Toronto To Host WPC 2012

Toronto will be the host city for the 2012 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, Jon Roskill, corporate vice president of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group, said Wednesday during the closing keynote of the 2011 event in Los Angeles.

The announcement marks a return to Toronto, where Microsoft held the WPC in 2004. It's the first time since that year that Microsoft has held the event, intended for partners from all around the globe, outside the United States.

U.S. locations have obvious pull for Microsoft, which has both its global headquarters and its largest single-country group of partners in the United States. Previous WPC locations include Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Houston, Denver, Boston and Minneapolis.

After the announcement, IDC Analyst Darren Bibby obliged my request to give a pitch for Toronto, which is his home city.

"It's one of the most multicultural cities in the world," Bibby said. "You've got a Chinatown, a little India, a little Korea, a little Italy, a little Portugal. Everyone from around the world is going to feel comfortable."

The 2012 WPC is scheduled for July 9 through July 13.

Posted by Scott Bekker on July 13, 2011 at 11:58 AM