CommsVerse 2023

This year I managed to get to the first day of CommsVerse 2023, a yearly event ran for the Microsoft Teams community with a Technical focus.?As per the previous events the location was once again at Mercedes Benz World, a stunning location with presentation rooms across three floors surrounded by everything from classical Mercedes to Formula1 and Formula-E cars.

If you haven’t been to CommsVerse before it has an amazing environment, relaxed, conversational and believe it or not fun.?The event runs over two days and Mark Vale is specific about the format; numbers are limited for attendees in a physical capacity and the vendor and partner space is also finite.?There is no intent to change the size of the event, instead focusing on the quality of sessions and partners throughout the two days.

The opening Keynote “Being Human in a Digital World” was given by Kate Russell and one of the few sessions that was in-person only.

With 74 speakers including Tom Arbuthnot , Vincent Dal , Ben Lee , Mohammed Khalifa , Kevin McDonnell , Graham Walsh and many more there were plenty of sessions to attend.?The selection criteria for CommsVerse speakers begins early in the process and allows the organisers to plan for the most varied content for the attendees.?The presentation rooms vary in size and setup with the most subscribed sessions either being in the Auditorium on the third floor or the largest event style room on the Ground floor.?Moving between these sessions becomes a challenge with so many side conversations as we share the journey from one room to another, we all run the risk of being late to the next session.

My focus was drawn between attending the sessions, looking at the vehicles and of course walking around and talking to the vendors and partners who sponsor this event.

With the focus being Microsoft Teams, the stands and conversations were all within this area, with AI quite often popping up in roadmaps, capabilities and expectations.?Some of CDW UK 's key partners were there, HP / Poly having a prominent stand by the entrance and displaying a wide range of Meeting Room equipment but also AV and personal audio equipment, including the latest Poly UC 60+.?The areas I saw most represented by those present and covered in the conversations I had, I am pleased to see reflected closely the conversations we have been steering and the directions we have been investigating.

·?????Microsoft Teams Meeting Rooms.

• Using the meeting room to create an inclusive, immersive experience for those returning to the office to feel just as connected to remote attendees as those in the same room.

·?????AI adoption into collaboration and productivity capabilities.

• AI was the buzz word and there was a lot to see around Microsoft CoPilot but also the inclusion of ML/AI in capabilities that can improve both CX and (D)EX

·?????Contact Centre and Voice unification.

• With the upcoming changes to the UK PSTN networks (The Great Switch Off) a lot of customers were considering how they can unify their estates with Cloud being the obvious answer.?These conversations were however tempered with thoughts around AI and choosing a solution that would allow integration and utilisation of these capabilities going forward.

As I walked around the vendors and suppliers it is clear the format from last time I attended had changed, with new supporters of this event but the conversations and technology on display clearly hadn’t had the time to fully integrate the AI conversations that was at the front of everyone’s mind.?Engaging in talks with those on the stand shows a clear steer towards empowering employers and employees with AI capabilities… it just wasn’t ready for show.?I left the event feeling that I had gained a lot of insight, but that the changes brought in with the influx of AI were not yet being catered to… next year I expect that the majority of the conversations and displays will be around CX, EX and how AI and ML augment and improve this experience.

Next Years show is already planned for June 26th and 27th 2024, once again at the Mercedes Benz World.?I will certainly be there again to see and hear what is happening in the world of Microsoft Teams. Watch for tickets here: https://www.commsverse.com/

#MicrosoftTeams #FutureOfWork #AI #HybridWorking #ContactCentre #CCaaS #UCaaS #ModernWorkspace