Is it a mystery or something quite simple? There are many motivators for the broad group of folks that make the SharePoint community. Sure, the SharePoint community has a passion of modern technology however I think the community’s true strength is a never ending willingness to help others as new people come into the Microsoft and Office ecosystem. This community shows its preverbal heart at user groups, online forums, conferences, community events, school events and it certainly was on display at our most recent SharePoint Saturday in Puerto Rico.
The 2019 SharePoint Conference in Las Vegas will be very special for two attendees thanks to the team at SPC and the SharePoint community.
Luis Charti and Antonio Reyes shown in the left photo, working with Andres Rojas, MVP from Bogota were two of many attendees who won prizes at our most recent SharePoint Saturday event in Puerto Rico. The event space, networking social and prizes were donated this year and speakers went beyond normal travel expenses to make the journey of 1000 miles South of Miami, deep into the Caribbean. Alistair Pugin made the trip from South Africa and Andres Rojas from Columbia.
It was heartwarming to see the conference passes handed to two of the van load of students who traveled over two hours from the South side of the island to attend the event in San Juan. When the students arrived early at 8AM we knew at that moment it would be a special sharing is caring day. Speakers adjusted the various topics and speaking styles to accommodate the students second language and the day was a complete success for everyone involved.
Personally, for me it meant a great deal to distribute the prizes to students and professionals at the event. This year was a struggle for many as local Microsoft Partners and businesses recovered from Hurricane Maria and while we might not have the expertise to repair a building we certainly could be on the island and support the technology communities and local Microsoft Partners.
I’d like to extend a special and warm thank you to Jackie Baillie and the SPC team, Andrew Connell and the Voitanos team, SPTechcon, RealActivity and Melissa Hubbard for the Surface Go, conference passes, training and books. The prize giveaways at M365 Saturday San Juan were well received this year. The SharePoint community has always been near and dear to me and I am very thankful to have work hero’s I can also call friends.
The Microsoft 365 and SharePoint communities continue to grow in Puerto Rico and the event this past November marked our third annual SharePoint Saturday in San Juan. The event team sold out online registrations and as always, the community speakers were professional and inspiring. I am honored to announce that Alberto Lugo, founder of Nvid Technologies has agreed to manage and organize the group locally and he has joined our Microsoft 365 Saturday planning committee.
During my March visit to launch the Microsoft 365 User Group I had a chance to see a demonstration of how PowerApps, Office 365 and Power BI are being used by the emergency officials and police on the island to help with incident reporting and resource distribution. I am proud to report that Microsoft technology is being widely used by Government and at this time 100% of the Fortune 500 companies on the Island are Microsoft Customers.
I believe in part it’s these community efforts and willingness to give back to not only the technical community but our neighbors and friends that creates a special bond in the beloved SharePoint community and this is the simple answer to any perceived mystery. Really it’s not a mystery at all, these are good people working on good things and giving back to our communities. Really it’s not a mystery at all, we are good people working on good things and giving back to our communities.
SharePoint champions and community, I am humbled, thankful and honored to show our SPC conference pass winners Luis and Antonio around SharePoint Conference 2019 and introduce them to our community so if you see us in sessions, in the hallways or at social events please say hi and show your SPC spirit!
