</p><p>Why Attend?</p><p>Technology - Learn about new and emerging technologies like Microsoft Copilot and AI from expert instructors and early adopters. Learn how to teach specific courses and technologies from MCTs with extensive experience in those courses and technologies.</p><p>Community - Our motto is work hard, play hard. You come to the summit to learn, but you also come to network and reconnect with friends and colleagues. At the summit you can also meet members of the Microsoft Learning team and get answers to all your questions.</p><p>Improve Your Craft -&nbsp;Our agenda includes many sessions that cover soft skills. Learn how to engage your in-person and online learners, create better presentations, and use all the assets at your disposal to create the best possible experiences for learners.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></div>

<div><p><span data-contrast="auto">The </span><b>North America MCT Summit</b><span data-contrast="auto"> is a </span><b>Microsoft Certified Trainer</b><span data-contrast="auto"> event held annually near Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, WA. The 2025 Summit will be held March 21-23 at the Aloft Element hotels in Redmond, WA.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><p><span data-contrast="auto"></span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><p><span data-contrast="auto">The objectives for the Summit are to enable the MCT community to learn about emerging technologies; get the latest information about upcoming changes to training, certification, and the MCT program; discuss the training business; and improve presentation and instructional skills.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p><div><p><span data-contrast="auto">This year's agenda includes:</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><ul><li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Calibri" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;•&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="0" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Keynotes and breakout sessions on the use of emerging technologies in organizations external to the MCT/Microsoft Learn community.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div>
<div><ul><li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Calibri" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;•&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Briefings on the latest training and certification developments from Microsoft Learn.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div>
<div><ul><li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Calibri" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;•&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Interactive sessions facilitated by MCTs and other experts on the training industry and other topics relevant to successful trainers.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div>
<div><ul><li data-leveltext="•" data-font="Calibri" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{&quot;335551671&quot;:0,&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;•&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Social and networking events</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></li></ul></div>
<div><p><span data-contrast="auto"></span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><p><span data-contrast="auto">As a sponsor, you will be recognized, and your representative(s) can attend non-confidential conference sessions and meet with MCTs and representatives of Microsoft Learning during the summit.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><p><span data-contrast="auto"></span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}">&nbsp;</span></p></div>
<div><p><b>Once again, </b>the North America MCT Summit is being organized entirely by MCTs.<span data-contrast="auto">&nbsp; Although the Microsoft Certified Trainer program is partnering with us, their commitment only covers a portion of event expenses. Thus, your sponsorship would be greatly appreciated.&nbsp;</span></p></div></div>

2025 North America MCT Summit

Tactic 3

GitHub Copilot is transforming software development by bringing AI-powered code completion and intelligent suggestions directly into your workflow. In this hands-on session, we’ll explore how Copilot enhances productivity, reduces boilerplate coding, and helps developers write cleaner, more efficient code. You'll learn practical techniques to maximize Copilot’s capabilities, from auto-generating functions to debugging and refactoring code. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced developer, this session will equip you with best practices, real-world use cases, and essential tips to harness AI as your coding assistant. Get ready to code smarter and faster with GitHub Copilot!

Code Smarter and Faster using GitHub Copilot

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LinkedIn

As an MCT it is very easy to specialize in one or two topics: Azure, Dynamics, Power BI, and more. What does it look like to span across clouds and offer classes outside of Microsoft? What does it take? What are the benefits? If you are looking for a way to bring in more business or want to try something new, please join us in our discussion into multi-cloud.

Training in a multi-cloud world: Enhancing your business by branching out

Sessionize

In this session, we will explore the capabilities of Microsoft Dataverse and how it seamlessly integrates with other tools in the Power Platform ecosystem. Attendees will gain insights into the benefits of using Dataverse as a central data repository and learn how to leverage its integration features to build robust and scalable solutions. This session is designed for professionals looking to enhance their understanding of Dataverse and its role in the Power Platform.
Topics Included
Overview of Dataverse and its key features.
Creating and managing data models in Dataverse.
Automating workflows and processes with Dataverse.
Creating interactive reports and dashboards using Dataverse data.
Integrating Dataverse with Copilot Studio

Unlocking the Power of Dataverse: Seamless Integration with Power Platform Tools

Organizations are delighted with AI technologies which increase productivity, save time and sparkle innovation. However, security and compliance departments are concerned that different AI solutions may access sensitive corporate data and share it with non-authorized users.
In this session you will learn how to prepare your organization before introducing AI solutions in your Microsoft 365 environment. You will also learn how to use Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Purview to ensure that your organization's security and compliance regulations are met and data is protected when AI solutions are introduced.
At the end, we will discuss recommendations on managing and monitoring our Microsoft 365 environment and being both more productive and secure in modern AI times.

Security and Compliance in Modern AI Times

In today's digital landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration has become increasingly prevalent across various industries. AI offers immense potential for efficiency, productivity, and innovation. However, along with these benefits comes the critical challenge of cybersecurity. As organizations embrace AI technologies to gain a competitive edge, they must ensure that these advancements do not compromise their cybersecurity posture. This delicate balance between AI adoption and cybersecurity resilience is essential to safeguard sensitive data, protect against cyber threats, and maintain trust among stakeholders. Join me in this panel discussion as we explore strategies and best practices for AI adoption without compromising cybersecurity.

AI Adoption Without Compromising Cybersecurity

Over the past two years, there has been a surge of interest in generative AI. It's been everywhere, from blog posts and YouTube videos to conference sessions and mainstream media. Everyone is talking about generative AI in all its different forms. 

The goal of this session is to share our experiences and insights gained from a year of working with Azure OpenAI. We'll discuss various architectural patterns, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), embeddings, orchestration and function calling, fine-tuning, content filtering, and security. We'll also showcase best practices for leveraging Azure OpenAI to build robust and scalable solutions. 

Whether you're new to Azure OpenAI or have been using it for a while, this session offers valuable takeaways and practical advice for implementing and optimizing Azure OpenAI within your application architecture.

A Year in Life with Azure OpenAI - Architectural Patterns and Best Practices

One of the primary applications of predictive analytics involves extracting necessary metadata from images and videos to evaluate the condition of real-world systems and recommend measures to sustain these systems. 
Microsoft's Azure AI Vision service offers access to sophisticated algorithms that analyze images and generate insights based on the visual aspects of interest to the user. Additionally, Azure OpenAI Service has introduced an image analysis feature that leverages large language models (LLMs) to comprehend the content of images. 
GPT-4 Turbo with Vision, developed by OpenAI, is a significant multimodal model (LMM) capable of interpreting images and providing text-based answers to queries regarding those images, combining capabilities in both natural language processing and visual comprehension. 
This session aims to compare Azure AI Vision and GPT-4 Turbo with Vision, exploring how these two technologies can be utilized together for enhanced predictive analysis.

Using Azure AI Vision and Open AI to analyze images for predictive analysis

In this session join MVP & YouTuber Andy Malone as he takes you on a journey beyond your imagination. Here we will get a glimpse ahead of the next generation of cryptography and how will change our world forever. In 60 minutes, you will learn not only what this new technology is, but also how it works and what it will be able to do. You’ll learn about Qubits and the ever-growing list of Quantum crypto algorithms. So, if you’re ready to go back to future, you’d best buckle up. This will be a ride like no other.

Quantum Leap! – Fighting Cybercrime with the Next generation of Cryptography

Life is all about learning, and during the dark days of Covid, Andy realised that there were folks out there that didn't have the opportunity to attend fancy schools or expensive corporate classes. So that's why Andy Malone, an MCT of 27 years created his own YouTube channel. A place where anyone can come to learn. A repository of his knowledge so that others can benefit from his experience. With a library of hundreds of videos and a huge number of subscribers from over 70 countries. You might wonder what his secret is. 
In this frank and open session, Andy will reveal his secrets on not just how you can make money on YouTube, but also grow an audience and take your MCT skills to the next level.

From MCT to Successful YouTuber - Take your Audience to the Next Level

Did you know that you can combine various AI services such as Open AI, Azure Open AI and Hugging Face in your own custom application?

In this session you will learn how you can build your own CoPilot experience using the Semantic Kernel which is released as an open source project. 

I will demonstrate how you can use skills, memories, connectors and plugins in order to enhance the experience for your users.

This session is a developer focused session meaning that you do not need to have any AI knowledge in order to benefit from the examples demonstrated in the session.

How to enhance your own AI services using Semantic Kernel

Join me for an exciting session where we delve into the world of Copilot Studio, a revolutionary platform that empowers developers to build their custom bot assistants inspired by the capabilities of Copilot. Whether you're a seasoned developer looking to streamline or a curious enthusiast eager to explore the possibilities of AI and building BoTs, this session is for you.

Throughout this interactive session, participants will:

- Introduction to Copilot Studio: Gain a comprehensive understanding of Copilot Studio and how it empowers developers to create personalized assistants. Learn about the underlying AI technologies and the philosophy behind Copilot Studio's design.

- Designing Your Assistant: Explore the intuitive interface of Copilot Studio as I guide you through the process of designing your coding assistant. From defining knowledge data sources to customizing topics or prompts, discover how to tailor your assistant to suit your unique requirements.

- Training Your Assistant: Dive into the training process as I will demonstrate how to teach your assistant to understand context, identify topics, and generate relevant data. Learn best practices for optimizing training data and fine-tuning your assistant's performance.

- Advanced Features and Use Cases: Gain valuable insights and tips for effectively using Copilot Studio to maximize its benefits.

By the end of this session, participants will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to embark on their journey of building and customizing their Copilot-inspired assistants with Copilot Studio. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, this session will provide you with the knowledge and skills to unlock the full potential of Copilot Studio.

Build Your Own Copilot (Jarvis) 🤖 with Copilot Studio

As with any technology, AI can be used for good or evil, and it can be used well or poorly. As a trainer, AI strengthens trainers' pedagogy to ensure their material is accessible to all. We begin by exploring the critical definitions of diversity, inclusion, and equity, emphasizing their continued importance in the tech industry. The current state of diversity in IT will be examined, highlighting prevalent trends and barriers.  

Antares comes from a background in academia, where Generative AI was demonized from the moment it launched. One of her colleagues calls it a "brainless plagiarism machine." But what is missing from the conversation is how AI is making technology more accessible and inclusive for learners. 

Karinne comes from more of a technical corporate background and strives to empower IT professionals with essential strategies and insights for cultivating diversity and inclusivity as they provide trainings.  

In this session we will explore practical approaches to AI features that promote accessibility and inclusivity -- from meeting captions and summaries to generative AI to Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Check and Rehearse with Coach -- and discuss how they can be leveraged to ensure learners and clients have the ability to access the information they need to be successful. MCTs regularly train in different formats – in-person, hybrid, and online, and AI can make each of those formats more accessible. In addition, learn how to leverage AI to create accessible class materials. 

Participants will engage in interactive learning through group discussions, allowing them to share experiences and best practices. This engaging session not only provides theoretical knowledge but also focuses on actionable steps and real-world applications, enabling participants to make meaningful changes in their training. 