Microsoft Power Platform Conference – Trip of a Lifetime
Posted on June 1, 2023 • 4 minutes • 837 words
I was going through a really rough time. I had experienced a loss that so many do experience – one of my 14 year old littermate kitties, Archie, had taken a sudden turn and had to be put to sleep. It was almost my birthday and I had lost one of my beloved cats and I was feeling very sorry for myself.
However, it was time to pull myself together and pack my bags, because I was headed to the inaugural Power Platform Conference in Orlando, FL all my myself. I’m no stranger to travelling alone. I live alone, I’ve traveled alone, it’s not a huge deal to me, but I felt very alone at this particular time in my life.
Ready to head to day 1!
I was lucky enough to run into a few people that I knew, like the amazing Kristine Kolodziejski and the friendliest Galen Keene, but I was still just meandering around to sessions on my own, learning a ton but wishing I had people to talk to about what I was learning.
There was an app for the conference that I was using extensively to figure out transportation and navigation, and there were ways to meet up with people on there as well. I can’t remember the exact order of events, but there was an LGBTQIA+ meetup over lunch one of the days of the conference. That’s when I met Evie. She was fascinating to talk to and I hoped to talk to her more at the conference, thinking that was as far as things would go.
Later that night, there was a Women in Power Platform dinner. A group of us at my hotel managed to organize ourselves enough to get transported to dinner, and I gratefully (and nervously) found a seat next to Evie. There, a fateful picture was taken:
Little did I know that the four women on the right side of the table next to me would become good friends that I’d spend practically every waking moment with over the next few days!
The next day was, yes, my birthday. After another day of amazing sessions and getting to meet awesome people (David Warner! Heather Cook!), it was also the night of the attendee party at Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure.
The women I had sat next to at dinner the night before were people Evie had talked to more, and upon finding out that today was also my birthday, arranged to do dinner at City Walk at the Promised Land for me – Margaritaville. I didn’t know these women beyond a few chats, but they knew I liked margaritas and that it was my birthday, and that was enough for them.
We had some great laughs at the table, and then it was time to trek into the amusement park. The attendee party was so well-planned. There were food and drink stations throughout the section of the park that was reserved for us, and it was good food too.
By the time we’d done some rides (Christina and Evie were happy to hold bags; Anna, Lily, and I were the adrenaline junkies) and met up with a new buddy (Santiago), we had really solidified into a great friendship with so many laughs and jokes.
By day 3 of the conference, we were doing exactly what I’d wanted in day 1 – “What session are you going to?” “OMG that looks so good, save me a spot!” “Will you share your notes from that session? I have two at the same time that I want to go to!” We were all at the conference by ourselves, and we all were looking for what I’d been looking for – conference buddies!
By the end of the third night, we were in tears from laughter and I think you can tell from the pictures just how comfortable we got with each other. We were exchanging all of the social media handles with each other, knowing that we were supposed to all be leaving in the next day or two, delaying our goodbyes as long as we could, and already making plans to reunite at the second Power Platform Conference.
Eight months later, I still text with this group (group text mysteriously named “River Lindsay’s Barge Tour”). They sent me the most amazing housewarming gift I’ve ever gotten and made me cry with how touched I was. I even got to see Christina at the M365 Conference in Vegas in May!
We all still plan to be reunited at the second Microsoft Power Platform Conference in Vegas, October 3rd-5th, and I hope to meet even more amazing friends there! This post doesn’t even include the friends I met in Vegas at the M365 Conf (what’s up Kristine, Christina, Joel, Tanya, Angelo, and Angela!) or the amazing friends I’ve made on Twitter (Nat and Cat heyyyy). For an ambivert who was feeling very down, I’ve certainly made quite the network of awesome people and I know you can do the same!
