This is the first post in a short series to highlight a few of our amazing community speakers who spoke for the first time at Global Azure this year! Our spotlight today is on Pasang Tamang, from Nepal.

Global Azure 2023 is very close now, and there are already over 350 speakers registered. If you are speaking at Global Azure 2023 and it will be your first time ever speaking at an event, first of all, congratulations! It takes real bravery to take that first step into speaking at community events and putting yourself out there.  

Global Azure is a worldwide event (the clue is in the name!) but even with communities taking part across six continents it doesn't mean that there is an event near you.

Don't worry: The community has got you covered! Several of the events over the course of Global Azure 2023 will be streaming content, including those being held in the Microsoft Reactors.

We have a Cloud Skills Challenge for Global Azure 2023!

Read more about how you can get involved and who it's for (spoiler: everyone)

The Global Azure Community is a network of individuals and organizations committed to advancing the use of Azure. They hold an annual event called Global Azure, which brings together communities of Azure users, experts, and enthusiasts to share knowledge and best practices. Attendees can participate in various activities such as technical sessions, workshops, hackathons, and networking events. The event is an excellent platform for attendees to connect with peers and experts in the Azure community. Global Azure 2023 will be held from May 11th to May 13th, with localized hybrid events and live streams organized worldwide. The event is a must-attend for anyone interested in Azure, offering unparalleled learning and networking opportunities.

Is Azure something you want to learn more about? Are you the kind of person that likes to confirm your understanding of technologies? This year, Global Azure has you covered! 

Microsoft is sponsoring Global Azure by providing Azure Passes worth $100 for attendees to access Azure services and tools. To obtain the pass, attendees must attend a Global Azure event, obtain an event code, and then enter it on the Azure Pass website to unlock the sponsorship. The number of passes is limited, and Microsoft suggests activating them immediately to ensure effective sponsorship use. Azure Passes allow attendees to explore Azure services and tools without costs and gain valuable experience with Azure.

We've always had a great relationship with Microsoft throughout all the years we have run Global Azure. This year, Microsoft offered the support of leveraging their Reactor spaces worldwide to help with Global Azure 2023. Located in major cities around the world and accessible online, the Reactors provide free content for the broader developer community and in 12 locations around the globe, space for Microsoft and community-led events year round.

We at Global Azure have some super exciting news! We have recently been provided some amazing animated Global Azure logos by Rainer Stropek, one of the organisers of Global Azure Austria, and the GA Austria design team. They are providing them to be used in promotional material for any Global Azure location, for free! We want to say a huge thank you to Rainer and the GA Austria design team for their work and for contributing to the community in such an awesome way. Check out Rainer’s message to the community below to see what inspired the team and where you can access these new logos!

If you looking for instructions on how to setup your local event on Sessionize to integrate your schedule with the Global Azure agenda available at https://globalazure.net you are in the right place. The objective is to promote through a single point your local community speakers and content, showing what is happening around the world during the #GlobalAzure event. We also want to allow each local organizer to manage its own event and its own premises. Your event, your rules. We asked some communities, we asked the folks at Sessionize, and after some whiteboard sessions, we implemented what somebody called "Sessionize event federation". Sounds funny right?