Core Blog

Core at Microsoft Inspire partner conference 2018

Written by Lucy Wright | Jul 17, 2018 1:55:31 PM

Core is delighted to be at the annual Microsoft partner conference, Microsoft Inspire, in Las Vegas this week.

Running from 15 - 19 July at the Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Microsoft Inspire is a chance for Microsoft and their partners to network, learn from each other and celebrate their partnership. The event is attended by both existing and prospective Microsoft partners, as well as industry experts and Microsoft employees.

Representing Core at this year’s event is our CEO, Conor Callanan; Sales Director, Rye Austin; Strategic Relationship Manager, Hannah Osman; and Sales Manager for Retail and Manufacturing, Mark Pembroke.

For the first time ever, this year's event is being held at the same time and in the same location as Microsoft’s yearly sales conference, Microsoft Ready. Having the two events run concurrently means there’s even more chance for partners and sales teams to connect and collaborate and has made the 2018 conference even more worthwhile and exciting.

Each day of the conference is divided into sections, starting in the morning with Corenote speakers and wrapping up with networking sessions in the early evening. Between then is ‘The Commons’; a chance for partners to visit the Microsoft Showcase, Partner Network, Community Hub, Area Lounge and Expo Hall, and explore the solutions on offer from fellow partners and Microsoft themselves. Corenote speakers appearing at the event include Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella; Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer, Brad Smith; and Ron Markezich, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft 365.

There are also daily panel sessions built around this year’s key themes of Innovation, Partnership and Leadership, with a great line-up of industry-leading speakers discussing a variety of topics.

Core CEO, Conor Callanan, was privileged to be asked to speak on a panel alongside Philip Mercer, CEO of PowerONPlatforms and a Core partner themselves, and Randy DeMeno, Chief Technologist at Commvault, as part of the Partner Services Opportunity with Microsoft 365 session on Monday afternoon.

During an interesting hour-long session, which was introduced and facilitated by Microsoft’s Celeste Murillo, the panel gave examples of how adding IP solutions and Managed Services to their service offering is transforming their businesses.

Conor also shared how Core’s strategy has shifted to prepare for the digital future, and the solutions Core offer to support that. Finally, the panel discussed adoption and change management, and whether customers were embracing these services more in the cloud than on-premise.

The session concluded with a Q&A session with the audience.

Conor’s inclusion in the panel reflects Core’s position as a leading Microsoft partner that other partners can learn from. The team is looking forward to the next few days and making more meaningful connections with fellow Microsoft partners from around the world!

You can listen to the Partner Services Opportunity with Microsoft 365 panel discussion in full, here.

Follow Core on Twitter for more updates from the event.