The Orange County Convention Center is buzzing with activity as more than 15,000 people from more than 150 countries attend Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference through Thursday. Each year at this event the company creates lounges on the expo floor that are meant for attendees from specific regions, including the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. This year organizers of the United States lounge worked with Mosaic to create a 40- by 120-foot space that added playful activations such as a custom T-shirt stand and Florida-theme photo booth to the traditional networking and support functions.
“This year we really wanted to elevate the experience so it was a hub of activity and sort of the heart of the U.S. experience, so the U.S. partners say, ‘I need to get there,’” said Ahinsa Mansukhani, partner experiences manager for Microsoft. There are about 5,000 U.S. partners attending the conference.
The left half of the large lounge is designed for relaxation and productivity, with comfortable furniture, work tables equipped with charging ports, and a Windows 10 demonstration area. There’s also an espresso bar serving drinks and snacks throughout the day. The right half of the lounge is filled with a variety of interactive elements. Attendees can pose for photos in front of a tropical backdrop and watch short videos about how some nonprofits are using Microsoft products in their work. “We are presenting them with audio spotlights. They look like rain shower heads, and only the person standing underneath can hear the sound being played, which solves the problem of how to present a video in an environment that is noisy and has a lot happening,” Mansukhani said.
One of the busiest areas in the lounge is the custom T-shirt counter, where attendees can receive a shirt printed with a list of dates and locations of each Worldwide Partner Conference that they have attended. New this year, organizers are also providing guests with R.F.I.D. wristbands, which they can tap at various locations in the lounge to receive information and photos via email and to R.S.V.P. to social events.
