The Partner Event 2010 - Day 1 Recap

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I'll spend the first part of this week with a couple of posts highlighting The Partner Event taking place in fabulous Fargo, ND. Since I'm a local guy, I may not be experiencing the entire event from an out-of-towner's perspective, but I'll try my best!

The conference kicked off on Sunday afternoon at the Holiday Inn with many event sponsors delivering innovative information about their technologies and services. As you may know, many of the sponsors are ISV's so they are very creative and entertaining in the delivery of their presentations.

Next, The Partner Event regular, Bonnie Robertson hit the stage to provide the opening session keynote. Bonnie covered 5 of the most important trends that partners should be aware of as they adapt:

  • Brand Blur - are people aware of what your company's focus is?
  • Business Model Reality - are the various new business models (e.g. SAAS) a fit for your organization?
  • Fluid Collaborative Networks - networking is about the relationship, not the technology.
  • Work Deflation - the challenge of having multiple generations in the workplace has become even more challenging.
  • ME, inc. - many people are seeking alternative employment models to focus better on their passions.

Finally, the night capped off with the welcome reception at the Fargo Billiards & Gastopub. A few partners stopped by the Microsoft Dynamics Community booth which I helped manage, and we also got in a few games of pool while catching up with several attendees.

--Kevin