Microsoft cancels Inspire partner conference 'as an in-person event' due to coronavirus crisis

Ashley Stewart

Mar 24, 2020, 08:42 IST

Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella delivers the keynote speech at Microsoft's partner conference Inspire 2018

Microsoft on Monday said it is canceling its annual partner conference Inspire "as an in-person event" due to the coronavirus crisis.
The decisions follows Microsoft's earlier cancelation of its Build developer conference, which it moved it to an online-only event.
Amid the crisis, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella last week gave a rousing speech asking employees to do their part to address the coronavirus crisis - whether or not it's in their job descriptions, according to a leaked excerpt of the meeting obtained by Business Insider.
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Microsoft is canceling its annual partner conference Inspire "as an in-person event" due to the coronavirus crisis.

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"The safety of our community is a top priority," reads a post on the company's website on Monday, the day before registration was set to begin. "In light of health safety recommendations from public health authorities, we will not be holding Microsoft Inspire 2020 as an in-person event. We are exploring alternative ways to bring our partner community together to connect and learn. Stay tuned for more details to come."

Inspire was planned for July 19 to 23 in Las Vegas. Microsoft didn't say how many people it expected at the conference in 2020, but it said more than 130,000 total attendees have visited the conference in the past decade.

Microsoft earlier this month canceled its Build developer conference and moved it to an online-only event.

Microsoft last week held the company's first-ever all-remote town-hall employee meeting due to the coronavirus crisis. According to a leaked excerpt from the meeting obtained by Business Insider, CEO Satya Nadella gave a rousing speech asking employees to do their part to address the coronavirus crisis - whether or not it's in their job descriptions.

Are you a Microsoft employee? Contact this reporter via email at astewart@businessinsider.com, message her on Twitter @ashannstew, or send her a secure message through Signal at 425-344-8242.

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