This is going to be a great week for SharePoint with the Future of SharePoint event coming on May 4. It’s not too late to register and even if you can’t watch the event live, you will be able to watch it later if you register. About 7 weeks later, from June 20-22, 2016, there is another opportunity worth considering: attending the Share Conference in South Africa.
Share is a unique event sponsored by The Eventful Group. Each year, the conference producers conduct a series of focus groups to understand the critical issues and important topics for business users. Yes, that’s right – business users. Share is a business-centric conference for people who want to identify new and different ways to use SharePoint to solve business problems. This year’s hot topics include:
- Cloud and Microsoft Office 365
- Improving Business through Innovation
- User Adoption and Change Management
- Upgrades and Migrations
- Search and Information Architecture
The conference producers worked hard to identify speakers that are planning to share practical advice and tips to address these critical topics. There will be speakers from Africa and Europe and a few speakers from the North America, including Benjamin Niaulin from Sharegate, Curtis Hughes from C5 Insights, Karen Weingarten from GSK, Alfredo Mogollan from Microsoft, Michael Noel from Convergent Computing, and me!
Why go all the way to South Africa for a SharePoint Conference? First, the business focus of Share is special – both the speakers and the audience. Second, the total cost is pretty reasonable compared to a typical US conference – only about $700 for two packed days. Third, you can combine your work trip to learn more about applying SharePoint to business problems with the opportunity to go on a South African safari, an experience that is both the most relaxing and the most exciting experience you could ever have on vacation! The value of the South African Rand against the US Dollar makes it an absolutely fantastic time to visit South Africa. It’s a unique opportunity to experience the food, culture, lovely people, and amazing animals of South Africa and attend a fantastic SharePoint conference at the same time! I hope to see you there!