I recently went to Dublin to present at CRMUG Summit EMEA (sometimes called “Summit EMEA”). Here is me and some of my fellow presenters embracing the Irish culture and swapping presentation tips. The CRMUG Summits are great and, for a conference which is about empowering end users, they are excellent value. Many Dynamics conferences are about partners and Microsoft co-mingling but the UG Summits are truly about the users and administrators. The presenters are some of the best Dynamics minds out there and you effectively get training/consulting which you would otherwise pay thousands for, for the price of entry. I literally flew halfway around the world just to attend this conference and sincerely believe it was money well spent albeit my employer’s. I personally learned lots of great information about time-saving tools and best practice tips which I am still testing and working through. For more information on UG’s conferences, go here.

If you are not in the habit of flying half way around the world to attend a conference, the cost of airfare plus conference plus accommodation plus Guinness is a bit expensive, or you simply cannot wait until the next UG conference, there is another option.

Dynamics Saturdays are community run conferences usually held on Fridays and Saturdays around the world. While attendance numbers are limited and they are smaller than their UG equivalents, the conference is completely free. There are swag, snacks and lunches provided just like a real conference, only free. Did I mention it is completely free?

The passion and talent is on par with the UG Summits, in my opinion, and the content may well reflect the issues important to the local region. While they run annually, like the UG Summits, there are a lot more of them. For those of us in APAC, there is no local UG Summit so, this year, it was a choice of Ireland or the USA. However, there were three Dynamics Saturdays running in Australia alone (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth). Some of the Melbourne presenters are in the picture above. For more information go here.

You can also get involved in the action as a presenter. If you are a user with a story to tell or a passion for some aspect of Dynamics, apply to present at either of these conferences. It is great opportunity to flex your presentation muscles as well as raise your profile in the community. The organisers are friendly and willing to assist however they can so whether you want to be a passive attendee or an active presenter I encourage you to get involved in these excellent community events.