On The Floor At Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference

Some 12,000 Microsoft solution providers attended the company's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Houston last week.

Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center was the site for this year's conference. Next year's conference will be in New Orleans.

In a morning ritual each day of the conference, attendees were greeted for breakfast at the convention center by applauding waitstaff. While most attendees weren't quite sure what to make of it, a few triumphantly raised their fists Rocky-like and one responded with a royal wave.

In a keynote speech last Tuesday Stephen Elop, president of the Microsoft Business Division, outlined Microsoft's Software-as-a-Service plans, including details about the share of subscription revenue partners will earn from selling hosted services. Channel partners have been skeptical of the initiative and applause for the plan was lukewarm.

In a fiery speech last Tuesday Brad Brooks, corporate vice president of Windows consumer products, said Microsoft intends to fight back against critics of Windows Vista. Brooks touted the desktop operating system's security capabilities and outlined plans for an aggressive advertising campaign and the Vista Small Business Assurance program to provide free support.

CEO Steve Ballmer, in a keynote speech last Wednesday, said Microsoft's "Software-Plus-Services" initiative is gaining speed and channel partners need to get on board today with investments they are making in technology and training. But the ever-enthusiastic executive promised Microsoft would help with the transition. "Even as the business models change, for us, the notion of partnering with all of you remains fundamental," he said.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, in a speech Thursday, urged conference attendees to consider starting "social businesses" with the goal of making the world better rather than making profits. The founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, which makes micro-loans to the poor for education and starting businesses, also urged conference-goers to think about ways to use information technology to help the poor. "Each one of you can change the world," he said.



In keeping with the conference's theme of social responsibility, Yunus was preceded to the stage by a choir singing about the virtues of caring for the Earth.

Microsoft COO Kevin Turner urged attendees to "do the math" and understand the potential "lucrative opportunity" Software-as-a-Service will be. He also spoke about the opportunities offered by the company's Hyper-V virtualization software: Turner has said he expects Virtualization to become a $1 billion-a-year business. The contrast of Turner's SELL, SELL, SELL speech with Yunus' talk of social businesses that don't make a profit was hard to miss.

The expo show floor was a busy place during the conference where attendees, in between keynote speeches and product sessions, checked out the booths of vendors seeking channel partners.

At Intel's booth at the partner conference, Dan Wensley of Level Platforms sought to recruit channel partners for its managed services. Wensley is showing a chart on MSP practices from a recent report from Everything Channel's Institute for Partner Education and Development.

Traffic was brisk at the booth demonstrating Microsoft's business intelligence solutions.

Microsoft owns seven of these 42-foot "Across America" trucks loaded with hardware and software for demonstrating Microsoft products. Channel partners can book the trucks for their own events.

Conference attendees could play "Mindball" at Microsoft's IP licensing booth. The system monitors brain waves and moves the tiny ball on the table away from the person with the lowest level of brain wave activity. One participant reportedly won by putting himself into a trance.

Conference goers see a demonstration of Microsoft's Worldwide Telescope technology. Here they are looking at pictures of the surface of Mars. "That's very cool, but I don't know what I'd do with it," one passerby said.

A slot machine with a potential $25,000 payoff was the attraction at Netcom Information Technology's booth. Netcom, which offers training for Microsoft software, was Microsoft's learning solutions partner of the year in 2007.

Global responsibility was a recurring theme at the WPC. As part of its assistance to One Village Planet, an environmental, educational and humanitarian organization, Citrix had two tribal chiefs from Ghana in the company's booth to talk about a reforestation project in their country. Citrix donated $1 to the campaign for every lead generated at the booth. Citrix was named Microsoft's 2008 Citizenship Partner of the Year for its efforts.

Mimecast, a supplier of unified e-mail management software, used Guitar Hero 3 to attract potential channel partners to its booth under the motto "Exchange Rocks." These guys were pretty good, but KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley has nothing to worry about.

Likewise, Tiger Woods needn't be concerned about competition from Woods-wannabees who tried out the virtual golf game at the Administaff booth.

Microsoft Financing had one of the nicest "lounge" booths, complete with fish tank. Guess they have the money.

Microsoft wasn't subtle when it came to enlisting channel partners for its online hosted services.