“Again?”
A bunch of us were sat in a cricket-themed pub, drinking the remains of the prosecco, winding down after what had been a very fun, but incredibly busy day at the inaugural Experts Live UK conference. The kind of moment where it finally sinks in. We’d done it.
In just over a year, we had built a brand-new Microsoft community in the UK. Along the way, we ran multiple user group events, hands-on workshops, a Christmas party and now, our first full-day conference. There was definitely a moment where I thought: “Never again, Geoff… that was crazy hard work.”
But, as it turns out, that feeling didn’t last very long. Because sitting there in that pub, surrounded by the team and the community we’d built, the reality was clear: we weren’t done. Not even close.
“Start with the Community”
Before there was a conference, there was a community. And from the very beginning, we knew this couldn’t just be about building the event we wanted. It had to be about building what the community wanted or even needed
That meant taking a step back and really listening. Looking at what worked in 2025, understanding what resonated from a content perspective, what locations worked best, how timing impacted attendance, and how the overall experience felt from a logistics point of view.
Growth was always the goal but not growth for the sake of it. We wanted to scale Experts Live UK in a way that stayed true to the community. That meant evolving carefully, making deliberate decisions, and ensuring that every step forward aligned with what people actually valued. Because ultimately, this only works if the community sees it as their event - not ours!
“Lets Learn”
On Day 1 we kicked things off with workshop day, it was all about Hands-On, Deep Dive Learning, and it set the tone perfectly.
While the crew were busy behind the scenes building out the expo space, the attendees were doing what this community does best: diving deep, asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning from each other. Across workshops on Intune, Entra, Power Platform, Fabric, and Copilot, the community got stuck straight in. It was exactly the kind of environment we wanted to create.
“Party Time”
Then came the expo and networking party and that’s when things really came alive. The Space Bar opened, the drinks started flowing, and so did the conversations.
I got to meet so many people. Old friends, new faces, people I’d only ever spoken to online. There were real, meaningful conversations happening everywhere you looked. That’s the thing about this community: It’s not just about the tech; it’s about the people behind it.
“The Main Event”
Day two was the full conference… and somehow, despite everything, the early start didn’t even feel like a struggle. I was totally buzzing which was lucky because I definitely needed the energy.
I often say I enjoy solving problems, and that’s true… but usually I prefer them one at a time. Not seven, all at once, from different corners of the event! But every single time, something brilliant happened: People helped, solutions were found and things kept moving. There was never a moment where something felt unsolvable. And that’s entirely down to the people involved.
“The End?”
And then suddenly… it was over. Tear down is always a strange experience. There’s a real mix of emotions:
- Relief that you made it through
- Pride in what was delivered
- Joy at what it became
- And a bit of sadness that it’s all come to an end
But even then, the Experts Live UK crew did what it does best and cracked on. Everyone pitched in, got stuck in, and we got the job done, just like we had the entire way through the journey.
“What’s Next?”
Later that evening, we found ourselves back where so many good conversations seem to end up; sat in a pub, replaying the last couple of days.
Still riding that mix of exhaustion and adrenaline, surrounded by the people who helped make it all happen. But this time, something was different. There was no “should we do this again?” We went straight into planning.
Ideas were already being thrown around. What could we do better? What could we do differently? How could we build on what we’d just created?
We’ve already announced Experts Live UK 2027, and the excitement is very real. Not just from us, but from the community that’s grown around this in such a short space of time and just like before, the focus stays the same: Building something with the community. Not just for it.
Register for Experts Live UK 2026: https://register.expertslive.co.uk/
If 2026 proved anything, it’s that when the community comes together, incredible things happen. So here we go again…
I want to thank everyone involved, (especially those who couldn’t even make it on the day) but I’ll mention those directly on the crew.
Thank you, Dean Ellerby, Nathan Hutchinson, Kevin McDonnell, Bruce Cullen, Dominika Pisula, Lewis Barry, Andrew Jones, Chris Marshall, Morten Leth Hedegaard, Helen Pringle and Mark Kempson.
Finally, thank you to all our sponsors who we could not do this without: Robopack, Zerotouch Unified Endpoint Management, Nerdio, Liquidware, ControlUp, Patch My PC, ThreatLocker, Login VSI, Recast, Eido, Lenovo, Cireson and System Center Dudes!
