Azure OpenAI Service Dev Day, a conference focused on the Azure OpenAI Service, was held in Tokyo. The event attracted 700 attendees, beginning with a keynote session in the morning and featuring two tracks of breakout sessions, sponsor booths, Ask the Speaker areas, and a networking party in the evening. It was a full day packed with energy from both the participants and the organizers, providing an opportunity to learn about the latest updates and use cases of Azure OpenAI Service while expanding professional networks.

What stands out about this conference is that it was organized by a volunteer-led community, not a Microsoft-led event. The event was a festival of multiple technical communities utilizing Azure OpenAI Service, and its planning and execution—from conceptualization to day-of operations—were managed by Microsoft MVPs, Microsoft Regional Directors, and community leaders, who usually work within their own groups but came together for this occasion. The opening session kicked off the event by clearly stating, “This is a technical community event,” which created a strong sense of unity among the attendees, forming a new community in the process.

Kazuyuki Miyake a Microsoft Azure MVP and Microsoft Regional Director, who is one of the founders and co-organizers of this conference, shares the inspiration behind hosting the event: “The inspiration behind hosting this conference was the desire to take action on the generative AI movement that has been building over the past year and a half. We aimed to provide a platform to share insights on generative AI from a developer’s perspective. Additionally, it was important for us to extend the reach of community-driven initiatives from Japan to the whole of Asia, aligning with the mission of the Microsoft Regional Director.”

The organizing team members who gathered early in the morning to attend a meeting at the venue

At this conference, a wide range of sessions were held by industry experts who are leveraging Azure OpenAI Service in business across various sectors in Japan, from innovative startups to globally renowned enterprises. Kazuyuki comments on this, saying, “One of the highlights of the conference was the visit from key AI figures from Microsoft headquarters, who introduced the latest roadmap. Additionally, the breakout sessions featured exciting talks by Azure AI engineers, including several Microsoft MVPs. Moreover, leading Japanese automotive manufacturers and innovative startups showcased their AI usage cases, adding immense value to the event.”

Microsoft speakers, including Marco Casalaina, the Vice President of Products for Azure AI at Microsoft Corporation, who flew in from the United States, along with the event organizers Shingo Yoshida (third from the right) and Kazuyuki Miyake (right)

(From left) Azure MVP speaker, Tatsuro Shibamura, and community leader speaker, Nahoko Ushirokawa

Adding even more diversity to the conference was Mijeong Jeon, a Korean AI Platform MVP. Kazuyuki, with the desire to bring new perspectives not found in Japan, invited her as a speaker from Korea, where both the government and private sector are actively working together on AI initiatives, including the Seoul AI Hub mentioned in our recent blog article, Microsoft AI Tour and Community Engagements in Seoul.

When preparing her presentation for a different audience than usual, Mijeong considered the interests and trends among Japanese developers. With suggestion from Kazuyuki, she delivered a session explaining Prompty, a topic that had limited information in Japan, which was met with great enthusiasm from the audience. Reflecting on her experience at this event, she shares her thoughts, “This was my first time presenting in a different country, and I anticipated that it might differ from my usual presentations in Korea. However, upon arriving at the venue and meeting the Japanese audience, I was struck by their deep passion for AI and their eagerness to incorporate this technology into their work. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this enthusiasm for cutting-edge technology transcends language barriers and is shared by both Japanese and Korean developers.”

Despite it being his first time presenting at an international conference, Mijeong provided a technical explanation in front of a large audience

Additionally, based on interactions with participants during the event, there was a growing sense of the importance of hosting cross-country events between countries where communication tends to occur more often in the participants’ native languages rather than in English. “One particular moment that stood out was when an audience member approached me after my session to ask detailed questions about the practical aspects of building LLM services in Korea. Our conversation delved into several key issues, including the performance differences between English prompts versus Japanese or Korean prompts when using English based LLMs, and how token usage can vary significantly depending on the language. We also discussed the challenges and benefits of using models specifically developed for their respective languages. Through this exchange, we discovered that, as non-English language users, we share many similar concerns and experiences when working with large language models. This discussion underscored the importance of cross-country events, especially in the field of language models.”

After the session, Mijeong engaged in discussions with participants at the Ask the Speaker area

After each participant had increased their motivation to utilize Azure OpenAI Service and improve their skills, the evening party, AOAI “Connect” Night, was held. The entire event space was utilized, with DJs, including Microsoft Regional Directors, playing music. Some participants enjoyed dancing, others engaged in conversations about technology, and still others participated in a quiz contest or enjoyed giving presentations during the Lightning Talk session. Everyone enjoyed the post-event time in their own way. The organizers led all of these activities, and their vibrant energy in making the event more exciting was highly impressive.

Microsoft Regional Directors Kazuyuki Miyake and Atsushi Kojima, DJ at the event.

Staff energizing the Lightning Talk (from left: Kazuyuki Sakemi, Maki Nagase — Azure MVPs from this August)

250 French cruller donuts, prepared because their design closely resembles the OpenAI logo

Kazuyuki summarized the conference, reflecting with the words “I was astonished that despite having a preparation period of only about two months, we reached approximately 700 attendees. Additionally, it was fascinating that Microsoft speakers introduced some unreleased features, even though it was a community-led conference. The social gathering was also packed with enjoyable activities like LT sessions and a DJ performance, making it a memorable experience.”

While many events centered around generative AI are held worldwide, in-person events specifically focused on Azure OpenAI Service like this one are quite rare. It was a truly valuable learning opportunity. Based on this experience, Kazuyuki holds hopes for the future, aiming to further spread the excitement around Azure AI. “We plan to establish an Azure AI developer community, building on the team that organized this conference. Moreover, we aim to expand community activities not only in Tokyo but also to other regions in Japan and across Asian countries. We are committed to providing a platform for Microsoft MVPs and engineers from various regions and companies to share their insights.”

Mijeong, the only international MVP speaker, offered the following encouraging message for those looking to further develop their skills in Azure OpenAI Service and related technologies. “I believe there are many individuals eager to develop their skills in Azure OpenAI Service and the broader field of large language models (LLMs), and I count myself among them. This is a new and rapidly emerging area, which makes all of us pioneers in the field. To excel as a pioneer, I think the best approach is to experiment with different techniques and apply them to real-world scenarios. Unlike more established technologies, there is still a relative scarcity of documentation and resources available, so hands-on experience is invaluable. Language itself presents unique challenges, such as its diversity, reliance on context, and subtle cultural nuances. Because of this, we can’t always depend on the experiences of others; instead, we must create our own journeys. This is a crucial part of mastering this field.”

She continues, “Moreover, the pace of development in language models and related technologies is incredibly fast. It’s important to focus on what truly matters to your work, given the limited time available. By experimenting with various technologies and keeping an eye on company blogs that introduce the most suitable ones, attending tech events, and following thought leaders’ blogs and YouTube channels, you can quickly broaden your perspective. I hope you discover the best path to mastering cutting-edge technologies, and I look forward to the day when we are on the same page, exploring these advancements together.”

The organizing team members who supported the amazing event until the very end

*Picture Credits: Kensuke Nakai (cover picture: Rie Moriguchi)

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