Attendance
Q: Who is invited to the MVP Global Summit?
A: The MVP Global Summit is an exclusive event for Microsoft MVPs and Regional Directors. To attend the event, MVPs and RDs must have a signed Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) on file. If you have not signed your NDA, you must sign before you are eligible to register and attend the event.
Q: May I bring a guest with me and what is the policy?
A: You are welcome to bring someone to the event. If there are any costs associated with having more than one person staying in your hotel room, those will be the responsibility of the MVP. Regarding the Summit event, due to space, budget limitations and non-disclosure agreements, we must limit what Summit activities your traveling partner may attend. Specifically, guest access is not permitted at Summit sessions, attendee daytime and evening meal functions since we look forward to sharing information with you that is covered by your Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). MVPs and Regional Directors will have the opportunity to indicate a guest for the Wednesday evening activity during the registration process.
Q: What if I can only attend part of the MVP Global Summit?
A: The Summit is your time to meet and engage with your peers, the Microsoft MVP Program Team, and Microsoft product group members. We hope you can attend as much of the Summit as possible, but if you can only attend for a few days, we suggest you prioritize Monday through Wednesday, as these are the core technical content days where NDA content is shared via breakout sessions and conversations with Microsoft product group teams.
Q: Will my MVP status be affected if I cannot attend?
A: No. The Summit is optional, and one of Microsoft’s ways of showing you how much we appreciate your time and your willingness to share your Microsoft product and/or technology expertise in technical communities. If you are unable to attend the Summit, your current award status or consideration for future award will not be affected.
Company Store
Q: Can attendees visit the Microsoft Company Store on the Redmond campus during the Summit?
A: Yes, all attendees will be able to visit the store during Summit. The Company Store is located on Microsoft's Redmond Campus in Building 92. The store hours are 9:00am to 7:00pm Monday - Friday. Specifics will be found in the event mobile app, which will be made available onsite at registration.
Q: What is the Company Store VIP Pass that is given to MVPs who attend Summit?
The Company Store VIP Pass is a purchase pass entitling an individual to spend up to a designated amount ($200, which is set by corporate wide policy) of their own money on software and/or hardware at the on campus* (at discounted employee pricing) at the Microsoft Company Store. The pass is only valid during the week of the MVP Summit for in-person purchases at the physical Microsoft Company Store on the Microsoft campus in Redmond. Additionally, MVPs who are based in the United States can choose to use their pass to make purchases online for up to 30 days from the date the pass was issued.
*see the next question for the exception to this rule.
Q: Why can only U.S. based MVPs use the Company Store VIP Pass online?
A: The pass processing portion of the online eCompany Store site is unfortunately not set up to handle international shipping. Also, shipping electronics and textiles can be very complicated, and frequently the customer must pay additional duty at delivery (local government dictates this, as we have no way of knowing what that amount may be). We therefore always encourage and allow time for MVPs to access the physical Company Store during Summit.
Q: Will attendees be able to use the Company Store VIP Pass at the Microsoft Store located in the Bellevue Square shopping mall?
A: Yes! The retail Microsoft Store in Bellevue Square (116 Bellevue Square) is now accepting the VIP Pass.
Q: If I want to purchase a piece of software or hardware using my VIP Pass that costs more than $200 at employee prices, can I combine my voucher with another MVP's?
A: Unfortunately, no. The VIP Passes are not transferable.
Q: Is the $200 I can spend at the Company Store inclusive of the local taxes?
A: No, it is exclusive, meaning you can still purchase up to $200 USD worth of hardware and/or software at employee prices, even though with the local tax, the total amount would be over $200.
Hotel
Q: What if my roommate and I would like to stay at a specific hotel, but the hotel is not visible on the registration site, or the hotel is listed, but only has rooms with one bed or is not showing availability for all the dates we want. Is there still a chance we can get a room there with two beds on the dates we want?
A: Hotel and the hotel bed type availability will be offered on a first come, first served basis. If a hotel or the hotel bed type that you would like does not appear, it will be because it is not available for the nights you and your roommate are requesting. The Registration Team will try to get more rooms and/or the hotel bed type, though this will be based upon the hotels' availability and cannot be guaranteed that new availability will be at your desired property. However, in the meantime, we would suggest you select a hotel that has the available dates and/or bed type you would like and make a note in the 'Additional comments' section that you would prefer having a room at another hotel. If the Registration Team acquires more rooms, and can move your booking, they will move your reservation from the hotel you initially selected and will send you confirmation that the move has been completed.
Q: What should I do if my roommate has made a reservation at a hotel that is no longer appearing on the website, or if I 'accept' my roommate's request to pair together, but then receive a message that my request cannot be completed?
A: If you are unable to make a hotel reservation at the same hotel as your requested roommate, please select a 'Double (Two beds) Guestroom' at another hotel that is listed, fill out your roommate information when prompted, and in the 'Additional comments' field, indicate which hotel you need to be moved to in order to be paired with your roommate. The Registration Team will facilitate the reservation move on the back end and once your reservation has been confirmed by the hotel, you will receive a hotel confirmation email.
Q: If I initially select that I want the Registration Team to assign me a roommate and submit my registration, can I change my mind later if I find a roommate on my own?
A: Yes, you can sign back into your registration account and on the Hotel page change your roommate option and make sure to click on the "Save Changes" button. The Registration Team will not start pairing roommates until the week of January 6 - thus we would appreciate that any changes are made before then so that we do not pair you with someone and then have to un-match that pair later.
Q: If I agree to room share and I don't have a roommate identified, how will you find someone to room with me?
A: Summit pairing revolves around key criteria: gender, country/region of origin, primary and secondary (if any) language, if possible similar expertise areas, and in response to information that attendees put in the 'additional comments' field that provides us with further guidance. Please note that in addition to the criteria listed above pairings are made based off attendees who have made a booking at the same property as you.
Q: What if I request to be assigned a roommate and I want to come early or stay late? Can you help find me a roommate?
A: The Registration Team's focus will be to pair roommates for the approved Summit dates. They will do their best to pair you with another attendee that is also coming in early and/or staying late to save you some money unless you state in the 'Additional comments' field that you do not need a roommate for the extended date(s). If the Registration Team is unable to pair you with a roommate, coming in early and/or staying later, it will be your responsibility to pay 100% of the guest room cost for the additional nights not covered by Microsoft.
Q: If I select the option for the Registration Team to assign me a roommate, when and how do I find out who I will share a room with?
A: When you receive your hotel confirmation email, the name of your assigned roommate will be included. Please note the Registration Team will not begin pairing those who have chosen to have a roommate assigned to them until the week of January 6. This is done to provide optimal roommate matches, based on same gender, country/region or language spoken, and if possible similar expertise areas. Attendees will be paired with a roommate that has selected the same hotel during the registration process. However, that will mean that you may not receive your hotel confirmation email for weeks after you register.
Q: If my roommate cancels, what is the process for me?
A: Once we learn of a cancellation, the Registration Team will contact the other roommate, meaning you. They will ask if you have an alternate roommate who is not already room sharing with another attendee. If you do not have an attendee in mind, the Registration Team will try to find an alternate roommate who matches your gender and other criteria. If it's not possible to find you a roommate, you will be granted a single room for the four approved nights, and Microsoft will cover 100% of the room and tax charges. If the cancellation occurs so late that there is no single room to assign to you, you will remain in the double room and Microsoft will still cover 100% of the room and tax for the four approved nights.
Q: I will need my own hotel room due to a medical condition. How can I get one?
A: If you require a single room due to medical reasons, on the hotel page during registration, please select a hotel with a 'Single (One bed) Guestroom' option. Next click on the radio button "I am requesting due to a medical condition" and don't forget to submit a note from your doctor to the Registration Team after you register. The note should simply state that your medical condition prevents you from sharing a room with another attendee. You don't need to provide details about the medical condition. If the note from your doctor is submitted to the Registration Team via fax or email by the deadline of January 31, 2020, Microsoft will pay for 100% of the daily room and tax costs for the four approved consecutive nights.
Q: I typically like to bring my spouse/partner to the Summit. How does the room share requirements impact this?
A: There are a few scenarios to explain:
1. If your spouse/partner is also an MVP or RD, then you qualify for the room sharing and Microsoft will cover 100% of the room and tax for the four-consecutive approved nights if you both register and request each other as roommates.
2. If your spouse/partner is not an MVP or RD, then you can opt for a 'Single (One bed) Guestroom' and Microsoft will pay for 50% of the daily room and tax costs for the four approved consecutive nights. Note, we will prioritize double (two bed) guestroom requests for MVPs with roommates.
3. If you require a single room due to medical reasons, and you also want to bring your spouse/partner, when you request a room, please select the 'Single (One bed) Guestroom' option. Next click on the radio button 'I am requesting due to a medical condition' and don't forget to submit a note from your doctor to the Registration Team after you register. If the note from your doctor is submitted to the Registration Team by the deadline of January 31, 2020, Microsoft will pay for 100% of the daily room and tax costs for the four approved consecutive nights.
Q: Can I get my own hotel room and just register for the event?
A: Yes, you can attend the Summit and arrange your own hotel accommodations. However, we remind you to still register for the event. If you arrange your own accommodations at a hotel other than one of the official eight Summit hotels (Courtyard Marriott Bellevue, Hampton Inn Bellevue, Hilton Bellevue, Hyatt Regency Bellevue, Marriott Bellevue, Residence Inn Bellevue, Sheraton Bellevue, and Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue), you will be responsible for your transportation and all hotel costs. Transportation is only provided between the event venues and the Summit hotels. Microsoft will only fund hotel reservations made through the registration site at an official Summit hotel under the terms outlined
here.
Q: How are the hotel costs managed? Will I need to pay for the room when I check out and then get reimbursed?
A: For hotel reservations made and confirmed through the Summit registration site for the four approved nights, Microsoft will cover either 100% or 50% of the room and tax for MVPs and RDs, depending if you are sharing a room with another MVP/RD or not. The only instances where you would need to pay any charges would be if you reserved additional nights to stay, along with potential incidental charges you might have incurred during your entire stay.
Q: How can I be sure to get the hotel discounted price when making a reservation?
A: The only way to secure the discounted pricing is by making your hotel reservation through the Summit registration site, by the deadline of 12:00PM PDT on February 24, 2020. After this date, space and the special MVP Global Summit rates will be based upon availability and cannot be guaranteed.
Q: What if I want or need to check in before March 15 or check out after March 19?
A: As with previous Summits, you'll have the option to extend your reservation to include an early arrival or late departure. Specifically, the hotel dates that are set-up to select from start with a check-in of March 15 and end with a check-out of March 19, but please note that we only have a limited number of rooms at each hotel for early or late departures. Attendees will be responsible for 100% of the hotel room costs for days outside of the approved dates.
Q: Are there hotel rooms available for smokers?
A: For those of you who would like a smoking room, we regret to inform you that this year, all eight of the Bellevue Summit hotels are totally smoke-free and no longer offer any smoking guestrooms. Please remember that to protect the smoke-free environment of the hotel and/or the hotels' non-smoking guestrooms, a $250 to $500 fee will be applied to the account of any guests who smoke in the hotel common areas and/or in any guestroom.
For your information, initiative 901 gives Washington State one of the nation's strictest statewide smoking bans, barring smoking in places such as bars, restaurants, clubs, bowling alleys and non-tribal casinos. Additionally, many hotel chains have changed or are in the process of changing to all non-smoking rooms nationally and internationally.
Q: What is the deadline for being guaranteed a hotel room reservation?
A: All hotel room requests submitted online as part of the registration process by 12:00PM PDT on February 24, 2020 should not have a problem being accommodated, subject to hotel availability. After February 24, 2020, space and the special MVP Global Summit rates will be based upon availability and cannot be guaranteed.
Q: What is the deadline for cancelling a hotel room before incurring extra charges?
A: Any changes to, or cancellation of your reservation should be made online on the registration website (when we go live) or by contacting the Summit Registration Team via email until 12:00PM PT, March 6, 2020. ONLY beginning 12:00PM PT, March 6, 2020, should all changes or cancellations be made with the hotel directly. Should you fail to do so, you will be responsible for paying the cost of your first night's lodging and tax. Failure to arrive on your scheduled arrival date will result in a reservation charge to your credit card of one night's room and tax (14.4% *subject to change) in addition to the cancellation of the remainder of your hotel reservation.
Microsoft will not pay for any late change, cancellation and/or no-show charges on your behalf.
Q: Will internet access be provided in the hotel rooms?
A: There are a few scenarios to explain:
- Hotel Guest Rooms: Wired and wireless internet access is complimentary at each of the Summit hotels.
- Hotel Working Lounges: As we provided during the last several Summits, we have secured working lounges so that those sharing a room, also have a place to work. Each of the Summit hotels will have a lounge. Specifics on the working lounges will be provided closer to the Summit.
- Hotel Business Centers: Each of the hotels have a business center, typically open 24x7, with at least one computer with internet available for guest use.
- Hotel Lobby/Public Spaces: Courtyard Marriott Bellevue, Hampton Inn Bellevue, Hilton Bellevue, Hyatt Regency Bellevue, Marriott Bellevue, Sheraton Bellevue, and Silver Cloud Inn Bellevue hotels offer complimentary wireless access in these areas.
Q: If I am a local MVP or RD and do not need a hotel room, will Microsoft pay for my parking at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel for the Welcome Reception and/or any workshops I wish to attend there on Sunday?
A: Yes if you have not booked a hotel room at any of the Summit hotels, please stop by the Summit Registration Desk to receive parking validation.
Meals
Q: What will be served to eat during the Summit?
A: We look forward to offering you a nice variety of food and beverages to select from at each meal:
- Breakfast: Monday through Thursday morning of the Global Summit, breakfast will be served for those of you who are staying at one of our eight Summit hotels. It will include some form of protein (eggs, meat, or similar), various types of rolls and pastries, fruit, coffee, and juices. If you would like a special meal, please request this in your registration.
- Lunch: Monday through Wednesday, lunches will include a hot entrée along with side dishes. As an example, here is a lunch menu from a previous Summit:
- Northwest Field Greens served with honey mustard dressing
- Chicken Cordon Bleu
- Apricot Glazed Carrots
- Wild Rice Pilaf
- Mini Fruit Tarts
- Evening Events: For hosted evening events, you will be provided with either a dinner buffet or a variety of heavy appetizers, along with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
If you have dietary restrictions, please let us know by noting these when you register.
Registration
Q: I have entered my MVP ID and the email address that the MVP Award Program uses to contact me, but I still get an error message when signing in to the registration site. What shall I do?
A: Confirm that you are only using numbers (not 'MVPxxx') when entering your MVP ID. If that, along with your email address are correct, another possibility could be related to your NDA compliancy. If you have not signed your Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), you will not be able to register. To resolve, please contact MVPGA for support to sign your NDA. If your access to this site is not disabled, please contact the Registration Team for assistance.
Q: Registration fields like Country/Region are already filled in but 'greyed out' and not editable. If the information is no longer current, how can I change them?
A: To help streamline and speed up registration for you, we pre-populated a few fields of data, based on your
MVP Profile. If the MVP Award Program data for you is no longer current, please update your Profile or contact your Community Program Manager to have your information updated no later than February 24, 2020. We will be refreshing our information periodically during registration and these fields will be updated at those times.
Q: Glancing at my initial confirmation email, I see the Hyatt Regency Bellevue Hotel listed but I selected a different hotel to stay at. Is there a problem?
A: No, what you are seeing is the Registration Location noted as the Hyatt on Sunday. A confirmation of the hotel you selected will be sent to you via email within fourteen business days of your registration. However, there may be a delay in receiving your hotel confirmation if:
- You have requested that we assign you a roommate as the Registration Team will not begin pairing those who have chosen to have a roommate selected for them until the week of January 6. Your hotel confirmation will be sent to you once they have assigned you a roommate and the hotel has confirmed your reservation.
- You have requested a specific roommate, but that person has not yet registered. As long as one person requests the hotel room, the room will be held - however the reservation will not be assigned a confirmation until both people have registered.
Q: I have completed my registration but on the 'Confirmation' page, the hotel request status still shows that it is processing or pending the reservation request. Is there a problem?
A: No, submitted hotel requests on the registration site will show as processing or pending until the Registration Team processes the request and receives confirmation back from the hotel.
Q: On the registration form it asks: "Are you a Government Employee? Yes/No". About what government is it talking about? US government or local government? And what is the exact purpose of that question? Why is that important?
A: Government employees refers to all of the following, in any country/region: any employee of a government entity, subdivision, or State Owned Enterprise including elected officials, teachers, and military; any private person acting on behalf of a government entity, even if just temporarily; officers and employees of companies that are owned or controlled by the government; candidates for political office; political party officials; and officers, employees and representatives of public international organizations, such as the World Bank and United Nations. Although you will be attending the 2020 MVP Global Summit as a Microsoft MVP and not as a government customer, Microsoft wishes to ensure that by paying these expenses it does not create any violation of the letter or spirit of applicable government gifts and ethics rules within your country/region. Please note that due to policy about gifting/hospitality, we may not be able to offer any MVP who answers yes to this question any MVP Global Summit giveaways and/or hotel subsidy. Any MVP who answers yes to the question will be contacted by our Registration Team with additional information and support within 3 business days after they complete the online registration.
Q: When do I need to complete my registration?
A: You should complete attendee registration as soon as possible. This will allow Product Groups to plan and design sessions based on attendee demographics. The registration site will remain open until 3:00PT March 13, 2020. However, February 24, 2020 is the last date that we can guarantee the processing of hotel room requests submitted online.
Q: If I don't have a credit card can I still book a hotel room?
A: Yes. Here are the instructions you should follow when registering for the Summit:
1. Complete your information on the pages leading up to the hotel one
2. When you reach the "Hotel" page and see this statement at the top of the page "If you do not require hotel accommodations, click here to skip this page", click on the link to skip the page.
3. Then contact the Registration Team via email or phone for assistance with your hotel reservation as it will need to be handled manually.
Please note the deposit requirements information provided on the Event Site. You will be required to provide a cash (USD) deposit at your hotel when you check in to cover potential incidental charges (i.e. pay movies, snack bar, room service, etc.) or potential damages to the room (i.e. smoking, broken furniture).
Q: If I cannot attend the first day, how will I check in when I get to the Summit?
A: Anyone arriving after the initial check-in registration times on Sunday will be able to pick up their badge and information packet on subsequent days at the Microsoft Conference Center (building 33) on the Redmond Campus. That address will be provided to you with your final confirmation email a few weeks before the event.
Q: Who should I contact if I have registration questions?
Smoking
Q: Where is smoking permitted at the MVP Global Summit?
A: Initiative 901 gives Washington State one of the nation's strictest statewide smoking bans, barring smoking in places such as bars, restaurants, clubs, bowling alleys and non-tribal casinos. Additionally, many hotel chains have changed or are in the process of changing to all non-smoking rooms both nationally and internationally.
Please note that this year, unfortunately none of the Summit hotels have any smoking guestrooms to offer.
During conference activities at Summit hotels, smokers will be directed to a designated smoking area outside the venue. Smoking is NOT permitted inside any of the Summit hotels. Most hotels in the state of Washington have gone smoke free, including this year, all eight of the Summit hotels.
During conference activities and meals at Microsoft Campus buildings, smoking is NOT permitted inside any building or in parking garages. If you wish to smoke, please use the designated outdoor smoking areas.
For all evening events* (Welcome Reception, Product Group Evening Event, and Attendee Party), per Initiative 901, smoking is NOT permitted inside public buildings. If you wish to smoke, you can step outside and smoke at least 25 feet/7.5 meters from the entrance of the hotel/venue.
*Pending - subject to change
Summit Planning
Q: What is the Summit Agenda?
A: For the most current version of the agenda please visit the
Agenda page.
Q: Can I request a session topic?
A: We appreciate your input. The agenda topics are always subject to change, so please send suggestions to your Community Program Manager at your earliest convenience. Though we cannot guarantee your suggestion will be implemented, it will be shared with the product team and considered for inclusion.
Q: How are the dates for the MVP Global Summit selected?
A: Many considerations factor into the date selection for the Summit. Because we host over 2,000 people from all over the world during the Summit, a significant challenge is finding available meeting and hotel space. Additionally, we then do our best to work around holidays, academic schedules, industry events, and Microsoft executive schedules. Please know we make every effort to accommodate all our guests and for this year, the chosen dates were our best option.
Transportation
Q: Is transportation covered?
Q: What type of transportation will be provided for attendees during Summit?
A: During the MVP Summit, Microsoft will provide transportation between the eight Bellevue Summit hotels and the various event venues. More details will be shared here as we get closer to the event.
Bus routes will be included in the event Mobile App which will be made available at registration.
Q: Do you have a link showing all of the Microsoft Campus building locations and addresses?
A: Yes, please visit
this site for useful information.
Q: I live locally or will have a rental car and plan to drive each day to the Microsoft Redmond Campus for sessions. Is there parking available at every building?
A: We highly recommend that you park once at the large parking garage at the transportation hub - the Microsoft Conference Center (MSCC)/Building 33. From the MSCC, there will be continuous transportation to all buildings/sessions on campus. You will not be required to fill out any visitor parking forms at the MSCC, as is required at other buildings. This will be the most efficient mode of transportation/parking for you during the conference. The address for MSCC/Building 33 is 16070 NE 36th Way, Redmond, WA 98052.
Visa - Business Travel Letter
Q: If I am a resident of a country/region other than the United States, do I need to apply for a visa in order to attend the Summit?
A: It depends on the country/region. For full information, please visit the
Visa page.
Q: My spouse/partner/family member is planning on joining me on my trip to the U.S. for the MVP Summit. Can they also submit through the Business Travel Letter tool to help them get a visa to enter the U.S.?
A: We are sorry, but Microsoft will not issue a
Business Travel Letter to help them obtain a visa to enter the U.S. However, if you, as an MVP or RD, have requested and obtained a Business Travel Letter, it may help in obtaining a visa and/or entry into the United States for your guest - especially if the guest has a relationship to you that can be easily demonstrated, such as spouse/partner or other family member.
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