Microsoft splits Ignite 2020 into two virtual events, second one to be held in early 2021

Back in January 2020, Microsoft announced that it will be moving Ignite back to September after having held the conference in November for the 2019 iteration. Ignite is one of the biggest events for the Redmond giant, and was slated to take place from September 21 through September 25 this year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that the company could no longer schedule it as an in-person event.

Today, Microsoft’s Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Chris Capossela announced that the company will be splitting Ignite into two virtual events that will consist of “48-hour digital gathering”, in place of the week-long event that it has historically been. The first part of the conference will be held from September 22 to September 24, while the second iteration is scheduled for some time in early 2021.

Registrations for this year’s Ignite will open on September 3. The CMO adds that the conference next year will connect with its technical communities and that the firm will “share the latest product developments”. He adds:

We’ve learned from the global digital events we’ve held this year that we now have the opportunity to bring the whole global community together in one place to create a truly worldwide event. For this reason, we’re not going to be holding Microsoft Ignite Tour events in different cities around the world this year; instead Microsoft Ignite will bring all global participants together and include the opportunity for local community meetups, will have language localization, and participants will also be able to get skill building with Microsoft Learn and certifications.

Capossela also mentions that the second Ignite conference slated to be held next year will not be replacing its Build conference, which is typically held in May. Considering that the company announced that it will move all events until July 2021 into a digital format, it is likely that Build 2021 will be a virtual event. It is not clear if the two Ignite event will continue to be virtual-only conferences, or if the company will move it back to an in-person event in the future,