Microsoft is launching one conference to rule them all. As part of its new unified strategy, the company is combining previously standalone conferences including the SharePoint Conference, Lync Conference, Exchange Conference, Project Conference, and TechEd North America into an inaugural, unified Microsoft commercial technology conference from May 4-8, 2015, in Chicago.

Julia White, the general manager of Microsoft’s Office division, announced the super-sized conference in a blog post, explaining that in addition to combining content from the standalone conferences, the unified conference will also cover Office 365 and many other product areas. Read White’s full blog post below:

“Over the past few months, it has been awesome to connect with our technical communities, customers, and partners at the SharePoint Conference, Lync Conference, Exchange Conference, Project Conference, and most recently, at TechEd North America. While the world is increasingly digital, there is still no replacement for time together, in person, to talk tech and business, and simply get to know each other better. Hands down, my favorite weeks of the past year have been those spent at these conferences, meeting with many, many of you!

As we took stock of the past conferences and looked forward to the next year of conferences, we decided we can do better – better for our technical communities, better for our business customers, better for our partners, and better for Microsoft. Part of this is a recognition that as our industry continues to evolve, so must our approach to creating valuable experiences for all of you. Part of this recognition is feedback from attendees across the past conferences asking for more content and product team engagement across Microsoft versus just within one product area. And, part of this is a recognition that Microsoft’s own cloud first, mobile first strategy must carry through to our conferences for all of us to be successful together.

With that backdrop, I am thrilled to announce we will be hosting an inaugural, unified Microsoft commercial technology conference the week of May 4, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. We’re bringing the best of what made our past conferences so valuable, plus adding more of what you’ve asked for including…

  • Clearer visibility into Microsoft’s future technology vision and roadmap
  • Unparalleled access to Microsoft senior leaders and the developers who write the code – many of whom will present and engage with you and answer your questions
  • A broader range of learning opportunities across all of Microsoft’s technologies, including actionable best practices from industry experts
  • Deep community interaction with the top technology professionals and industry peers in structured and informal settings
  • Epic after-hour festivities for you to unwind and turn up the fun!

If you attended the SharePoint Conference, Exchange Conference, Lync Conference or Project Conference, this is the conference for you. And, if you’re interested in or already using Office 365, this is the conference for you.

As someone who has attended all of these conferences, I know that some of you might be thinking that this new, unified conference can’t possibly be as magical as the past conferences you’ve attended. Or, that you really enjoyed the conference in the past and don’t want it to change. I totally get that and am here to reassure you that this unified conference will be every bit as awesome, every bit as valuable and in fact, it will exceed on both these measures. That is our maniacal focus and commitment to you, so hold us to it!”