Envision 2017 will shed expo hall, focus on dialog, global trends, and role of Microsoft tech

Microsoft has advised its partners that the Envision 2017 conference will do away with the traditional exhibit hall and sponsorship model. Instead, the event team will offer partners opportunities to present "solution experiences" to attendees that show off success stories focused on the theme of driving digital transformation with Microsoft.

The news comes after a period of speculation by partners over the real direction of the event following an Envision 2016 conference that left many people uncertain about its future. In terms of date and subject matter, Envision 2016 served as a pivot point away from the long-running Convergence conference series, which had historically focused on Dynamics ERP and CRM customers, with other Microsoft software for business serving a secondary role.

But Microsoft made it clear that Envision would take a different direction, with a transition that would continue in 2017. As Microsoft chief marketing officer Chris Caposella explained during Envision 2016 regarding the event's future, "The key goal is to plant the seed for these decision makers that they need to become a software company. They need to transform their company to be a digital company."

In a new email to partners, Microsoft corporate vice president for the Worldwide Partner Group Gavriella Schuster wrote about the ongoing evolution of Envision and what it means for partners considering whether or not to get involved - either through sponsorships or by encouraging clients to attend. Schuster wrote that there will be no exhibit hall at the event, ...