Let’s take a trip down memory lane. In Fargo.
I have such great memories of attending The BBC Event in Fargo as a young marketer in the Microsoft Dynamics channel. Finally, I had found my people! Everyone was focused on finding creative ways to drive leads in our little niche market.
I listened to people like Mac Macintosh and Judy Van Der Linden, and Cheryl Strege talk about what was working for other Partners. The people I met and the friendships I formed are still a huge part of my career in the channel today.
Oh, and the parties. Does anyone remember going to “The Prom” in Fargo? Or the bowling alley affair? It is probably a good thing people didn’t have cameras on their phones back then.
While I remember walking the halls of the Holiday Inn Hotel in Fargo (past the pirate ship), it turns out that The BBC event had an even earlier beginning. And in true Microsoft style, the name of the event has changed several times – even though I’ve just thought of it as “BBC” all these years.
So what is the true history of The BBC Event?
Here is a rough timeline I put together with the help of Kim Peterson, Jane Olson, and Jenny Davis.
The BBC Event - 3 years in Banff, Canada – planned by Kim Peterson and group of loyal Great Plains partners. (Read: Mamma Kim’s Memories Of The First BBC Event)
The event was so successful (and fun) when Kim managed it that Microsoft decided to sponsor it officially.
2000 The BBC Event – La Quinta in Palm Springs, CA
2001 The BBC Event - Toronto
2002 The BBC Event - Palm Springs, CA
When Microsoft decided to stop hosting the event, Jenny Davis and Spider Johnk (The Partner Channel) took it over to bring it back.
2004 The Partner Event – Fargo
2005 The Partner Event – Fargo (Note, this was the only time it was done in the Spring, and it snowed in late April).
2005 The Partner Event – Fargo
After 2005, the Microsoft Dynamics GP team got involved again and sponsored with The Partner Channel, so the BBC name returned.
2006 The Partner Event BBC – Fargo
2007 The Partner Event BBC – Fargo
2008 The Partner Event BBC – Fargo
Then it was back to being run by The Partner Channel again.
2009 The Partner Event – Fargo
2010 The Partner Event – Fargo
2011 A year off (or maybe it was in 2010, the details are fuzzy)
2012 The Partner Event – Fargo
The next few years the event was done in collaboration with the Dynamics Communities team before the User Group Summit event.
2013 The Partner Connections Event –Tampa, FL
2014 The Partner Connections Event - St. Louis, MO
Nobody is quite sure what events were held from 2015 – 2019. In 2020 there were no events for anybody. That brings us to 2021.
Once again, we are bringing BBC back to the Partner community.
You can be a part of this event from the comfort of your own screen. You will recognize many of the names on the speaker list from the events listed above.
We will miss the wild and crazy parties. To bring in a bit of fun, we will have an interactive pub trivia happy hour after the event, sponsored by emfluence.
I hope that you will support the virtual event this year so that we can keep the momentum going and plan a live event in the future. (Probably not in Fargo.)
By Anya Ciecierski, Co-Founder of ERP/CRM Software Blogs, www.groupbloggers.com
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