Community Corner 28: Flow User Groups

[GabrielStJohn]

Microsoft Flow & Power Platform User Groups

If there were one resource that I could recommend to a Microsoft Flow user who wants to learn more in person and at zero cost, it would absolutely be the Microsoft Flow/Power Platform User Groups that are springing up all over the world. Chances are that there may already be a regular Microsoft Flow User Group meeting in your area that you have no idea about! If you have heard of the program and you are curious, please visit this website to search for a User Group near you and GET INVOLVED! For those who haven’t heard of the Program, sit back and enjoy this brief description of what you can expect to take away from one of these awesome events!

So I have personally been to two user group meetings, and neither of them was even in the country where I live so I have a pretty interesting view of how these User Groups are put together in other corners of the world (London, UK & Calgary, Canada). These experiences have given me some insight into how these groups are orchestrated. Usually, there are some opening announcements regarding upcoming UGs & other Microsoft events followed by 40 minutes to eat dinner supplied by the sponsor of the UG meeting. After that, it's straight into the sessions that have been scheduled for the evening.

The sessions that are delivered at these User Group Meet-ups are mostly centered around things like product updates, specific use case stories, but they can also range between anything else related to the Power Platform that the members would like to speak about. That's one of the greatest parts about these groups and meetings, the members are usually the ones who deliver the sessions! This is an amazing opportunity to show off what you have made or discovered while also practicing your speaking ability in a friendly and comfortable environment.

So, while most of the time you can expect to see the User Group members delivering the sessions. However once in a while, you will see sessions from Event Sponsors, Microsoft Partners, and sometimes employees directly from Microsoft HQ! This is special because it allows some additional insight into product roadmaps and feature releases. Flow Team Senior Program Manager, Jon Levesque's, sessions are always greatly received at these UG events. I think this is because it is sort of a break from the normal routine of having the members do the speaking!

Here is a photo from when Flow Senior Program Manager, Jon, and I delivered a session at the Calgary Power Platform UG!

I hope this article has either made you aware of or opened your eyes to the amazing community of User Groups. I really encourage all Power Platform enthusiasts to click over to their favorite app's UG site and see where the closest meetings are happening near you!

Here are their respective site URLs:

• PowerBI User Group Site
• PowerApps User Group Site
• Microsoft Flow User Group Site

Thanks so much for reading, I hope you have an excellent weekend!

Cheers,

-Gabriel

Microsoft Flow Community Manager