Yesterday was Day 1 of the annual Microsoft World Partners Conference here in Toronto.  As the news continues to highlight the distressing conflicts south of the border and around the world, a conference like WPC is a welcomed reminder that we all have far more in common than not.

There are 16,000 attendees that have descended on Toronto in the last day or so.  In the two hours our firm’s booth was open last night, we had visitors to our booth from Latvia, Frankfurt, Dortmund, the UK, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Texas, Montreal and local Toronto partners.  And that’s not to mention the very kind attendee from Northern Ireland who carried one of my heavy booth prep bags to the convention centre in the hot summer sun with me (thanks Gary!).

Yes, this a conference for a specific industry, but the array of tech businesses, entrepreneurs, and projects on the go were enriched by the array of cultural backgrounds, not hindered.

Today will no doubt be a busy day full of conversations about expanding workforces into Canada, topped by a Women in Tech reception at the Community Hub.  I look forward to meeting so many people around the globe here in Toronto.

We’re at Booth 1737, by the coffee shop/bar – if you’re at WPC, come and say hello!