# CollabDays Bletchley Park - Complete Documentation > CollabDays Bletchley Park is a free, community-organized, one-day Microsoft 365 conference held inside The National Museum of Computing (TNMOC) on the historic Bletchley Park estate in Milton Keynes, England This is an event community for Collabdays Bletchley-Park-2026 (September 23 - September 23, 2026). ## Articles ### The Community Mark co-founded: Supporting Mark Macrae > In 2010, Mark Macrae founded SharePoint Saturday UK—the community event that later became CollabDays Bletchley Park. This year, we are celebrating what Mark started and bringing our community together to support him following his brain cancer diagnosis, with a dedicated keynote, retro-computing activities and fundraising throughout the event. **Published:** July 24, 2026 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/a/the-community-mark-co-founded CollabDays Bletchley Park has always been about community. This year, we are coming together for one of the people who helped start ours. In 2010, Mark Macrae co-founded SharePoint Saturday UK—SPSUK with Tony Pounder & I. The event brought people together to share their knowledge, make connections and strengthen the UK SharePoint community. That community event subsequently evolved into what we know today as CollabDays Bletchley Park. ![Mark Macrae hosting the first SPSUK alongside Tony Pounder and David Coleman](https://pages.runevents.net/organizer-multimedia/9/11d67195-5011-4a06-a677-d5b39ed74ea5) Mark has recently been diagnosed with brain cancer. A fundraising appeal has been created to help Mark and his family, and we would like to use CollabDays Bletchley Park 2026 to recognise what Mark began and support him during this extraordinarily difficult time. ![A Givealittle page sharing Mark’s journey from fatigue to inoperable glioblastoma, helping fund treatment and support his care](https://pages.runevents.net/organizer-multimedia/9/25be9bbe-dad8-47f0-b792-b8d9ff4d420b) We will dedicate our opening keynote to Mark and the community he helped create. Mark is also a lifelong retro-computing enthusiast, a Commodore 64 fan and a contributor to Commodore and Amiga publications. It is therefore especially fitting that our event takes place at The National Museum of Computing, surrounded by working examples of the machines he loves. During the conference, attendees will be able to take part in special **Press Play for Mark** retro-computing activities, subject to final arrangements with the museum. We will also be raising money and sharing messages from the community with Mark. ![During coffee breaks, and lunch, come and enjoy some retro gaming time - and Press Play for Mark!](https://pages.runevents.net/organizer-multimedia/9/5badb1af-5277-48b2-ba98-006c25ab9865) For the first time, we also plan to open our pre-conference social to attendees. A contribution associated with the social will support Mark’s fundraising appeal, with full details to follow. If Mark has taught this community anything, it is that bringing people together can create something that lasts. We hope you will join us in celebrating what he started and helping one of the people behind it. Support Mark: [Help Keep This Brain Running](https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-keep-this-brain-running) --- ### Why should you attend? > CollabDays Bletchley Park is a free, community-led Microsoft 365 event held in Block H at The National Museum of Computing, home of Colossus. It’s a fitting place to explore modern collaboration and AI — including Copilot, SharePoint, Teams, Azure, Fabric, and the Power Platform — in a building where modern computing began. All sessions are delivered by Microsoft MVPs and recognised experts who work with this technology every day. 2026 adds extra significance, marking 25 years of SharePoint and Windows XP, 40 years of personal computing, and 50 years of Apple. Expect practical content, meaningful conversations, and networking throughout the museum during breaks. **Published:** February 9, 2026 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/a/why-should-you-attend # Why Should You Attend CollabDays Bletchley Park? There are hundreds of tech events every year. Most of them take place in identical conference centres with identical coffee and identical lanyards. CollabDays Bletchley Park is not one of those events. This is a free, community-led Microsoft 365 conference held inside Block H at The National Museum of Computing — the world's first purpose-built computer centre, home of Colossus, and the place where electronic computing began. You'll attend sessions on Copilot, SharePoint, Teams, Azure, Fabric, and the Power Platform while standing metres from the machines that cracked the Enigma cipher and helped shorten a world war. There is simply no other event like it. But the venue, as extraordinary as it is, isn't the only reason to attend. Here's why CollabDays Bletchley Park deserves a day out of your calendar. --- ## Learn from the people who actually do the work Every session at CollabDays Bletchley Park is delivered by a Microsoft MVP, a Microsoft Certified Trainer, a Microsoft employee, or a recognised industry expert — people who work with Microsoft 365 technology every single day, not just talk about it on stage. These are consultants who've migrated entire organisations to the cloud, architects who've designed governance frameworks for multinational companies, and developers who've built Power Platform solutions that replaced legacy systems overnight. They're not here to sell you anything. They're volunteers who've travelled — often at their own expense — because they genuinely want to share what they've learned. That means you get honest, practical, unfiltered insight: what works, what doesn't, what Microsoft says versus what actually happens in production, and what you should be paying attention to next. You won't find that level of candour at a vendor conference. --- ## Take real ideas back to work This isn't an event where you sit through three hours of roadmap slides and leave with nothing actionable. CollabDays Bletchley Park is built around practical content — sessions designed to give you something you can use on Monday morning. Whether you're responsible for IT strategy, delivering solutions, or using Microsoft 365 day to day, you'll gain direct insight into how organisations are using the platform and AI to improve productivity, strengthen collaboration, reduce complexity, and deliver real business value. Expect sessions on Copilot readiness and adoption, SharePoint governance and storage optimisation, Teams administration and extensibility, Power Platform solutions for real business problems, data security with Microsoft Purview, Azure integration patterns, and Microsoft Fabric for analytics — all grounded in real-world experience, not theory. The conversations between sessions are just as valuable. Breaks happen inside the museum, surrounded by computing history from the 1940s to the 1990s, and they're where some of the best learning takes place — comparing approaches with peers, asking speakers follow-up questions, and discovering that someone three rows behind you solved the exact problem you're facing. --- ## 2026 is a milestone year CollabDays Bletchley Park 2026 carries extra significance. This year marks 25 years of SharePoint, 25 years of Windows XP, 40 years of the personal computing revolution, and 50 years of Apple. These aren't just anniversaries — they're milestones that trace the arc from the machines preserved in this museum to the tools we use every day. There's something powerful about reflecting on that journey while standing in the building where it arguably started. Colossus was operational in this very room in 1944. Eighty-two years later, we're discussing how AI copilots can draft your board papers. The distance between those two realities is both humbling and exhilarating, and there's no better place to feel it than Block H. --- ## It's completely free — and every penny goes to charity CollabDays Bletchley Park is free to attend. No ticket fee, no hidden costs, no premium tier. Registration, sessions, lunch, refreshments, and full access to the museum are all included. The event is funded entirely by corporate sponsors, and here's what makes the model genuinely special: every penny of sponsorship goes directly to The National Museum of Computing, an independent charity that preserves and maintains the world's largest collection of working historic computers. The organisers and speakers volunteer their time and cover their own expenses. By attending, you're not just investing a day in your professional development. You're supporting the preservation of computing heritage — including Colossus, the Turing-Welchman Bombe, Enigma machines, the Lorenz cipher equipment, and the WITCH, the world's oldest functioning programmable digital computer. Your presence helps keep these irreplaceable artefacts alive for future generations. --- ## Network with people who understand your challenges One of the quiet strengths of CollabDays Bletchley Park is the quality of the people in the room. With around 200 attendees — a mix of IT professionals, consultants, architects, developers, project managers, and business decision-makers — it's large enough to offer diverse perspectives but small enough that you can actually have meaningful conversations. There's no VIP section. The MVP who just presented on Copilot governance is standing next to you at the coffee table, happy to answer your questions. The Microsoft employee who demoed a new Teams feature is browsing the Enigma exhibit during the break. The consultant who described migrating 50,000 mailboxes is comparing notes with you over lunch. These connections — between people facing the same challenges, working with the same tools, and trying to deliver the same outcomes — are where lasting professional value is created. Many attendees return year after year not just for the sessions, but for the community. --- ## Experience a venue that makes you think differently There is a reason this event keeps coming back to Bletchley Park, and it's not just because the building is beautiful (though it is). There's something about presenting and attending sessions on modern technology in a room full of machines that changed the course of history that recalibrates your perspective. During World War II, nearly 9,000 people worked at Bletchley Park — 75% of them women — in one of the greatest collaborative efforts in human history. Mathematicians, linguists, engineers, and administrative staff came together across disciplines to crack codes that were considered unbreakable. The result shortened the war by an estimated two years and gave birth to electronic computing. That same estate hosted the UK Government's AI Safety Summit in 2023, where 28 countries signed the Bletchley Declaration on AI governance. The thread connecting wartime codebreaking, the birth of computing, and the governance of artificial intelligence runs directly through this site. For a conference about collaboration technology, there is no more resonant venue on Earth. And between sessions, you're free to explore it all — the rebuilt Colossus, the working Bombe, the Enigma machines, and galleries spanning eight decades of computing history. It's a museum visit and a professional development day rolled into one. --- ## First-timers are genuinely welcome If you've never been to a tech community event before, CollabDays Bletchley Park is an ideal place to start. The atmosphere is warm, approachable, and deliberately non-intimidating. There's a dedicated first-time speakers track for those testing the waters of public speaking, and the broader community actively champions newcomers. Nobody will judge you for asking a basic question. Nobody expects you to know everything. The whole point of a community event is that we learn together — and some of the most valuable conversations happen when someone has the courage to say, "I don't understand this yet. Can you help?" If you've been thinking about attending a Microsoft 365 community event but haven't quite made the leap, this is your sign. --- ## What you'll walk away with After a day at CollabDays Bletchley Park, you'll leave with: **Practical knowledge** you can apply immediately — specific techniques, configurations, governance approaches, and strategies that speakers have tested in real organisations. **A clearer picture of the Microsoft 365 roadmap** — not just what's coming, but what it means for your environment and how to prepare for it. **Honest answers** to the questions you can't easily ask at a vendor event — the trade-offs, the gotchas, the things that look great in a demo but fall apart at scale. **A professional network** of peers, experts, and potential collaborators who understand your world and are genuinely willing to help. **Renewed energy and perspective** — there's something about stepping away from the day job, immersing yourself in new ideas, and spending a day among people who care deeply about the same technology that recharges your professional batteries. **A deeper appreciation for where computing came from** — and a story or two about Colossus, the Bombe, and the extraordinary people who worked in the very building where you spent your day. --- ## Register now CollabDays Bletchley Park is free, but places are limited. Registration is handled through the run.events platform — visit [collabdays.org](https://www.collabdays.org) for the latest details, the full session schedule, and the registration link. Come for the sessions. Stay for the museum. Leave with ideas that make a difference. We'll see you at Block H. --- ### Interested in sponsoring CollabDays at The National Museum of Computing, Bletchley Park? > Sponsoring collabdays will provide you with the opportunity to engage with international speakers such as Microsoft MVP’s who are great influencers of the Microsoft 365 platform, and also the Microsoft 365 eco-system. You’ll also receive an exhibition space within the museum alongside some of the oldest working computers in the world. Attendees will be browsing the museum between sessions which will also provide you with the opportunity to engage with individuals and companies from across the UK that have implemented or are implementing Microsoft 365. You’ll also be able to demonstrate your companies brand as a supporter of community events, and a supporter of the wonderful National Museum of Computing. **Published:** February 4, 2026 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/a/interested-in-sponsoring-collabdays-at-the-national-museum-of-computing-bletchley-park # Why Sponsor CollabDays Bletchley Park? Most sponsorship opportunities put your brand on a banner in a forgettable conference centre. CollabDays Bletchley Park puts it inside a working museum where electronic computing was born — alongside Colossus, the Turing-Welchman Bombe, and Enigma machines — in front of an audience of Microsoft 365 decision-makers, implementers, and influencers who chose to spend their day learning. That's a different kind of sponsorship. Here's why it matters. --- ## Your audience is already engaged CollabDays Bletchley Park attracts approximately 200 attendees — IT professionals, consultants, architects, developers, project managers, and business leaders from across the United Kingdom and beyond. These are people who have actively registered for a day of professional development around Microsoft 365, Copilot, SharePoint, Teams, Power Platform, Azure, Fabric, and the wider Microsoft ecosystem. They haven't wandered past your stand on the way to collect a free tote bag. They've made a deliberate choice to be here. They're implementing these technologies right now, evaluating new tools, solving real problems, and making purchasing decisions. That makes every conversation at your exhibition space more valuable than a hundred badge scans at a mega-conference. --- ## Exhibition space inside a working museum Your booth or table sits within The National Museum of Computing itself — Block H, the world's first purpose-built computer centre, surrounded by some of the oldest working computers on the planet. Attendees browse the museum between sessions, which means your exhibition space isn't tucked away in a side corridor that empties after the opening keynote. It's part of the experience. People are walking, exploring, curious, and in conversation. They stop at exhibits. They stop at your stand. The setting creates a natural, relaxed environment for engagement that is fundamentally different from the rushed, transactional feel of a typical conference expo hall. Sponsors consistently report that the quality of conversations at CollabDays Bletchley Park is exceptional — because people are genuinely interested, not just collecting swag. --- ## Connect with Microsoft MVPs and international speakers CollabDays Bletchley Park brings together 30 or more speakers per edition, drawn heavily from the Microsoft MVP community — one of the most influential networks in the Microsoft 365 ecosystem. MVPs are independent experts recognised by Microsoft for their deep technical knowledge and community impact. They advise organisations, shape adoption strategies, write the blog posts that IT professionals read, and influence how the platform is perceived and deployed worldwide. As a sponsor, you're in the room with them. You're sharing meals, exchanging ideas during breaks, and — if you choose to attend the pre-event speaker and sponsor appreciation evening — building relationships in a setting no other event can offer. These are the people who recommend tools, test products, write reviews, and connect vendors with opportunities. Access to this network, in this environment, is genuinely rare. --- ## Demonstrate your commitment to community The Microsoft 365 community pays attention to who shows up. Sponsoring a community event — especially one where every penny goes to charity — signals something about your company that no advertisement can replicate: that you believe in giving back, that you value the ecosystem you operate in, and that you support the people who make it thrive. CollabDays Bletchley Park is not a commercial conference. It's a volunteer-run, community-driven event where organisers and speakers donate their time and cover their own expenses. When your brand appears alongside that effort, it carries a weight and authenticity that commercial sponsorship simply cannot match. Attendees, speakers, and the broader online community notice — and remember — which companies stood behind the event. Your sponsorship is shared across the event website, session slides, social media channels, blog recaps, and post-event coverage written by speakers and attendees. The #CollabDays hashtag reaches thousands of Microsoft 365 professionals on Twitter/X and LinkedIn around each edition. That visibility is organic, positive, and earned through genuine community support. --- ## Support the preservation of computing heritage This is where CollabDays Bletchley Park's sponsorship model becomes truly distinctive. Every penny of your sponsorship goes directly to The National Museum of Computing — an independent charity responsible for preserving and maintaining the world's largest collection of working historic computers. Your investment doesn't fund a conference organiser's profit margin. It funds a new roof over Colossus. It funds building extensions to house growing collections. It supports the Ambassador Kids Programme, which teaches coding to children and helps young adults with autism find careers in technology. It keeps irreplaceable artefacts — machines that changed the course of history — alive and accessible for future generations. That's a story worth telling. When you sponsor CollabDays Bletchley Park, you're not just reaching an audience — you're helping preserve the origins of the industry your company operates in. It's a sponsorship that your team, your customers, and your stakeholders can feel genuinely proud of. --- ## Flexible sponsorship tiers to suit your goals Sponsorship packages are designed to accommodate organisations of different sizes and objectives. Tiers typically include: **Platinum** — Premium exhibition space, prominent logo placement on session slides and the event website, access to the attendee list, and museum passes for your team. Limited to two sponsors to maintain exclusivity. **Gold** — A dedicated exhibition booth, logo visibility across event materials, attendee list access, and museum passes. Ideal for companies seeking strong brand presence and direct attendee engagement. **Silver** — A table presence within the museum, logo placement on the event website and session slides, and museum passes. A great option for companies looking to support the community and establish a visible presence. **Online** — Logo presence on the event website for companies that want to demonstrate support even if they can't attend in person. **Add-on opportunities** are also available, including lunch sponsorship with branded materials, lanyard branding, and branded refreshment options — each offering additional touchpoints with attendees throughout the day. All tiers include the knowledge that your entire contribution is a charitable donation to The National Museum of Computing. --- ## What sponsors say Companies that have sponsored CollabDays Bletchley Park return year after year. The event has grown from six sponsors at its first edition in 2022 to twelve by 2024, with organisations including 365Tribe, Envision IT, Protospace, Lightning Tools, Aiimi, iThink365, BlueThink, and others choosing to support multiple editions. That retention rate speaks to the value sponsors find in the event — not just in leads and visibility, but in the relationships built and the pride of supporting something meaningful. 365Tribe, a multi-year Gold sponsor, described the museum as a treasure trove of computing history and highlighted the quality of engagement with attendees and speakers as a standout feature of their sponsorship experience. --- ## A sponsorship that gives back more than it costs Consider what your sponsorship delivers: **Direct access** to 200 Microsoft 365 professionals — decision-makers, implementers, and influencers — in a relaxed, high-engagement environment. **Meaningful time** with Microsoft MVPs and international speakers who shape how the platform is adopted and recommended. **Authentic brand positioning** as a company that supports the Microsoft 365 community and invests in computing heritage. **Organic visibility** across the event website, session slides, social media coverage, and post-event blog recaps reaching thousands of professionals. **A charitable contribution** that funds museum preservation, educational programmes, and the protection of irreplaceable computing artefacts. **A story your team will be proud of** — because sponsoring a free community event inside the birthplace of electronic computing, where every penny goes to charity, is not something your competitors are doing. --- ## Get in touch If you're interested in sponsoring CollabDays Bletchley Park, we'd love to hear from you. Visit [collabdays.org](https://www.collabdays.org) for the latest sponsorship information, or contact the organising team directly through the website to request the current sponsorship pack. Places are limited at every tier. Early commitment ensures the best exhibition placement and maximum visibility in pre-event communications. Join the companies that are already supporting the Microsoft 365 community and The National Museum of Computing. Your brand deserves to be part of this story. --- ## Videos ### GTConsult: Bletchley went a little something like... > The event was nothing short of incredible — featuring world-class speakers, insightful sessions, and engaging sponsor exhibitions that brought the Microsoft community together to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and drive digital transformation across SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and Azure. **Published:** October 6, 2025 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/v/bletchley-went-a-little-something-like #### Description GTconsult proudly served as a Gold Sponsor at CollabDays Bletchley Park! The event was nothing short of incredible — featuring world-class speakers, insightful sessions, and engaging sponsor exhibitions that brought the Microsoft community together to share knowledge, foster collaboration, and drive digital transformation across SharePoint, Microsoft 365, and Azure. CollabDays once again reinforced the value of community-driven events and how they play a pivotal role in sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and driving digital transformation across the Microsoft ecosystem. We’re honoured to have been part of such an awesome event, and look forward to many more to come! Thank you to Reshmee Auckloo, Anoop T., Kevin McDonnell and Keith Atherton for sharing their thoughts with us in this video. #### Transcript **Transcript – CollabDays Speakers’ Conversations** Hi everyone! I’m here at **CollabDays**, and I’m joined by **Anoop**, one of the speakers at the event. It’s great to have you here — how are you doing today? **Anoop:** I’m good, thank you! How are you? I’m doing great, thanks for asking. You gave a session earlier — could you tell us a bit about it? What were the key highlights? **Anoop:** Sure! My talk was about **MCP – the Model Context Protocol**. I introduced the basics of MCP, explained how to set up an MCP server, and discussed what MCP actually is. It was really nice to share that knowledge with the community. That sounds great. What are your thoughts or predictions for the **Microsoft 365** ecosystem — especially with all the innovation happening around **Copilot**? **Anoop:** I think we’ll continue to see major advances with Copilot — more intelligent agents, deeper AI integration, and perhaps even developments around MCP itself. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to in this space. *** Next up, another speaker shared insights from their session titled **“The Anatomy of an Agent.”** They explained that agents are becoming one of the biggest topics in today’s tech conversations. The session explored how single agents operate, the tools and orchestration behind them, and how things evolve when you scale to **multiple agents** across an organization. **Speaker:** I did some demos that actually went really well, even if I talked a bit too much! What excites me most is how building and managing agents is becoming easier — even for people without much technical background. We’ll see more collaboration layers, especially as **Microsoft Teams** becomes the hub for Copilot and custom agents. *** Another session focused on **“Debunking Common Myths Around Copilot.”** **Speaker:** It was fantastic — we had a packed room and lots of audience engagement. The goal was to separate fact from fiction about Copilot. We discussed how Microsoft is integrating AI across all products, breaking down silos between product groups. Ultimately, I see a future where you don’t have to navigate to individual apps — instead, you’ll just talk to an **agent that sits on top of everything**, connecting SharePoint, Power Apps, and Dataverse seamlessly. The future really is conversational. *** The final session we caught was titled **“The Power of Mentoring.”** **Speaker:** Our panel included Sharon Smith, Amy Hemingway, Sierra Guest, and me. We shared our mentoring experiences — both formal programs and spontaneous one-to-one mentoring with people in our companies and the wider community. What made it special was how interactive it was: the audience started sharing their own tips and advice with each other. We also touched on how **AI-powered tools** could play a role in making mentoring and collaboration more productive — helping automate repetitive tasks so people can focus on what really matters. --- ### Tom Morgan: CollabDays Bletchley 2023 - Microsoft 365 Community Day at the National Museum of Computing > This was a really good day. I learnt a lot from the likes of Json Wynn, Al Eardley, Phillip Morrell, Rick van Rousselt and Pieter Op De Beéck. as you'll see in the video. **Published:** October 1, 2023 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/v/tom-morgan-collabdays-bletchley-2023-microsoft-365-community-day-at-the-national-museum-of-compu #### Description Of course, Copilot and AI were very much present in the themes of lots of the sessions, but it was also a good opportunity for me to learn about features and tools that I wasn't previously aware of. For instance, Al Eardley's talk on Assistive Tools had tips and tricks that I can make use of today. I gave a session on using Microsoft Teams and Azure Communication Services together. There have been some big new features added to Azure Communication Services Call Automation recently, including extra interop with Microsoft Teams, so it was good to go though them. My demo for the talk involved a GPT-powered assistant for Bletchley Park, which could answer questions about the museum, and which was powered by Azure Communication Services. Anyone calling it up could also be transferred to me, using Microsoft Teams. Although it was a bit of a contrived demo, it's very applicable to all sorts of organisations that want to explore using AI-powered answers yet be able to quickly transfer the user to a human if needed. Let's talk about the location for a moment. The National Museum of Computing is a really fascinating place, particularly if you work in the industry. They have all sorts of amazing artefacts, not just from "historic" times such as the Second World War, but also more modern times, including the advent of the modern PC, fibre-optic communications and the Internet. Some display cabinets reminded me of my childhood, buying cheap second-hand computing equipment from car-boot sales - stuff long thrown out that would probably be worth a fortune now! Some of the machines were running and could be interacted with as well, which was a nice reminder of how far we've come. Everywhere there were knowledgable staff on hand to explain what we were looking at, how it worked, and why it was important. For a technology conference, it's an amazing venue. Big thanks for the organisers for putting this event on and all the hard work that goes into making it happen. Thank you to the sponsors and speakers for enabling it to happen. It was great to catch up with many of you, and looking forward to the next time. #### Transcript Hello, welcome to Bletchley. Welcome to the National Museum of Computing. It is right next to Bletchley Park, a really historic location for our industry, the computing industry. This building behind me, the National Museum of Computing, is a pretty special place actually. There is loads of amazing stuff inside, all the way back to the Second World War and even beyond that, but also right up to the present day through the communications revolution as well. They have just got lots and lots of stuff, and it is really well explained. Anyway, we are here for CollabDays, a one-day event with a ton of really good speakers on the lineup. I think I counted 30. It is one day, so there are lots of different tracks going on and lots of things happening. It is going to be a really good day. Thank you. We usually have a keynote speaker, but we had so many people wanting to speak at this conference that we have counted as many of those sessions as we possibly could. So we are maximizing those sessions and not having a formal keynote. Let me just introduce ourselves. I am Brett, we are on site. The Beatles were only as good if all four of them shared out. There is no point just having Ringo and George there, because you are like, what is this about? So having everybody doing it and using it is an absolute key. It is where we actually do our work. For those of us that are notoriously bad at having 10 different screens open, I can press the Teams button and it pops up Teams in front of me, and then I can come off mute and do what I want to do. It is actually kind of wonderful and amazing to be able to give sessions in a place like this, surrounded by so much history of computing, history, and technology. It is a real surprise as well. This building encapsulates the oldest computer we have; it is in this building. There is so much history of computing here. It is a building run by volunteers who are constantly fundraising to make repairs and just keep the lights on and stuff like that. It is astonishing, given how much money there is in the industry, that not enough of it seems to find its way here. But it is wonderful to be able to come here and speak, and listen, and learn from sessions, surrounded by all this. You are just walking along and you will see something that will take you back to your childhood or something that you have read about, or something you have no idea what it is but it looks cool. Then you learn that it is the first machine that the Post Office used, or it is the oldest machine they used in the Second World War, you know, the Enigma bombs, the Turing machines that Alan Turing worked on, and all this stuff. It is incredible. Some of it is working as well, which is astonishing, so you can see things happening. There are a couple of old computers running old programs, doing things that you would not even think you would run on your watch now, like finding prime numbers and stuff like that, but it is taking an impressively long amount of time to calculate prime numbers, because it is old hardware and old tech. It is great. Honestly, if you are in the UK, you need to come and visit this place. Come and visit the National Museum of Computing, come and see what is going on here. You do not have to come to this conference. Come to the conference as well when it is happening, but honestly, just come here anyway, because it is a really interesting place, and it is very right to do sessions here as well. That is an amazing bonus on top. Thank you. When we talk to people about what these teams do, a lot of people look at them and say, well actually, that just helps me. I do not have a specific thing; it just helps me. So if we talk about it, it is a consistent set of tools. One of the cool things about having all this stuff out here is there are lots of members of staff around. They are super knowledgeable. I think they are volunteers as well, but they are really generous with their time, and you can ask them questions. They can show you how this stuff works, and they have all the stories as well. So it is really nice. It is not just that all this stuff is here; there are also people here who can explain it to you, who can tell you what it was used for and, in many cases, what it has been superseded by. They can point to other things in the museum that it has been superseded by, which is really interesting as well. Enough. Yeah, the update from the v2 to the v3, and everything broke, of course. So remember that you have to add this version and you need to add your region. It used to be just “give me a tunnel,” and now depending on what you want, you have to say, “I want a tunnel in the US,” or “I want a tunnel in Europe,” or “I want a tunnel in Asia,” or whatever. That also impacts the URL, of course. So thanks to the sponsors, otherwise this obviously could not take place. A very short introduction about myself: my name is Pieter, I am from Belgium, so that is why “Pieter” is written a bit strange if you are from the UK. I have been a consultant for over 17 years now, but I mainly think of myself as an explorer. When we pushed in an extra set of sessions today, it just allowed you all to be involved in the process. We were originally only going to have 20 sessions today. We opened the call for speakers and, for those 20 sessions, we had over 96 submissions, which was insane. How could we get all of this good content into one day? So we added an extra room and we added an extra slot. I am really impressed with those of you who made it through to the very final slot. Thank you to everyone who has made it through the full day. We want to say thank you to our speakers, because without them this clearly could not happen, so I am just going to ask for a quick round of applause. And of course the sponsors, because if someone does not pay for it, we cannot have it, so thank you. I have just come out of the final session, the goodbye session. What a fantastic day that was, really, really good. Great to get some really good sessions in and see some people I have not seen for a while, catch up, and see a really good representation of attendees and speakers from across Europe. Even the US – some speakers from the US were over as well, which was fantastic to see. But also, this place is amazing. Definite recommendation: come and see the National Museum of Computing. Thank you ever so much for letting us be here today amongst some of your amazing equipment. A big thanks to all the attendees for coming; it was great to see so many of you. A massive thank you to the sponsors, the speakers, and of course the organizers who make this stuff possible. It has been a really good day, and I hope you have enjoyed coming along with me and seeing it as well. I will see you in the next video. --- ### Why you should be there! > Interview at The National Museum of Computing. **Published:** September 30, 2022 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/v/why-you-should-be-there #### Description Interview at The National Museum of Computing. #### Transcript **Transcript** Hey, I’m here with Storm at the National Museum of Computing. We’re organizing *CollabDays* at the museum, which will take place on the 5th of October — that’s actually just next week! *CollabDays* is an event featuring a wide range of speakers — many from across Europe and the UK, and even some joining us from further afield. These are Microsoft MVPs and community experts who generously give their time to talk about Microsoft 365. We’ll have sessions covering Teams, SharePoint, Microsoft Viva, and even some on Azure. No matter your skill level or background, there will be something for everyone, with around 20 sessions in total. You’ll be able to attend talks and also explore the museum while you’re here. Now, I’ll hand over to Storm, who’s going to tell us a bit about the museum. **Storm:** Let me introduce you to “The WITCH” — the world’s oldest original working computer. It was first operated in 1951 and is still running strong today. It was originally part of Harwell’s nuclear research facility before being donated to Wolverhampton’s Institute of Technology, where it was used for teaching. The funding that events like this bring in helps preserve that incredible legacy. Our goal is to provide educational experiences for young people and inspire them to consider careers in computing and technology. So far, we’ve delivered over 9,000 hours of STEM-focused educational time — and we hope to increase that even more. **Host:** That’s fantastic. One of the reasons we chose to host *CollabDays* here, rather than at a hotel or conference center, is exactly that — we wanted the sponsorship and attendee support to contribute directly to the museum and its great work. Plus, it’s an amazing setting. These historic machines create an incredible backdrop for any speaker. **Storm:** I agree! It’s a completely unique venue with a meaningful purpose, and we love hosting your events here. **Host:** Wonderful. So, if you’d like to join us next Wednesday, the 5th of October, it’s completely free to attend. There’ll be food, refreshments — even cupcakes! Come learn about Microsoft 365, enjoy great sessions, and take a tour of the museum to explore the origins of computing. **Storm:** Perfect. --- ### CollabDays Bletchley Park Oct 2022 > Register today for CollabDays at The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park **Published:** September 12, 2022 **Author:** Brett Lonsdale **URL:** https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org/v/collabdays-bletchley-park-oct-2022 --- ## Community Guidelines This community exists to extend the spirit of CollabDays beyond a single day. It's a space for knowledge-sharing, professional connection, event updates, and continuing the conversations that start among the Colossus, the Bombe, and the Enigma machines at Bletchley Park. To make this a welcoming, valuable, and safe space for everyone, please read and follow these community rules. By joining, you agree to abide by them. --- ## Our Community Values Before the rules, here's what we stand for: **Knowledge sharing over self-promotion.** We're here to learn from each other and grow together as Microsoft 365 professionals and enthusiasts. **Respect and inclusion.** Just as Bletchley Park brought together people from every background to achieve something extraordinary, our community thrives on diverse perspectives, experiences, and voices. **Giving back.** CollabDays Bletchley Park exists to support The National Museum of Computing. Our community carries that same spirit of contribution — give more than you take. **Encouragement over gatekeeping.** Whether you're a 14-time Microsoft MVP or attending your first tech event, you belong here equally. --- ## 1. Be Respectful and Kind Treat every community member with courtesy, empathy, and professionalism. Disagreements are natural — personal attacks are not. Critique ideas, not people. Remember there's a real person behind every post, and that person might be having a tough day. A little kindness goes a long way. This means: - No insults, name-calling, condescension, or belittling language - No mocking someone's technical knowledge, experience level, or questions - No passive-aggressive behaviour or deliberately provocative "hot takes" designed to antagonise - Assume good intent — if a message reads ambiguously, give the author the benefit of the doubt --- ## 2. No Harassment, Discrimination, or Hate Speech We have zero tolerance for harassment of any kind. This community does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, neurodiversity, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. 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Great topics for this community include: - Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Teams, Power Platform, Copilot, Azure, Viva, Purview, and related technologies - Questions, tips, tutorials, and resources about the technologies covered at CollabDays - Event logistics, travel tips, session recommendations, and planning for upcoming editions - The National Museum of Computing — its exhibits, history, programmes, and how to support it - Career advice, professional development, and community involvement in the Microsoft ecosystem - Recaps, reflections, photos, and learnings from past CollabDays Bletchley Park editions - Related community events, user groups, and learning opportunities Off-topic posts may be removed at the moderators' discretion. If you're unsure whether something fits, feel free to ask a moderator first. --- ## 4. No Spam, Excessive Self-Promotion, or Unsolicited Sales This is a community space, not a marketplace. We welcome genuine sharing of knowledge and resources, but please don't use this community primarily to promote your products, services, courses, or business. **What's welcome:** - Sharing a blog post, video, or resource you created that is genuinely useful to the community and relevant to the topics we cover - Mentioning your product or service when it directly and helpfully answers someone's question - Sharing that you're speaking at an upcoming event or have published something the community might benefit from **What's not welcome:** - Repetitive or unsolicited promotional posts about your company, product, or service - Posting the same content across multiple discussion threads - Affiliate links, referral codes, or multi-level marketing content - Direct messaging members with unsolicited sales pitches, recruitment messages, or promotional material - Posting job advertisements outside any designated jobs channel (if one exists) As a rule of thumb: if more than one in five of your posts mention your own product or company, you're probably over-promoting. 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Respect Intellectual Property The Microsoft 365 community runs on shared knowledge, and we deeply value the creators who produce it. When sharing content: - Always credit the original author or creator when sharing their work, articles, tools, or code - Do not copy and paste full articles or blog posts — share a link and your own summary or commentary instead - Respect software licences, Creative Commons terms, and any other usage rights - Do not distribute pirated software, cracked licences, or circumvention tools of any kind - Session slides shared by speakers are their intellectual property — share them only if the speaker has made them publicly available --- ## 7. Keep It Safe — No Harmful Content Do not post or share content that is illegal, dangerous, or harmful. This includes but is not limited to: - Malware, phishing links, or any malicious code - Instructions for bypassing security controls, exploiting vulnerabilities, or conducting unauthorised access - Misinformation or disinformation presented as fact - Content promoting self-harm, violence, or illegal activity - Graphic, disturbing, or sexually explicit material If you spot something that looks suspicious or harmful, report it to the moderators immediately rather than engaging with it. ## A Living Document These community rules may be updated from time to time as the community grows and evolves. Significant changes will be communicated to the community. We welcome feedback on these rules — if you think something is missing or could be improved, let the organisers know. g these rules, you're helping protect that spirit. Thank you for being part of it. **The CollabDays Bletchley Park Organising Team** Brett Lonsdale · Paul Hunt · Tony Pounder --- *Generated from [CollabDays Bletchley Park](https://bletchley-park.collabdays.org)*