The DEVintersection Conference, held recently in Las Vegas, showcased the latest in Microsoft technologies.  Featuring keynotes from Microsoft leaders like Scott Hanselman, VP of Microsoft Development Community and Scott Hunter, VP Director of Product at Microsoft, on the Azure Developer Experience, along with insights from engineers, Microsoft MVPs & Regional Directors (RD), and industry experts, the event was a hub of innovation. DEVintersection founder and Microsoft MVP & RD Richard Campbell shares highlights from the event.  

Scott Hanselman, VP of Microsoft Development Community, & Safia Abdalla, Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft – photo by MVP Heather Downing

What inspired the creation of DEVintersection, and how has it evolved over the years? 

Richard: The whole idea of intersection was to bring together different groups of developers so that they could learn from each other. In the early days of DEVintersection (2012-2015), there was a focus on open web technologies. We co-located a conference called AngleBrackets with an open web content focus and then gave space to mix the two audiences. Over the years, we’ve also included data with SQLIntersection and, for a time, the M365 Conference. 

Today, DEVintersection co-locates with the NextGenAI Conference – the goal is to create an intersection between the different audiences and viewpoints to help foster a deeper understanding of both technology stacks. 

Any time you can bring more ideas together, you get powerful results! 

Do you have reflections on DEVIntersection’s growth over the years?  

Richard: DEVintersection has evolved  as the community has evolved – the demands on developers continues to grow, and we’re there to help. As new technologies emerge, we intersect them, bringing new experts and viewpoints to the DEVintersection audience. 

How does Microsoft’s participation enhance the learning and networking opportunities for attendees at DEVintersection? Were there unique insights or sessions from Microsoft this year? 

Richard: We see Microsoft as partners in telling the development story to the audience. We like to bring Microsoft engineers to the event so that they can talk about the how and why of what they’ve built. Then our industry experts add to the conversation with their experiences of deploying those technologies to customers. The intersection between industry and Microsoft is where the value lies – you can see the future from there!

MVP Veronika Kolesnikova speaking at DEVintersection – Photo by MVP Heather Downing

Can you share any success stories from past attendees who have implemented what they learned at DEVintersection? 

Richard: During the years of SQLintersection, I would host a panel discussion at the end of each of the conferences that we would record as a RunAs Radio podcast – once or twice a year, from 2014 to 2022. If you listen to those shows (and I know the SQL team does!) you’ll hear the shift of how people view  SQL Server . Ofen it’s the same attendees, year-to-year, asking progressively more complex questions. 

There too you see the gradual embrace of the cloud as your data store – initial skepticism, followed by exploration, ultimately being embraced. 

It’s the most rewarding part of creating a conference. 

How do you select the speakers and topics for each conference and ensure a diverse and inclusive lineup of speakers and sessions? 

Richard: While we do have a Call for Proposals (CFP), it’s not our primary focus for recruiting speakers, because of diversity and inclusion. The CFP process does not appeal to the largest and most diverse group of speakers. We recruit directly – being part of the community, involved with a huge array of different types of events, to directly connect with the best and brightest in the industry. And then we ask them to be part of our show. It’s the best way to get a broad spectrum of people involved in a conference. 

Curious for more? Check out videos of keynote sessions, interviews, and highlights from past DEVintersection and next GenAI Conferences.  

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