PPCC25 – The Year of “This is the Time”
There’s something about Power Platform Community Conference that just feels like coming home. Every year it’s a reunion — friends, familiar faces, new ones you swear you’ve known forever — and the energy is always off the charts. PPCC25 was no exception. It was equal parts learning, laughing, and remembering why this community is the professional family I talk about so often.
Lights, camera… jumbotron?
This year started with a surprise for me — or at least, a partial one. I knew I’d be in the keynote somehow, but I didn’t know I’d be kicking it off. Suddenly there was my big head on the jumbotron, talking about community and connection, in front of an arena full of friends and soon-to-be friends. It was one of those moments that’s equal parts fun and surreal, with just a hint of imposter syndrome in the background. But that’s part of what makes this community special — we all lift each other up, and sometimes that means cheering when someone’s big head shows up on the keynote screen.
“To me the Power Platform community in one word is Family. We’re all there to support one another and to help one another and watch everyone succeed together.”
My first day… again
EY Kalman and I brought back our workshop, My First Day of Power Platform, and it continues to be one of my favorite ways to spend a day at a conference. We had a few group-wide technical hiccups (because what’s a live workshop without those?), and a handful of students accidentally ended up working in the same environment. But thanks to Copilot — and a little crowd troubleshooting — everyone was caught up in no time.
What really stuck with me was hearing from attendees later in the week. More than a few found me in the halls to say how prepared they felt for the rest of the conference after our workshop. That’s exactly the kind of impact that makes the prep worth it. I can’t wait to do it again next year if they’ll have me.
When data modeling meets laughter
My solo session on building data models with AI and Copilot was just fun. It was a great room of involved attendees asking questions along the way. I used my Pasture Prime scenario — a data model for a gated community — and had the slide up while explaining relationships and structure. The audience followed along politely until I finally said the name out loud… “Pasture Prime.” That’s when the giggles turned into full-blown laughter.
It was a good reminder that even in technical sessions, humor and humanity belong right alongside the schema diagrams.
Plan Designer Pandemonium lives up to its name
Then there was the chaos — the good kind — with Cat Schneider in our Plan Designer Pandemonium session. The audience got to steer the prompts, and somehow we ended up designing an app to manage Cat’s wardrobe, complete with outfit feedback, future wearability scores, and tracking for particularly outrageous ensembles. It was pure fun — collaborative creativity at its best — and honestly, that’s what Plan Designer is all about. And it worked. Phew. Live demo is always brave, but live demo completely unrehearsed, what were we thinking??
The moments in between
Between sessions, the best parts of PPCC always happen in the hallways and over dinners. The MVP-ish dinner was a highlight — laughter, stories, and that comforting sense of belonging that never gets old.
And yes, there was the Christina Aguilera concert, because why inject a week of Power Platform with a little pop diva energy? I did learn that I am just shy of past my prime dancing in the aisles concert days.
The bigger picture
AI was everywhere this year, of course. But it didn’t feel like hype — it felt like this is the time. The conversations weren’t just about new tools or flashy demos; they were about understanding, experimenting, and making sense of what’s next. You could feel that shift in the air — the moment where people realize they’re part of shaping what comes next, not just adapting to it.
Heading home
As the week wound down, I kept coming back to one thought: this community is growing, evolving, but still feels like family. We’re learning together, laughing through the glitches, and showing up for each other.
PPCC25 wasn’t just another event — it was a reminder that we are the ones building the future of this platform.
See you at PPCC26.
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