Copilot Event 2024

I’ve experienced four editions of Smart Central. The initial excitement and novelty at the Railway Museum. Presenting from the cockpit of a Boeing 747 at Aviodrome. The professionalization and the giant screen when we made the High Tech Campus our permanent location. And the final edition in 2019, when Marc Lammers closed with these inspiring words:
“Winners always have a plan, losers always have an excuse. Winners focus on opportunities, losers on obstacles. Winners innovate and renew, losers wait for things to happen.”

Then came five years of silence. COVID came and went, but Smart Central remained absent… until we accidentally created a fifth edition.

The Copilot event was born as a coffee-machine idea in Oirschot. “It would be great if we could get 50 people together,” I remember saying. It turned out to be a few more on Tuesday, November 19.

Looking for a suitable venue for the Copilot event, I quickly landed on the National Military Museum at the former Soesterberg Air Base— the cradle of Dutch aviation. With my history as a plane spotter and passion for all things aviation, it was the perfect choice.

Charon, Susan, Mignon, and I dove into shaping the program. Sabine took on the role of event manager. Tim was recruited as the day’s host. Our marketing colleagues jumped on board and crafted a fantastic event journey, keeping participants wonderfully informed every step of the way.

The entire presentation revolved around an aviation theme, specifically Top Gun. Naturally, I sought out fitting attire. In a surplus store, I found authentic Royal Netherlands Air Force jackets and a genuine pilot flight suit for myself. We went all out in “setting the scene,” complete with air force callsigns for the speakers.

The goal of the day was to update our customers on Copilot in the broadest sense of the word. What Copilot functionality is standard in CRM, Business Central, and the Power Platform? And what can you do with Copilot in Microsoft 365? While we don’t sell the latter at GAC, it’s included when you purchase the Copilot for Sales license, which is on our price list. We opted for a single plenary program, ensuring Business Central customers could see CRM in action and vice versa (a bit of up-selling, as salespeople like to call it).

Judging by attendee feedback, we can safely say the event was a success. And when even Microsoft asks us to present it there, we can confidently call it a huge success.

Next year, we’re aiming for the sixth edition…

Rob (a.k.a. Maverick)