News
Microsoft Inspire 2022 Will Be Virtual Again
- By Gladys Rama
- February 10, 2022
Update, 4/14: According to an update to Microsoft's original announcement, the dates for Inspire 2022 have been changed to July 19-20, from the original July 12-13.
Microsoft has announced the dates for this year's Inspire partner conference, describing it as a digital event.
Inspire 2022 will take place on July 12 and 13, announced Deanna Meyer, senior director of communications and events for Global Partner Solutions at Microsoft, in a blog post earlier this month. Registration for the two-day event will begin in June, she indicated.
The 2022 Inspire event will be virtual, "giving [Microsoft] the incredible opportunity to include partners from around the globe." Registered attendees will be able to tune in at no cost.
This will mark the third consecutive Inspire conference to be held virtually. In 2020, Inspire was switched to a virtual event after the COVID-19 pandemic, then only months long, upended worldwide travel and event plans. It remained a virtual event in 2021.
Meyer's announcement of the Inspire dates coincided with the start of nominations for the 2022 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards. Qualifying partners can submit their nomination via this site until the March 31 deadline.
These awards are given to standout Microsoft partners across numerous technology categories, industries and geographies, with results being revealed during the run-up to the Inspire conference. The full list of 2021 Partner of the Year winners is available here.
For the 2022 awards, Microsoft is debuting two new categories. Per Meyer's description, they are:
- The Operational Excellence Award for partners who are committed to and recognize the importance of operational excellence to drive partner profitability, digital transformation, consumption, and customer loyalty.
- The Compliance Award for partners enabling customer success by delivering expertise through the technologies within the Microsoft Compliance product portfolio and advising customers as they navigate today’s compliance challenges.
As it did last year, Microsoft is also paying particular attention to partners that drive social change, ranging from equitability to environmental sustainability.
"It's critical that the nominated solutions are built to deliver meaningful, accessible, inclusive, and sustainable outcomes for customers," Meyer said. "Our partner ecosystem has the great privilege and responsibility of delivering innovative solutions and services to businesses and local economies around the world. We believe technology should be a force for good and we're intentional about recognizing partners that enable a more sustainable and equitable future, empowering every person and organization to achieve more."