Author: Bob McAdam
The third annual AI Business Solutions Partner Executive Summit (formerly ‘BizApps Summit’) was held in the greater Seattle area during the last week of July 2026, and as usual, the event was bigger than the previous one and chock-full of Microsoft strategy and related networking. More and more North American partners are finding their way to the Pacific Northwest each summer, and more sponsors are as well. It’s hardly the size of the old ‘Inspire’ show Microsoft once hosted, but that’s a plus in my book. BDO was the underwriter of the event for the 3rd time, and the sponsor count was just shy of 30.
Labeled a ’36-hour immersion’, the event begins the night before on the shores of Lake Washington, and the weather all week was beyond perfect, to boot. Wednesday morning was a full day, from breakfast through dinner, and then Thursday ran from breakfast to just after lunch. The crowd was mostly made up of reseller partners, but there were plenty of ISVs in the house and several Microsoft resources walking around as well. With the exception of one session on the final afternoon, everything was held in the same ballroom.
Mike Morton was one of those Microsofties walking around the event, and he proceeded to tell everyone during his time on stage that he’s moving back to North America and taking the lead on Dynamics 365 Sales going forward. Business Central has seen some nice growth in the past few years, so Microsoft is likely expecting much the same in this important CE area. We wish Mike the best of luck and already know he will be missing the BC crowd (naturally)!
Mike Gillis of RSM made a couple of appearances on stage, and one thing that stuck with me was his notion that AI was creating an outcome company where he is. He indicated that RSM was actively moving away from being a product, or service, or solutions firm, and instead becoming a company that’s “creating useful outcomes”. I’ve heard some say that billable hours were going to be replaced by value-add revenue, and this reminded me of that immediately.
The big afternoon panel on Day One, which I really enjoyed, was even bigger this year – ten panelists and a moderator on stage! This year, ISVs were included as well, which was nice to see. In about 75 minutes, the panelists were asked about AI (of course): what it means to them today, what they’re doing at their firms with it, and its impactfulness at the partner level. I enjoyed hearing the various answers from this crew, but will also say that asking 10 professionals 3 questions each in 75 minutes doesn’t give much time (2.5 minutes) for anyone to elaborate effectively. Perhaps a panel of partners first and then one of ISVs afterwards? Both groups often answer these questions differently, that’s for sure. Either way, it’s nice to hear from some of the largest firms in our ecosystem, as we all know that the publisher is pushing them to lead at this critical juncture in our industry.
For those in this channel, it was quite apparent that Microsoft has these priorities for channel partners to learn or aim for:
- AI agents are to be embedded throughout Dynamics 365 applications
- Industry expertise is, or soon will be, king (hint, hint)
- Revenue growth will be via AI-related services instead of the implementation service work we have all been pounding away at diligently for many years. Recurring revenue is still important, but it needs to come about using AI tools & related services
AI isn’t a ‘cool feature’ of the ERP system any longer, but rather a business model, and the speed at which it is moving is causing everyone to pick up the pace here – even at Microsoft. I have attended all 3 of these summertime events, and each one has sounded unlike any of the other two, a clear indicator that next year will be completely different as well! The old ‘Inspire’ event may be dead, but this smaller, more intimate event is gaining ground nicely, and it’s nice to see – just like the AI topic it surfaces so much.
For 2027, the location is the same Hyatt Regency on Lake Washington, but dates will be August 2-4 instead, which is enough extra time in July to extend that summer vacation you’ve often said was a bit too short anyway. See you there!
