With New European Event, Microsoft MVP Sees An Opportunity to Empower, Connect More Dynamics NAV Customers

If Microsoft MVP Mark Brummel's travel schedule is any indication, the worldwide demand for Microsoft Dynamics NAV development best practices remains strong. Just back from a seminar in Bangkok, Brummel sat down with MSDW to talk about his latest efforts, how companies are managing NAV development projects, and his participation in the NAV community, including the upcoming NAVUG European Congress.

Brummel has a string of new developer workshops scheduled in Ukraine, Portugal, Holland and Germany. The events continue to work, he says, because enthusiastic local developers from partners and customer organizations are willing to help him organize them. Once booked, Brummel and other NAV experts teach their students about NAV design principles and the proper use of Team Foundation Server. Topics like RDLC and Power BI could be added to future events, he says.

Individual workshops keep Brummel on the road much of the time, but so do larger conferences like this year's new European Congress event. The event appealed to him because it is a new attempt at bringing the NAVUG model that has succeeded in North America to the European NAV community.

Running a new event like this is not without its challenges, Brummel believes, but it is worth pursuing.

"Europe is not just a place [like the US] with 27 states. It is different countries, different users, and many don't have a strong English background," he says.

Adding to the challenge is the unique nature of NAV customers in European countries. Many have invested in NAV solutions that are highly vertical ...