Over 14051 kms away from Atlanta, Georgia, the Cincom Australia team talks about why Microsoft Convergence is their “must- attend” event for the year.
Microsoft Convergence is a global conference held in the United States each year. Central to its appeal; the event is targeted solely at Microsoft Dynamics® partners and customers. Cincom Systems have been attending the event for many years. However, in the last three years, a team from the Greater Asia Pacific offices has been invited to attend as well.
“Originally we sent staff to Convergence to learn more about Microsoft’s Dynamics offering and the partners who sell and implement the solution. We were delighted to find that there was quite a large number of Australian and New Zealand partners also attending,” explains Greg Mills, Cincom Australia Country Manager.
Mark Hibbard, Product Manager, Greater Asia Pacific has been attending the event for the three years and was surprised by the scale of the event.
“The sheer size of it is one thing that blew me away on my first visit in conjunction with the global nature of it. I was surprised by how important Convergence is to partners from Australia and New Zealand. It truly shows that we are in a global economy and that whilst many of the partners may only work in the local markets, these types of events are key to them,” he says.
Last year Microsoft Convergence attracted approximately 12,000 attendees, which included partners, customers and Microsoft staff from the Microsoft Dynamics ecosystem.
“The focus on the Dynamics range [at Convergence] is perfect for us as everyone is of a like mind. You can have much more targeted and relevant conversations, which actually leads to sharing and identifying real opportunities! Mark Hibbard explains.
“Collaboration is our only route to success, and developing these relationships at Convergence is a key part of that,” Greg Mills says.
Beside the high-profile keynotes (2015’s event features Satya Nadella) and elaborate closing event, the most popular feature of the event is the networking opportunities. Onsite there is the Microsoft Solutions & Expo Experience; general, concurrent and interactive sessions and community work spaces. Outside of the event there are a number of user groups, breakfast briefings and community outreach opportunities, and with visitors staying in a small group of hotels, you’ll be surprised who you run into on the walk to the centre!
Three years since Cincom Australia’s first event and the team has realised tangible results that can be directly tracked back to attendance of Convergence.
“Since attending our first Convergence, we have formed new relationships with organisations that have resulted in a number of sales for our new partners, Microsoft and Cincom,” Paul Hargreaves, Australian Sales Director says.
Convergence is often referred to as a closing event. In Cincom Australia’s experience, however, they see the event more as an opening event where new relationships and opportunities are seeded.
You can see the Cincom Australia team at Booth 1210 in the Microsoft Solutions & Expo Experience at Convergence.
