Credit: Microsoft
Microsoft has changed its week-long in person Ignite event to two 48-hour virtual sessions for free. The first Ignite event is scheduled for 22 to 24 September, with registration opening earlier in the month on 3 September.
The additional Ignite is slated for early 2021 and will aim to create another opportunity for Microsoft to announce product updates and get in touch with its community, according to the company.
Chris Capossela, executive VP and chief marketing officer, wrote in a blog post that the tech giant learned from previous global digital events that they could provide another chance to bring its global community together in order “to create a truly worldwide event”.
“For this reason, we’re not going to be holding Microsoft Ignite Tour events in different cities around the world this year,” he said. “Instead, Microsoft Ignite will bring all global participants together and include the opportunity for local community meetups, will have language localisation, and participants will also be able to get skill building with Microsoft Learn and certifications.”
Capossela added that the additional Ignite event will not be replacing Microsoft Build in 2021.
“We’ll continue to host Microsoft Build as the forum for our developer communities to come together,” he said.
This is the latest Microsoft event to axe its physical event and go digital and free, with Build and Inspire both doing so earlier this year. Last year, Ignite 2019 saw multiple updates for Microsoft products, including changes to Azure, Power Automate and Microsoft 365.
