Monday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM · Room 207A

Build Your Skills: Microsoft 365 Essentials for Beginners

Unlock the power of Microsoft 365 in this comprehensive workshop tailored for beginners. Delve into the core components of OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams, understanding their distinct roles and how they work in tandem to boost productivity. We'll explore key functionalities like document co-authoring, file sharing, managing access, and the unique document lifecycle within these platforms.

Along the way, learn to navigate the diverse terrain of other Microsoft 365 apps including Outlook, Planner, and To Do, enhancing both individual and team productivity. Understand the nuances of choosing the right tool for the right task, be it OneDrive for personal document management, SharePoint for organizational content, or Teams for collaborative projects. Attendees are encouraged to use their own devices and accounts to follow along, ensuring a comprehensive grasp of navigating and using Microsoft 365's capabilities confidently for effective communication and collaboration.

Tuesday 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM · Room 203AB

Balancing Collaboration and Compliance within Microsoft 365

Hybrid modern work can be full of friction and frustration when it comes to compliance. We all need to help ensure a productive and compliant workplace, but how can you enable easy collaboration in your organization AND implement compliance features? Join Joanne and Daniel as they show how to bring together two equally important yet seemingly incompatible aspects of the modern workplace: collaboration and compliance. With a he-said-she-said approach, Daniel will talk about the modern collaboration tools available in Microsoft 365 and Joanne will share what kinds of Microsoft Purview compliance controls can be applied to help collaboration tools be more compliant. You will walk away with the knowledge to combine collaboration with compliance. Topics covered in the workshop: • How to plan and implement a compliant Viva Connections and Viva Engage environment • What are retention labels and policies and what do they look like in action in collaboration areas? • How to implement data loss techniques while enabling collaboration? • What are sensitivity labels and what types of controls can they place on collaboration? • Do Microsoft Teams have an end-date and how to enable a lifecycle? • Can Copilot help with compliance when it comes to our content and collaboration?

Tuesday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM · Room 204C

Taking Ownership: Microsoft 365 for Site and Team Owners

This intermediate full-day workshop, tailored for Microsoft 365 site and team owners, delves into the intricacies of group and site roles, focusing on exclusive capabilities and strategies essential for effective management of SharePoint sites and Microsoft Teams.

In SharePoint, elevate your skills with advanced techniques in page and news scheduling, audience targeting, as well as in-depth list and library settings and permissions management. In Teams, master channel optimization for greater usability and member productivity.

Engage in practical, real-world scenarios to apply your knowledge in solving organizational challenges with Microsoft 365. Understand when and how to integrate Planner, Forms, and the Power Platform to broaden your site's or team's capabilities and meet business requirements.

Gain a better understanding of permissions management, learn when to responsibly break inheritance, and apply item-level permissions when appropriate. This workshop emphasizes security, privacy, and workflow efficiency, enhancing your skills in user access management when solution planning.

This hands-on workshop is ideal for those eager to explore Microsoft 365's behind-the-scenes workings, boost team collaboration, and innovate with out-of-the-box solutions. Uncover the full potential of Microsoft 365 and revolutionize your work approach.

Wednesday 11:40 AM - 12:50 PM · Room 201

Boosting Team Efficiency: Easy Automation with Teams Workflows

Dive into the world of effortless automation as we explore how Microsoft Power Automate and Teams can transform your daily grind into a breeze. This session is about cutting the manual work and boosting efficiency, making it perfect for anyone looking to streamline their team's workflow. You will see real-life examples of how integrating Power Automate flows into Teams can automate the mundane tasks we all dread, like scheduling meetings, managing approvals, and even keeping track of project updates—all within the familiar space of your Teams channels.

Learn how to spot opportunities for automation in your day-to-day tasks, customize flows that fit your team's needs, and keep everything running smoothly. By the end of this session, you'll be armed with the know-how to make your team more connected and productive without breaking a sweat. Whether you're new to automation or looking to level up your Teams game, this presentation will show you the fun in functionality with Power Automate and Teams.

Thursday 9:00 AM - 10:10 AM · Room 204C

Empowering Collaboration and Productivity with Microsoft Loop

Microsoft Loop has truly redefined team collaboration and task management in Microsoft 365. This presentation showcases the innovative features of Loop, emphasizing the ability make the most of tasks within its fluid workspaces and canvases, using integration with Microsoft 365 tools like Teams, Outlook and OneNote. This platform not only facilitates real-time collaboration but also enhances task tracking and process management for improved productivity.

Learn effective methods to utilize Loop for organizing tasks, streamlining workflows, and fostering a collaborative environment that adapts to the needs of modern teams. This session provides actionable insights on utilizing Microsoft Loop to elevate team efficiency and drive forward organizational goals.

Thursday 9:00 AM - 10:10 AM · Room 207B

Create a Compelling Employee Experience with Brand Center

Establishing a consistent brand identity is essential for any organization especially when it comes to internal communications and employee experience. Brand Center empowers businesses to expose their brand identity seamlessly across various channels in Microsoft 365. This session delves into the core functionalities and capabilities of Brand Center, unlocking a world of creative possibilities for enterprises of all sizes.

Join us as we explore the features of the Brand Center, offering attendees a comprehensive understanding of its tools and capabilities. We will look at practical applications of Brand Center in SharePoint and Viva Connections, how to get started, and some things to avoid as you start your brand journey.

In this session we will explore

• What is Brand Center and why it is important.
• Key functionality of Brand Center including font, theme, and asset management for your organization.
• How to get started rolling out Brand Center for your organization.
• Governance questions and thoughts
• Potential roadblocks and pitfalls
• Look at real world examples of organizations leveraging Brand Center

This session is designed for marketing professionals, brand managers, or communication specialists who are looking for ways to explore their brand within the Microsoft ecosystem.

Thursday 10:40 AM - 11:50 AM · Room 206

Deep Dive on Power BI, Teams and SharePoint

Microsoft Teams, SharePoint and Power BI can work very well together. SharePoint can be a data source (lists), a container for data files (Excel. CSV etc in libraries), and as a dashboarding platform (pages). Teams can be a complete front end for Power BI, and host content contextually.

This demo rich session will explore all of these scenarios in great depth. SharePoint data can be finicky to retrieve, and this session will show examples and suggest a few best practices for doing so. In addition, connecting Power BI to SharePoint opens up a whole new world for Excel. If it can be done with Power BI, SharePoint and Teams, this session will show you how.

Thursday 1:10 PM - 2:20 PM · Room 208AB

Enhancing Communication and Collaboration through Customized Search Experiences

In SharePoint Online and Microsoft Teams, we are building a flat hierarchy through separate site collections or Teams and creating connections through hub site relationships. This supports organizational change, cleaner permission models, and so much more but can prove challenging when you want to centralize a subset of content across these site collections.

Join us as we explore different approaches for centralizing your content in this modern decentralized world. You will leave with scenarios and best practices for how to structure and deliver content throughout your tenant.

What we'll cover:

• Understanding the hub site structure and search scopes
• Using the content type gallery for consistent information architecture
• Centralizing content through search experiences (including Modern PnP search web part and search verticals)
• Creating intuitive microlearning content (through Learning Pathways or Viva Learning)

Thursday 2:30 PM - 3:40 PM · Room 203AB

Navigating Microsoft Teams Premium's Advanced Features

Step into the future of corporate communication with 'The Future of Meetings: Navigating Microsoft Teams Premium's Advanced Features'. This session is a deep dive into the world of Teams Premium, showcasing its cutting-edge features designed to transform your meeting experiences. We'll explore each feature in detail, discussing its practical applications and benefits for your organization. From setting up advanced meeting options to enhancing end-user engagement, you'll gain insights into the full spectrum of Teams Premium capabilities. Our hands-on demonstrations will guide IT Admins through the configuration process while providing business leaders and corporate communications professionals with a clear view of the user experience. Whether it's about facilitating seamless large-scale webinars or conducting interactive town halls, this session is your roadmap to mastering Microsoft Teams Premium. Join us to unlock the potential of next-generation meetings and propel your organizational communication into a new era of efficiency and engagement.

Thursday 2:30 PM - 3:40 PM · Room 206

Real World Tips and Tricks for Driving Software Deployment

What do companies like Lego, AEG, Polaris, Takeda, and the Special Olympics have in common? They all have useful tips and tricks around driving internal usage of software to help them move from synchronous work to asynchronous work.

In this session we will hear from those customers and learn how they drove success in their organizations and how you can as well.

Thursday 2:30 PM - 3:40 PM · Room 209AB

Teams Emergency Operations Center - Modernizing communications in critical incidents

During an emergency or planned event effective communication and collaboration are critical to ensuring a rapid and coordinated response. Coordinating efforts, sharing information, and making fast data informed decisions are top of mind for those trying to provide command and control over an incident. Available to use in commercial and a mix of our Government environments (GCC and GCC High), the Microsoft Teams Emergency Operations Center (TEOC) solution leverages the power of the Microsoft 365 platform to centralize incident response, information sharing and field communications. An open-source solution supported by Microsoft, TEOC includes features such as having a centralized incident creation dashboard, role assignments, records management, mobile, and extended language support. All of these features can be used to quickly disseminate critical information, assign tasks, and track progress. The Microsoft Teams Emergency Operations Center(TEOC) can help emergency response teams can minimize confusion and improve the ability to work together effectively.

Friday 10:20 AM - 11:30 AM · Room 207A

Understanding Copilot (Part 2): Optimize Your Organization's Content for Copilot

Content is the lifeblood of every organization. It is how teams collaborate and create value for the organization. However, managing content effectively can be challenging, especially with the increasing volume and variety of content types. How can you organize, secure, and process your content to maximize its value and prepare it for Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365?

In this session, we will discuss best practices for organizing your content and sites in Microsoft 365, perform a security and governance audit to ensure information is not leaked through new AI tools, and do a walkthrough on integrating Copilot into your daily workflow.

Join us for Part 2 of this 2-part series, where we discuss empowering users to navigate digital spaces effectively through Copilot and search techniques.

Friday 1:50 PM - 3:00 PM · Room 204AB

Integrating Forms with Teams for Real-time Responses

Do you ever wonder what your Microsoft Team members are thinking or what their thoughts are on a specific topic or initiative? Microsoft Forms is a powerful and versatile tool that allows you to create surveys, quizzes, and polls that can be responded to by your Team members which allows you to view real-time responses from your participants. These results can then be exported to an Excel spreadsheet for additional analysis, and to generate some neat visual charts or graphs using Power BI.

In this session we are going to introduce and discuss the different types of uses for Forms, how to create a form on a Microsoft Teams channel, explore the configuration options for these forms, as well as how to export the results for use in other Microsoft products, like Power BI.