Microsoft Ignite 2025: Behind the Scenes

Microsoft Ignite 2025 was a whirlwind of anticipation, chaos, community, and celebration. For me, it wasn’t just about the sessions or announcements — it was about the behind-the-scenes energy, unexpected encounters, and the opportunity to share something I’ve been working on passionately: bringing Minecraft, Terraform, and platform engineering into one cohesive story. Here’s a look at my week, starting from a strange gym-breakfast combo and ending with standing-room-only sessions.

Sunday

My journey began with a connection in Chicago. Something related to the Redskins was happening at the airport — I didn’t fully understand it — but what caught my eye was the Minecraft-themed departure gate. Foreshadowing? Perhaps.

After landing in San Francisco, I got settled into my hotel. The gym situation was… unconventional. It practically shared a space with the breakfast area. Maybe the idea is to gorge on hotel scrambled eggs and sausage patties while pumping iron? Oddly motivating.

Monday

I woke up early, ready to get my conference badge and (hopefully) score the coveted Microsoft “Experts” hoodie for booth staff. Before heading out, I stopped for a crepe at a favorite spot I’d discovered just a month earlier while staying at the Fairmont during HashiConf 2025.

The registration area was eerily quiet, but the expo hall buzzed with activity. Booths under construction, contractors everywhere — it felt like getting a peek backstage before opening night.

I even snagged the first selfie with the giant Microsoft Surface, but ended up deleting the post to avoid spoiling surprises. Paranoia? Probably.

I dropped by my old stomping grounds at the Avanade booth, though no one was around just yet. Still, I managed to meet up with Ken Sarakus later at the event.

Wandering through the expo, I discovered the “AI for Good” tree — a beacon that would help me find my way back to the Community Theatre for my talk the next day.

I hadn’t really planned ahead, so I missed a few parties, including one hosted by GitHub. The bouncer was surprisingly intimidating. Despite being a full-time Microsoft employee, I nearly got thrown out just for loitering in the lobby trying to negotiate my way in. Clearly, I wasn’t winning any deals that night.

Tuesday

Tuesday was the big day. My talk was scheduled for 2 PM, and the keynote kicked off at 9 AM. I figured, why not? It’s my first Ignite — I should see the keynote live. I hoped to catch Satya or Scott Guthrie. Scott showed. Satya didn’t. Judson took center stage, with Scott appearing later.

Navigating back to the Moscone Center and finding the Community Theatre wasn’t easy, but I made it just in time to check internet connectivity — a terrifying moment of realization that I hadn’t tested Minecraft server access over conference Wi-Fi. Thankfully, it worked.

I snapped a quick “hype” selfie right before going on. My talk? It went great. I was nervous — it was my first time speaking at Ignite — but despite worries no one would show, the seats were packed and the waitlist was massive. Imposter Syndrome? Absolutely real.

Due to time constraints, I had to cut several slides, but my demo went smoothly and I wrapped with time for 7–8 audience questions. We raffled off two copies of my book and a Lego Minecraft Creeper to four lucky attendees before I headed off to my shift duty.

Yes, shift duty — the price of admission. I’m no Scott Hanselman or Mark Russinovich; I had to earn my spot — the hard way. I made a post letting fellow Azure Terraformers know where I’d be and, to my surprise, actually had work to do: pitching local community meetups and encouraging attendees to scan QR codes to enter a drawing for a free Microsoft Surface. Not a bad hustle.

That night, I hit the Chieftain for the Azure MVP Networking Event. I’d already been there the night before with some MVP friends, but this time it was packed. Familiar faces from Azure Core — Vlad, Alex Frankel — and new friends from the Microsoft Events Content Team made it a night to remember. Old habits die hard — I closed the place down, though I missed my Swedish drinking buddy, Mattias.

Wednesday

I woke up early for a session at the “Conversation Corner,” a quiet corner of Ignite with minimal foot traffic. But fate intervened — I ran into Gregor Stuttie and Rex, which made the morning worthwhile.

With no shift or talk scheduled, I roamed the Community Hub, connecting with colleagues across various Azure product teams. I stopped by the Cosmos DB booth and gave an impromptu Terraform-Minecraft demo they seemed to enjoy. I chatted with a PM at the Azure AI booth about Azure AI Search and Agents.

At the MVP wall — where my name won’t ever be, as Microsoft FTEs are ineligible — I reflected on how my community journey began after joining Microsoft.

I swung by the IBM booth to catch up with HashiCorp friends and grabbed some swag.

Along the way, I also ran into fellow HashiCorp Ambassadors Jeremy Myers and Nicholas Chang.

LEGO was everywhere at Ignite, including an astonishing MOC (My Own Creation) of an Azure data center by LEGO Master Peter Schilling.

Turns out, he’s also a Minecraft level designer. Naturally, I shared my talk details and demo of the Terraform provider for Minecraft.

Later, I attended a Casino Night with Winwire and met some folks from Ford Motor Company — great conversations and good vibes.

On the way back to the hotel, I stumbled across the LinkedIn office, which struck me with a wave of unexpected nostalgia.

Thursday

Thursday brought an encore presentation of my talk — this time in the Partner Theatre. The Community Theatre session had only 84 seats, though it had over 120 RSVPs and 621 people waitlisted! Due to that overwhelming demand, a second session was added with a 300-seat capacity and even more standing room.

With the jitters behind me, the second delivery went even smoother. I added back slides I had cut earlier and let the story unfold more naturally.

The talk, which connects software architecture, platform engineering, and development practices, ends with one of my favorite metaphors: our enchanted pickaxe is reliable software delivery.

Conclusion

Microsoft Ignite 2025 was an incredible experience. From early morning crepes to late-night pub closings, from imposter syndrome to packed theatres, I’m grateful for every part of it. Huge thanks to the Microsoft Events Content Team — Nelly, Gerald, and Marisela — for the opportunity, and to everyone who attended and supported my talk. It was a blast.

See you next year — hopefully with even more Creepers, pickaxes, and platform engineering magic.