Global Azure Bootcamp is dead - Long live Global Azure!

This dramatic title can also be spelled f-i-n-a-l-l-y, or even "Hello #GlobalAzure World"! 

We know it has taken us a bit of time to follow up the announcement we made at Microsoft Ignite, where we ran a community booth, regarding the dates for this year's #globalazure event; April 23-25. Here we go people - just in time for Christmas the story of our shared global greatness continues - thank you for your patience! 

We have rebranded! 

First things first: The old brand (Global Azure Bootcamp) is no more. We are the exact same event, organized the same way - only better, and with the almost the same crew of Administrators. Same as always it is You, the Community Heroes, who make the hundreds of events around the globe GREAT. It is because of Your leadership, Your willingness to share and learn and because of Your enthusiasm for community that this event exists and is so great! 

Henceforth we will be known simply as "Global Azure". The hashtag remains the same #globalazure. Our domain is new: globalazure.net! 

The reason for the rebrand is mainly that not all locations involved in the annual "bootcamp"-event, actually organize what amounts to a boot camp. Many locations run a mini-conference over one or more tracks. A boot camp is more like a training camp, which would normally include people spending (at least) one night. I don't know that any event has ever featured sleeping bags? The term boot camp is not really accurate for most of the organized events. 

We decided to simplify by answering the fundamental question "who are we"? Evidently we are a Global gang of communities, joining hands around the globe, to share and learn community style, about Azure technology. It's "Global". And it's "Azure". 

So, who are we again? It just makes sense, really: We are Global Azure! 

Stickers and other SWAG 

Some of you have already noted our rebranding in the form of our new logo and in the form of our new stickers. And you wants them - yeeessss! (Gollum! Gollum!) We get it. They are awesome stickers! We are working on several options to make this a reality for you and asap we will set up a stickers scheme! 

We will furthermore work on all other kinds of SWAG too, including a SWAG-store for you to get all kinds of things, mugs, hoodies, ice-scrapers... We will see! 

Why a new web site? 

The old web site was really difficult to manage, and we had outgrown it in many ways. The new web site probably has some flaws that we know you will help us find by contacting us with suggestions! There may be missing information or missing features. Again, contact us, please! We will fix the site until it is "perfect" and more! Already we feel it is much better than last year! 

We have some ideas that we intend to realize - listing for open cfps that you can choose to participate in combined with an "I want to speak"-feature for match-making, and more. If you have suggestions for what would make globalazure.net even better, please let us know - we'd love to hear from you! 

Why three days for Global Azure 2020? 

Do we all have to run a three day community event now? (no) 

At Microsoft Ignite we made a surprise announcement to run Global Azure 2020, not over one day, not over two days, but over three days! The days are April Thursday 23, Friday 24 and Saturday 25. 

You may consult our FAQ for the detailed answers to why this change is so great! Below a summary: 

The thing we wanted to achieve with this change was to cater to the biggest single point of feedback we have received over the years: "Do we have to run our event on this specific Saturday"? There are many valid reasons why a Saturday does not work for some of you event organizers. Believe us we have heard them all! You can't get the venue on the Saturday. It collides with a holiday. You are Israeli. You know... Reasons! This is why Global Azure 2020 has a three day option for you! You can choose to run a one day event on any of the three days! You can run a two or even a three day event if you like! Heck, you can even run two or three separate events! We have heard folks go - "oh cool, now we can run one event in city A and another in city B, with the same speakers but on different days"! Another favourite reaction is "this means we can run an event for kids on the Thursday evening and a normal community meetup for adults on the Saturday as two separate events"! Yes and yes, it means both those things and anything else you'd like! You can organize your community with these three days whichever way you want! Who will be the first location to run a three-day Global Azure event? 

We will facilitate official sponsorship to all locations that are registered on our site and runs any of these three days! 

We hope that this change will be well received and that every organizer and community on the planet can use this new freedom of choice to run their Global Azure events on any/all of the three days, as you please! 

Sponsors - look here! 

Would you like to sponsor Global Azure 2020? We have a connection to hundreds of global organizers who will run hundreds of events that are projected to touch over 20 000 Azure Technology enthusiasts around the globe! 

One option is to reach out to a few locations via our site and offer to sponsor them directly. 

Another option is to sponsor all locations! The rules for sponsorship are really simple and can be found in our FAQ. If you want to sponsor, or if you want to out someone who should be sponsoring, contact us through the site! 

Science Lab 

One of the awesome stuff that happens on the Global Azure event is the Global Azure Science Lab. All attendees around the world collaborate together in a common community computing science lab, donating some cloud power to a non-profit cause. In the previous years we have had labs about cancer research or event looking for new exoplanets. 

We are currently looking for a project that fits on a globally distributed environment. If you work or know about a project that could potentially be executed on the Global Azure event, please follow these instructions for more information: 

• Information about the Global Azure Science Lab 2020 

• Submit a proposal for the Global Azure Science Lab 2020 

Stake your location claims on our map! 

Finally folks, the moment you have been waiting for! Head on over to the Global Azure event registration site and pin your locations on our map to stake your claims to fame and community fun! Go, go, go! What are you waiting for? 

https://join.globalazure.net/ 

Big thanks 

Thank you all for being so enthusiastic about Global Azure and for joining our great adventure of community knowledge sharing Azure FUN! For any feedback at all - reach us socially below, and/or contact us via the web site! 

Regards - your faithful Global Azure Admins,

@davidjrh, @fincooper, @iamalexmang, @martinabbott, @noopman, @sjoukjezaal and @wesleycabus