Community Summit 2026 can put Microsoft Partners in front of customers with problems they haven’t yet learned to define.
Rick McCutcheon saw that opportunity at a Dynamic Communities roadshow. Over lunch, he met a woman whose company needed to consolidate 80 retail outlets onto one platform.
“We’re on everything. We’ve got to put it on one platform,” she told him.
When McCutcheon asked whether she had a Partner, she answered, “No, not yet.”
Dynamic Communities president and chief finance officer Michael Konstas said interactions like Rick’s exemplify Dynamic Communities’ events. The organization aims to connect Microsoft, Partners, end users and technology buyers across its events and content, he said.
This year’s Community Summit North America, one of the organization’s largest conferences, runs Oct. 11–15 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville. Organizers expect more than 5,500 attendees, more than 600 education sessions and more than 300 Partners. The event also includes Tech Medic Help Desks, Academy classes and networking receptions across the five-day program.
Community Summit 2026 puts expertise within reach
McCutcheon described another Summit attendee who arrived with a laptop and a basic problem.
“I just know we use Dynamics,” the attendee told him.
McCutcheon helped determine that the company was running an older version of AX and wanted to explore a move to the cloud. He then directed the attendee to MVPs who could help him understand what to ask and where to spend his time.
For Konstas, the exchange reflects the purpose of the community model. Summit’s Tech Medic Help Desks give attendees access to product experts and MVPs who can work through specific problems. Meanwhile, sessions, executive meetings and informal networking create other ways to find expertise.
The official Summit site says attendees include organizations considering new AI, cloud, data, ERP and low-code investments. Others are migrating between platforms or trying to optimize existing Microsoft systems.
The mix creates openings for Partners with the right specialization.
Recent PartnerTalks coverage of AI Partner business models has also shown how quickly Microsoft’s channel is adapting to new delivery, sales and service expectations.
AI expands the questions customers bring
Konstas said the community’s scope now extends beyond ERP into Power Platform, Copilot and AI. As a result, customers are bringing a wider range of technology and business questions to community events.
At the 2026 AI Business Solutions Partner Executive Summit in Renton, McCutcheon said senior Partner leaders compared what they see in the field and discussed how to grow their businesses.
Konstas said the timing of that event helps Partners absorb Microsoft’s new fiscal-year direction and turn it into action. Community Summit brings that strategic discussion into a setting that also includes end users and buyers.
Partners can also plan those interactions before they arrive.
Konstas said Dynamic Communities has developed tools and specialized agendas to help attendees identify the sessions, meetings and connections that fit their needs. He also emphasized that education alone does not capture the full opportunity.
“If you miss the networking aspect, the getting solutions and all that, you will not get the maximum out of that,” he said.
Community Summit 2026 gives Partners access to customers asking questions, peers comparing approaches and experts who can solve problems. A business opportunity can begin when somebody arrives without knowing exactly whom to ask.
