I drove up to CollabDays New England with the intention of just being there. No venue to worry about, no sponsors to chase, no coffee order to get wrong. I just went.
It’s one of my longtime favorite events. I’ve been going ever since they’ve been having it, and that has to be about 15 years now. It’s a well-oiled machine, really well put together, with a tremendous community up there. You get top-tier community speakers and a sprinkling of Microsoft people and Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs). The amount of brain power in that building that day was mind-boggling.
It has changed organizers and locations over the years. These days it’s run by Julie Turner, Marc Anderson, Derek Cash-Peterson, and Chris Bortlik, at the Microsoft office in Burlington, Massachusetts, which is a beautiful office. Chris, who runs the Microsoft Innovation Hub there, does a wonderful job helping out with this event, and he’s really involved. It’s amazing to see that kind of commitment from somebody at Microsoft. They show up early, get the day set up, and really tee it up right. That’s a whole other blog post.
Nobody Asked Me To#
I’m a board member of the Microsoft Global Community Initiative (MGCI), but I’m not an official Microsoft regional lead. Nobody assigned me a territory. I just go to almost everything in the area that I can drive to.
When I show up, I’m representing myself: a person who deals with the same technology and has the same problems as everybody else. I just happen to be a consultant by day who develops Community Days at night, and I’m an event organizer myself.
New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania are home turf, because I’m from the tri-state area. I always go down to DC. I go up to New England, and I’ll drive down to Virginia Beach. If it’s four or five hours away, no problem.
Sometimes I go even further. Last year I went to Tennessee, and in the past I’ve been to Kansas, New Hampshire, Georgia, North Carolina, and California. And yes, all on my own dime.
You might think that’s crazy, but for me, it’s an investment in my career.
No Pressure#
I run events too, so I know what that morning feels like. When it’s your event, you barely see it. You spend the day solving problems, and then it’s over.
When it’s someone else’s event, I get to enjoy it. Sometimes I help out. Sometimes I just show up.
What I Actually Do There#
I might sit in one or two sessions. Most of the time I’m just working, either on client work or Community Days stuff.
When I’m not working, I’m talking to people: attendees, sponsors, and the organizers. I watch how the event is run and how well it’s working. If I have a tip that might help, I offer it, and I’m happy to help out after hours too.
Supporting Other Events#
I love supporting other events, and a lot of that comes down to pointing people in the right direction:
- Tooling. If an organizer needs tools, I’ll tell them where to look.
- Connections. I’ll connect them with the resources and people who can help.
- Sponsors. If they’re looking for sponsors, I’ll introduce them to people I think would be a perfect fit for that area.
Why I Keep Showing Up#
Running a community event can feel lonely. You put in months of work, and you don’t always know if anyone outside your own team notices.
So I show up, and most of the time I show up a day early. Whether I’m driving in or flying in, if I have time, I’ll see if they need help setting up and offer to do whatever they need.
I’ll often volunteer during the day too: checking people in for a couple of hours, helping set up lunch, cleaning up, whatever it is. Sometimes the event is very well put together and they have a lot of people, so I just enjoy the day, which is also fantastic.
And I stay late. I won’t just fly in and fly home. I hang out and get to know people. We go to dinner, sit around the hotel and chat, or get coffee. Sometimes even ice cream.
That extra time connecting with people is super valuable to me. I work from home and don’t go to an office, so unless it’s online, I just don’t see people.
I’m there to show support to other organizers. I want them to see, in person, that the community and I are there to help.
If You See Me, Come Say Hello#
If I’m at an event and you see me there, come say hello. I’m putting this out there because I’m very easy to talk to and super approachable. You are not bothering me.
I absolutely enjoy talking to everybody, connecting with people on LinkedIn, adding people to my network, helping people find jobs, and helping people learn new skills.
So walk right up. I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Links#
- CollabDays New England 2026: this year’s event
- CollabDays New England: the event’s official site
- CommunityDays.org: find an event near you
- Microsoft Global Community Initiative: the MGCI board and advisors
