Here we are, just under a week from the kickoff of WPC 2010 in Washington D.C. and the excitement levels here in Redmond are off the charts!  With the incredible number of partners registered to join us this year (can we say ‘record-setting’ numbers?) for WPC 2010, it is bound to be the best WPC we’ve ever had.  With this, and as I have done in years past, I wanted to be sure to post up a list of some of the great SMB focused information we have coming to you this year at WPC 2010 so that if you are focused on SMB, you know ahead of time a bunch of the sessions and other resources you should be checking out prior to joining us.

First, what would WPC be without the famous/infamous “Yellow Lounge?”  This year the Yellow Lounge has a PREMIUM location just outside the EXPO, by the Windows Lounge and the BPOS Lounge.  The Yellow Lounge serves as a central meeting point for our SBSC members, resellers, Disti and SMB partners.  The Yellow Lounge will be open: Monday: 11:00 – 8:00 Tuesday: 11:00 – 6:00 Wednesday: 12:00 –6:00 Thursday: 10:00 – 3:00 To help make it easier for you to locate the Yellow Lounge at WPC 2010, here is a map (to the right) showing you where it is (click for full size):

Here is another great feature of WPC 2010 for all of you focused on serving the SMB market out there.  This year’s Expo Hall will be the biggest and best Expo Hall ever (you will be amazed at the design and layout this year!) and will feature a Microsoft datacenter at the center of it all, surrounded by Microsoft solutions and, get this, a dedicated SMB Solution Expo area!  That’s right, the SMB solution Expo area will be right there next to the Microsoft datacenter in the center of the entire Expo Hall!  Take a look at the map to the right showing the Expo layout as well as the location of the SMB Solution Expo (click image for full size).

So, what about SMB focused sessions at WPC 2010?  We have Reseller and SMB tracks at WPC 2010 this year!  To help you identify these sessions, I am providing list below, by day, that show these sessions you will want to add to your schedule for WPC 2010 (I’ve also included the keynotes below as well since there will be some fantastic information included in those that you will want to catch):

Sunday, July 11th

• 6:00 – 8:00 PM: Welcome Reception - Walter E Washington Convention Center

Monday, July 12th

• 8:00 AM-12:00 PM: Vision Keynote: Presenter: Steve Ballmer - Verizon Center
• 2:00-3:00 PM: Solution Value Keynotes - Walter E Washington Convention Center (WCC)
• 3:00-4:30 PM: SMB Solution Breakout #1: Transforming Your Business to Win in the Cloud Era - Speaker(s): Michael Wicander,Patrick Viernes, Paul ffelan,Raul Pesch, Tanya Shirlow - WCC-144AB
• 3:00 PM: Social Media & Community – It’s all about business. - Speakers: Jacqueline Touma - WCC-144C
• 5:00- 6:00 PM:
  • SMB Solution Breakout #2: Simplify IT Selling Business Ready Infrastructure - Marco Di Giacomo, Arlin Sorensen, Jamison West,Steve Hall
  • Leveraging HP Frontline Partnership & Microsoft Resources to Build Your Virtualization Practice - Speakers: Andrew Morlidge, William Carlisle - WCC-144C
  • Simplify IT: Selling the Business Ready Infrastructure - Speaker(s): Marco Di Giacomo, Arlin Sorensen, Jamison West, Steve Hall - WCC-144AB

Tuesday, July 13th

• 8:00-10:00 AM: Vision Keynote - Verizon Center
• 11:00AM - 12:00 PM:
  • Solution Value Keynotes - Walter E Washington Convention Center (WCC)
  • Adding Microsoft to Your Virtualization Practice - Speakers: Naren Narendra, David Greschler, Kevin McCuistion - WCC-145A
• 2:00-3:00 PM: Reseller Value Keynote - Extending Your Business: The Cloud Opportunity for Resellers- Presenters: Judy Kolde & Angelo Chirico - WCC, Room 147 AB
• 3:30 - 4:30 PM: Reseller Breakouts:
  • Selling to the Masses—Achieving Customer Lifecycle Management in a Transactional Environment - Speaker(s): Deanna Lanier, Tim Harmon - WCC-147AB
  • Maximizing the SMB Reseller Sales Advantage - Speakers: Andrea Russell, Arnold Boogards, Brad Rozen, Andy Trish - WCC-145B
  • Accelerating Windows 7 Adoption Among SMB Users with Laplink PCmover - Speakers: Thomas Koll - WCC-145A
• 5:00 - 6:00 PM: Reseller Breakouts:
  • Confessions of a Successful VAR! - Speakers: Andrea Russell, Arlin Sorensen, Dean Calvert, Jerod Powell, Richard Tubb - WCC-147AB
  • Stack It On! Increasing Your Share of Wallet - Speakers: Erin Rooney, Marie Laure Ripoche, Nicolas Catanese - WCC-145B
  • Smart Thinking! Learning Paths to Fast Track Your Sales Success -  Speakers: Andrea Russell, Brigitte Hayes - WCC-145A

Wednesday, July 14th

• 9:00-11:30 AM: Vision Keynote - Verizon Center
• 1:00 – 2:00 PM: SMB Keynote: Winning Together in the Small and Midmarket Segments - Speaker: Vahe Torossian – WCC 146ABC
• 2:30- 3:30 PM:
  • Annuity and Renewal - Speakers: Eric Ligman (Yes, that’s me), Andy Trish, Peter Essenberg - WCC-143C
  • The Impact of Cloud Computing for My Windows Server Small and Medium Business Practice - Speakers: Marco Di Giacomo, Dave Sobel, Bill Cunningham, Peter Sandiford - WCC-143AB
  • Igniting the “S” In SMB: Cloud Offerings for the Innovative Small Business - Speakers: Eron Kelly, William Patterson - WCC-144AB
  • The Microsoft Partner Network for SMB Resellers: Unplugged - Speakers: Andrea Russell, Arlin Sorensen, Robert Cioffi - WCC-144C
  • Accelerate SMB Revenue Growth with Public Sector Opportunities - Speakers: Anne Wilbur, Curtis Lee, Jacob Chi, Virginia Liu - WCC-144C
• 4:00-5:00 PM:
  • Seize the Cloud Opportunity! Big revenue ahead for SMB partners who discover Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online! - Speakers: Kimberly Smith, Marie Huwe - WCC-143AB
  • Growing Revenue While Strengthening SMB Customer Relationships with Business Insight - Speakers: Roel Decneut, Tim Moolic - WCC-143C
  • Windows Intune: Amplify, Simplify, Satisfy PC Management in the Cloud - Speakers: Gavriella Schuster - WCC-144AB
  • Licensing Tools - Speakers: Scott Turner, Gregg Picard - WCC-144C
  • The Windows Server Cross-Premise Story Explained: New Products Described by the Microsoft Engineering Team - Speakers: Kevin Kean, Marco Di Giacomo, Nick King - WCC-144C
• 5:00 PM: SHOOT for the Right Targets: The Customer Opportunities Insights Tool for Managed Value Added Resellers - Speakers: Andrea Russell - WCC-144C

Thursday, July 15th

• 9:00 - 11:00 AM: Regional Keynotes – WCC
• 12:00 – 4:00 PM: Regional Track - WCC
• 4:00 - 7:00 PM: Partner Reception – WCC Community Room Hall ABC

As you can see above, there is a ton of SMB focused content this year at WPC 2010 and that is just the structured items!  (Of course, I’d HIGHLY recommend that “Annuity and Renewal” session on the 14th at 2:30  ;-)  ) As you know, one of the very valued pieces of WPC every year is the peer to peer interaction and connections made while at WPC.  As such, be sure you are taking advantage of WPC Connect and the WPC Connect Wall to locate people you want to schedule meetings with for introductions, follow-ups, etc.  Plus, with the way the WPC Connect tool works now, you can setup a meeting wherever you choose, not just at the assigned WPC Connect tables.

I look forward to seeing you all next week at WPC 2010!

Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman – Follow me on TWITTER, LinkedIn, and RSS and see “What I’m thinking”
Global Partner Experience Lead
Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights