We are excited to announce Community Days Los Angeles 2024, a premier community-driven conference dedicated to Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform. This event will take place at the state-of-the-art Microsoft Office in Playa Vista, providing a vibrant and dynamic setting for learning, networking, and sharing expertise. We are bringing together a diverse group of speakers, including industry experts, Microsoft MVPs, and seasoned professionals, each with unique insights and experiences. 
When will keynotes, registration, and session occur on the day of the event?
<ul><li>Registration opens with breakfast and coffee available at 7:30am.</li><li>The conference keynote begins promptly at 8:10am.&nbsp;</li><li>Lunch is provided from Noon-1pm.</li><li>Sessions are throughout the day concluding at 5pm.</li></ul>
This event is part of the Microsoft Global Community Initiative, where we're all about empowering individuals and organizations to unleash their potential with technology. Join our vibrant community of learners and innovators for an unforgettable experience!
See you in Los Angeles!

<ul><li>Registration opens with breakfast and coffee available at 7:30am.</li><li>The conference keynote begins promptly at 8:10am.&nbsp;</li><li>Lunch is provided from Noon-1pm.</li><li>Sessions are throughout the day concluding at 5pm.</li></ul>

Get ready, Los Angeles! This free tech extravaganza will feature over 35 dynamic sessions focused on Microsoft 365 technology, tailored specifically for our vibrant community. We're bringing together tech experts, enthusiasts, industry pros, and die-hard Microsoft fans for a day packed with immersive learning, networking galore, and plenty of inspiration. We know the importance of building strong connections in the tech world, which is why sponsoring #CommunityDaysLA offers a unique chance to engage directly with attendees. We've crafted <a href="https://communitydaysstorage.blob.core.windows.net/events/2024/9c35ad24-9a7b-443a-aa13-3fa808ae384c/33cec63eCDLA_2024_Sponsorship_Packages.pdf" target="_blank">exciting sponsorship packages</a> designed to match your marketing goals perfectly. Each package includes perks like prime exhibition space, speaking slots, full attendee lists, prominent logo placement, social media buzz, and much more. Join us in making the inaugural Microsoft 365 Community Day in Los Angeles an extraordinary event that sparks creativity, learning, and community spirit. Let's innovate, educate, and connect together!
<a href="https://communitydaysstorage.blob.core.windows.net/events/2024/9c35ad24-9a7b-443a-aa13-3fa808ae384c/33cec63eCDLA_2024_Sponsorship_Packages.pdf" target="_blank">Click here to view Sponsorship opportunities</a>. Please contact CDLA@CrushNetworks.com with any questions.&nbsp;

Microsoft Community Days Los Angeles 2024

Zuma 1

Zuma 2

Marina

Santa Monica

Malibu

Join Heather Cook from Microsoft for a keynote on Creating an AI Powered Organization. Attendees will learn how to integrate artificial intelligence into their business operations to drive innovation and efficiency. Heather will share key strategies for AI implementation, workforce adaptation, ethical considerations and real-world examples will be covered, sharing how to transform your organization into AI-driven enterprises.

Creating an AI-Powered Organization

Step into the future at this deep-dive session where Microsoft MVP and collaboration specialist Matt Wade will take you on a journey through the AI revolution that's transforming our daily work lives.

Matt will guide you through the essential steps to prime your systems, safeguard your data, and unlock the full potential of Copilot. You'll learn about the prerequisites for a seamless Copilot integration, the ins and outs of data preparation for optimal search results, the nitty-gritty of Copilot license assignment, and strategies to navigate and manage the change this innovation brings.

This session isn't just about theory; it's a practical guide tailored for admins who are serious about staying ahead of the curve. While it may touch on other Copilot scenarios, the spotlight is on Microsoft 365 Copilot, the add-on license SKU that seamlessly integrates with Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Office apps.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to be part of the AI evolution and revolution. Join us and empower your admin skills to lead the charge in the age of everyday AI. 

Note: this hyperbolic session description—did it catch your attention?—was written by Microsoft 365 Copilot and only slightly edited by the author.

AI Ready: Strategic Insights for Microsoft 365 Copilot Deployment

Are you still storing company app data in SQL Server? You should consider Microsoft Dataverse. It might be a better option for many of your no-code/ low-code apps. Other organizations are already using Dataverse and leveraging all of the Power Platform. Designed to be a secure, no-code/ low-code data storage offering, Microsoft intends for it to help increase return on investment (ROI), better scale your in-house applications, and promote innovation. Let’s explore jumpstarting your team's productivity with Microsoft Dataverse.

Dataverse: Everything, Everywhere, Here and There

Do you ever wonder what your Microsoft Team members are thinking or what their thoughts are on a specific topic or initiative? Microsoft Forms is a powerful and versatile tool that allows you to create surveys, quizzes, and polls that can be responded to by your Team members which allows you to view real-time responses from your participants. These results can then be exported to an Excel spreadsheet for additional analysis, and to generate some neat visual charts or graphs using Power BI.

In this session we are going to introduce and discuss the different types of uses for Forms, how to create a form on a Microsoft Teams channel, explore the configuration options for these forms, as well as how to export the results for use in other Microsoft products, like Power BI. 


Integrating Forms with Teams for Real-Time Responses

Organizations are increasingly recognizing the value of data-driven decision-making. Simply collecting and storing data isn't enough. To truly harness its potential, businesses need to transform their data into actionable insights and deliver those insights to their end-users through well-designed analytics products.

This presentation will explore the concept of "analytics as a product" and provide a practical framework for building, launching, and scaling analytics products that drive business value. 

Key topics will include:

The Product Mindset: Understanding the principles of product management and how they apply to analytics.

Defining Your Target Audience: Identifying the needs and pain points of your end-users and designing solutions that address them.

Building Your Analytics Product: From MVP to full-fledged product, understanding the development lifecycle and key considerations for success.

Data Storytelling: Effectively communicating insights and recommendations to stakeholders through compelling narratives and visualizations.

Scaling Your Product: Strategies for expanding your user base, monetizing your product, and continuously improving its value proposition.

Whether you're a data analyst, product manager, or business leader, this presentation will equip you with the knowledge and tools to successfully build and scale analytics products that deliver real impact for your organization.

**Key Takeaways:**

Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the "analytics as a product" mindset.

Learn a practical framework for building and scaling analytics products.

Discover strategies for effective data storytelling and communication.

Gain insights into the latest trends and best practices in analytics product management.


Building and Scaling Analytics Products

This year Microsoft has added a ton of new features to the SharePoint Premium Advanced Management license, but how can organizations make the most out of them?   In this session we will deep dive and learn how the features of the SharePoint Premium Advanced Management license can help organizations implement a better governance of their sites in SharePoint Online!

SharePoint Premium Advanced Management Deep Dive

“Supply Chain organizations rely heavily on Excel worksheets for their versatility. However, to keep pace with the need for speed and scalability without increasing headcount, we turned to Power Automate. This session will highlight a specific scenario within Azure Supply Chain where we transformed a predominantly manual Excel process into an automated workflow using Power Automate.”

Automate to Liberate: Transforming Excel Workflows with Power Automate

Are you looking to see how Generative AI can help your company? This session will provide an in-depth look into key learnings from a real-life pioneering journey of developing a generative AI chatbot for employees, powered by Microsoft's cutting-edge technologies. We will explore the challenges encountered, the strategic decisions made, and the creative solutions devised during this transformative 3 step process.

The discussion will underscore how to harness the power of Microsoft's AI and cloud technologies to create a chatbot that improved communication, streamlined workflows, and enhanced employee productivity. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of a journey, from the initial conceptualization to the final deployment and ongoing improvements. This session will serve as a resource for organizations planning to leverage AI chatbots, offering insights, best practices, and lessons learned.

How to Build a Gen AI Chatbot in 3 Steps

Microsoft Lists are a great way to easily structure your data and build simple solutions with Power Apps and Automate. If you come from a SharePoint background, they may be all you know.

However, there are many benefits to using Dataverse, and learning how to use it is not as scary as it sounds!

In this 1-hour session, join Nick Brattoli as he explains how Dataverse works from the perspective of someone familiar with Microsoft Lists, Canvas Apps, and Power Automate.

He'll discuss and demonstrate topics such as:

Dataverse fundamentals such as environments, tables, and columns

Strengths and limitations of Dataverse versus Microsoft Lists

Security and Governance

Attaching files

Copying data between Microsoft Lists and Dataverse with Power Automate

Tips & Tricks to get started

So if you're familiar with Microsoft Lists and/or SharePoint, but not Dataverse or Dynamics 365, you don't want to miss this one!


How Do Dataverse and Microsoft Lists Compare?

Step into the future of corporate communication with 'The Future of Meetings: Navigating Microsoft Teams Premium's Advanced Features'. This session is a deep dive into the world of Teams Premium, showcasing its cutting-edge features designed to transform your meeting experiences. We'll explore each feature in detail, discussing its practical applications and benefits for your organization. From setting up advanced meeting options to enhancing end-user engagement, you'll gain insights into the full spectrum of Teams Premium capabilities. Our hands-on demonstrations will guide IT Admins through the configuration process while providing business leaders and corporate communications professionals with a clear view of the user experience. Whether it's about facilitating seamless large-scale webinars or conducting interactive town halls, this session is your roadmap to mastering Microsoft Teams Premium. Join us to unlock the potential of next-generation meetings and propel your organizational communication into a new era of efficiency and engagement.

The Future of Meetings: Navigating Microsoft Teams Premium's Advanced Features

We dive into the real-world implementation of Power Platform Center of Excellence, including what comes out of the box, what it doesn't include, and what you don't know. This is the story of a real-world implementation at a Fortune 50 company with tens of thousands of assets to manage. 

What You Didn't Know: Power Platform Center of Excellence

Do you struggle with managing and tracking employee performance goals and objectives? Most humans are goal-driven and become unmotivated when they don't have clear objectives to be working toward. Let's fix that with Viva Goals! 

As a (recovering) HR professional my passion quickly grew in the Learning and Development space because I always put the humans first. Performance management through goals and objectives is the key to keeping your organization focused, motivated and always growing in their role.  In this session we will explore Viva Goals including:

 - The importance of goal setting
 - OKR's vs Smart Goals
 - Creating and Tracking Goals
 - Communicating and collaborating using Teams and SharePoint

Bring a pen and paper (or your OneNote!) because you are going to walk away inspired to bring your team to the next level with Viva Goals!


Elevate Your Team Performance: Unlock Potential with Viva Goals

Understanding the wide range of features in SharePoint Premium can be intimidating. This session will simplify the platform by demonstrating its value through a practical business case. Attendees will learn how to leverage key features to solve real-world challenges and enhance productivity. We’ll explore how eSignature can streamline document signing processes with secure, legally binding electronic signatures, and how translation capabilities can break down language barriers, ensuring seamless communication across global teams. Additionally, we’ll show how autofill can save time and reduce errors by automating data entry.  Join us to discover how these features and more can transform your business operations and drive success.
 

Unlocking the Full Potential of SharePoint Premium: A Business Case Approach

In the dynamic world of game development, effective collaboration and streamlined project management are essential to delivering high-quality games on time. This session will explore how Microsoft 365 and the Power Platform can be powerful tools for game developers, enabling teams to work together more efficiently and innovate faster. We'll dive into advanced productivity strategies, custom app development, and real-time data analytics, all tailored specifically for game production. Learn how to integrate these tools to enhance communication, optimize workflows, and ensure security and compliance across your projects. With insights from real-world game development scenarios, you'll walk away with actionable strategies to level up your team’s performance and drive success in the competitive gaming industry.

Leveling Up Game Development: Harnessing Microsoft 365 and Power Platform for Collaborative Success

In this session, we'll dive into the essentials of responsive design and its significance in enhancing user experience. We will start with an overview of a static app, highlighting its limitations on various devices, to set the stage for why responsive design is crucial.

First, we will explore the fundamentals of relative positioning and dynamic sizing. You'll learn how to set properties like Width and Height using percentages or parent dimensions, leveraging the "Parent" object to ensure components adapt fluidly to their containers.

Next, we'll delve into container controls. I will demonstrate how to create a simple form within a container, showing how grouping related elements can streamline the responsiveness process. We'll adjust the container's size and position, observing how all child components respond accordingly.

We will then cover the implementation of media queries in Power Apps. You'll learn to set rules that dynamically alter the app's layout based on screen size and orientation. For instance, we'll create distinct layouts for mobile and tablet views by setting conditions in the app’s OnStart property.

This session will be hands-on, encouraging you to replicate steps on your own devices, experiment with different settings, and immediately see the results. We will conclude with a Q&A segment, where you can address specific challenges and gather additional tips and best practices for ensuring your apps remain responsive as they evolve. This comprehensive approach will equip you with the skills to create versatile and user-friendly Power Apps Canvas apps.

Power Apps Can be Responsive, Too!

Many organizations are excited to start using Microsoft Copilot for M365. However, they may soon realize the data that Copilot uses has not been properly managed, secured, or removed. Additionally, there may be requirements to track users activity and word choices with Copilot to comply with security standards or regulations. In this session we will show how you can audit and track user behavior as well as control which content appears in the Copilot Semantic index.

Governing, Securing, and Auditing Users and Data in Microsoft Copilot

You and your company have invested heavily in Microsoft 365 with both licenses, solutions, FTEs, etc. With the threats to the Microsoft ecosystem, you must take your place within how your organization responds to cyber incidents.  This means, the job of every professional dedicating their careers to Microsoft 365, you must elevate your knowledge about the NIST 2.0 framework, Incident Response and know what role you will play in responding.

Why Do You Need to Care about Incident Response for Microsoft 365 Data

Imagine having a smart AI assistant that can help you with any task, from researching to analyzing to presenting, grounded in your organization's data. Imagine being able to access the power of Microsoft Graph, a ready-made service that connects data and insights across Microsoft 365, to boost your copilot's intelligence and capabilities. Sounds too good to be true? Think again. 

In this presentation, you will learn how to transform your copilot with Copilot Studio and Graph, two innovative tools that let you personalize your AI assistant to fit your needs. You will discover how to interact with your copilot, how to overcome common challenges when working with Graph, and how to evaluate and improve your copilot's performance. You will also see some examples and demos of how copilots can assist you with various projects and tasks. By the end of this presentation, you will be ready to take your copilot to the next level and unleash your full potential with AI. 

• Learn how to personalize your AI assistant with Microsoft Copilot Studio and Microsoft Graph. 
• Overcome common challenges when working with Copilot Studio and your data. 
• See how copilots can assist you with various projects and tasks. 

Transform Your Copilot: Personalizing your Copilots with Copilot Studio and Graph

Join us for an exciting and informative session where we dive into the world of Power Platform! In this session, we'll explore the Power Platform Well-Architected Framework and the Power Platform Code Review Tool, two essential resources for any Power Platform enthusiast.

Discover how to design and implement robust, scalable, and efficient solutions with the Well-Architected Framework. Learn best practices and strategies to ensure your Power Platform projects are built to last.

But that's not all! We'll also take a deep dive into the Power Platform Code Review Tool, a powerful resource that helps you maintain high-quality code and streamline your development process. Say goodbye to code issues and hello to smooth, efficient workflows!

Mastering Power Platform: Essential Tools & Resources

At the heart of the session is a specially designed board game that adds an exciting element of interactivity. This game puts participants in the driver’s seat of a change initiative, allowing them to experience the impact of their decisions on the project timeline, organizational trust, and long-term change adoption.
To facilitate meaningful connections, participants will be divided into small groups. These groups will provide a collaborative environment where attendees can engage in discussions, share insights, and learn from one another’s experiences. By encouraging networking and relationship building, we aim to create a supportive community of professionals who can learn and grow together.
Participants will navigate various scenarios and challenges, making critical decisions that mirror real-life change management situations. By experiencing the consequences of their choices within the safe confines of the game, attendees will gain valuable insights into the complexities of change initiatives and the importance of effective Change Leadership.


Change Leadership: Navigating Trust and Adoption for Project Success

No other enterprise content and collaboration platform approaches the governance capabilities available in Microsoft 365. Unfortunately, these features are not always well understood or successfully implemented. What are the ramifications of organic growth of information systems in a large Microsoft 365 installation, and how can these be prevented or remediated with appropriate governance?  Key topics following the introduction include:
•	Who is responsible for platform governance, and how can its effectiveness be assessed?
•	What are the key governance areas to address first?
•	What is the timeline for a governance project?
•	What is required in terms of people, information and time to first implement and then sustain proper governance?
Each topic will incorporate the most current technical aspects of implementing governance successfully on Office 365. This is important because the platform changes rapidly. Following the presentation attendees will be allowed a brief Q&A. 

Roadmap to Successful Governance on the Microsoft 365 Platform

As organizations increasingly integrate AI-driven tools like Microsoft 365’s CoPilot into their daily operations, ensuring effective governance becomes crucial. This session, "Governing CoPilot for Microsoft 365," offers a comprehensive guide to navigating the complexities of governing AI within your organization. Participants will gain insights into the potential risks associated with CoPilot, including data privacy, compliance, and ethical AI usage. The session will cover essential governance principles and provide practical strategies for policy development, user training, and continuous monitoring. Through real-world case studies and best practices, attendees will learn how to align CoPilot’s capabilities with organizational goals while mitigating risks. This session will equip your organization with the tools needed to govern AI responsibly and effectively.

Governing CoPilot for Microsoft 365

There is a lot of content focused on Power BI features and related data technologies. Technical talent is one ingredient of success. Just because you know how to create an impressive visualization or report does not mean the project will be successful in the long term. Planning, implementing, and delivering a report successfully can be tough for Power BI professionals of all levels. Equal attention needs to be applied to each of these areas. This session covers Power BI project management learning lessons and best practices. Determine the warning signs your project may be at risk. Deliver a report that tells a story the target audience needs to hear. Get them to engage and ask for reports that deliver the highest organizational value and drive action.

Planning, Implementing, and Delivering a Power BI Report Successfully

Learn how the team behind the Microsoft MVP Summit and Microsoft Airlift created tools and processed to automate event management, Microsoft Teams meeting creation and updates, and user authorization to run events for thousands of virtual and in person attendees.

How We Do It: Identity, Authentication, and Automation of Virtual & Hybrid events in Microsoft Teams

Whether you’re a tech enthusiast, a healthcare professional, or someone passionate about social impact, this session will provide valuable insights into the intersection of AI and healthcare. Engage with experts, learn about groundbreaking data hacks, and see how technology can be a force for good in solving some of the world’s most pressing health issues.


Empowering Health with AI: The Sick Titties Initiative and AI-Powered Financing

Through practical examples, use cases, and integrated solutions within the Microsoft ecosystem, we will demonstrate how Microsoft 365 technologies can drive digital maturity and competitiveness for businesses. We will explore how scalable Microsoft 365 solutions adapt to the growth and changing needs of businesses, enabling efficient resource management. We will discuss how to foster an organizational culture of real-time collaboration, where teams can work together effectively from anywhere, increasing productivity and innovation. 

Scalability and Flexibility in the Age of AI

This will be an engaging speaking session where attendees will learn how to build a stunning, functional app designed to streamline real-world approval processes. Attendees will see step-by-step instructions, using beautiful app example templates to spark creativity and inspire your designs. We'll also share best practices for creating smooth, effective approval processes that are both user-friendly and robust.

In this session, attendees will discover how to incorporate key features such as "My Actions," notifications, and the ability to open approval items directly from email. We'll demonstrate how to create and save PDFs, capture signatures, and more. These tips and techniques will empower attendees to build an app that not only looks great but also enhances productivity and satisfaction for everyone involved in the approval process. 

Whether the attendee is a seasoned developer or just starting out, this session will provide valuable insights and practical tools to elevate your app development skills.








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Community Days | Microsoft Community Days Los Angeles 2024