In this discussion, John Siefert, CEO, Dynamic Communities & Cloud Wars, is joined by Kelly Holwagner, Executive Vice President, HSO. The two discuss the evolution of Community Summit North America, the value for attendees, and 2026 programming.
Key Takeaways
- Evolution of Summit NA: Siefert and Holwagner discuss how the event has evolved into a broader community event that connects customers, partners, ISVs, and Microsoft. Further, Siefert reinforces the “four points of light”: Microsoft creators, partners, buyers, and users. Now, programming is organized not only around specific products, but also around where attendees are in their technology journey, from considering, new to, migrating, and optimizing.
- Attendee value: Beyond the education at Summit NA, attendees can learn from partners, ISVs, Microsoft, and other customers about product roadmaps, best practices, and ways to get greater ROI from their existing investments. Siefert references Nashville Airport (BNA), which is bringing 15 employees across IT, operations, finance, and procurement to address different aspects of their technology environment.
- 2026 programming: Holwagner recommended that attendees approach Summit strategically. Build an agenda around sessions most relevant to their business decisions, attend General Sessions to see where Microsoft is investing and where the product roadmap is headed, and take advantage of the Expo Hall to engage with ISVs and other members of the ecosystem.
- HSO at Summit NA: In closing, Holwagner and Siefert share details about HSO’s presence at the event. HSO will be at Booth #1018, and there will be a number of sessions that the team is leading, as well as cocktail receptions and a roundtable with Georg Glantschnig of Microsoft.
