Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC 09) provides a snapshot of what Microsoft is up to (keynotes available for review)

Earlier this week Microsoft hosted the 2009 edition of the Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC 2009) in New Orleans.
Thousands of partners joined to understand where Microsoft is going and how they can work together with Microsoft.
The keynotes were streamed live (a bit too early on the Pacific side, but it certainly was very interesting).
The entire keynotes were recorded and are now available at https://digitalwpc.com.

Highlights

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were obviously a main topic of the keynotes and the conference, including new demos.
Also big were Office 2010 and Windows Azure, with new details unveiled and pre-release availability announced during the keynotes.
Microsoft announced changes to the partner program (now the Microsoft Partner Network) and presented this year's Partner Awards. 
For me, it was interesting to see the big picture, how it all comes together, what the company execs think of where we are and  where we’re going.
"Playing for Change" provided the musical introductions and if you don't know the story of the foundation behind them, check https://www.playingforchange.com

#WPC09 on Twitter

New in this event was a live twitter feed side-by-side with the webcast, with people’s comments providing an interactive twist
All you had to do was to include the #wpc09 hashtag on your tweet to see it flowing alongside the video stream, uncensored.
The tweets provided interesting insight, an instant sense of how things were received and the occasional funny remark.
Twitter even played a role in the live demo of Microsoft’s CRM application, with the app itself posting tweets and analyzing feedback.
I was in Redmond, but participated online on all three days (6:30 AM to 8:30), watching and contributing to the twitter feed.

My day 1 tweets

#wpc09 keynote with Stephen Elop, Bill Veghte, Allison Watson. In 5 mins, live, at https://www.digitalwpc.com. Live twitter feed too!
#wpc09 Alison Watson announces Microsoft Partner Network, replacing Partner Program. Details at https://partner.microsoft.com/
#wpc09 Bill Veghte sharing Windows 7 details, market opportunities with Microsoft partners. Live stream at https://digitalwpc.com
#wpc09 Stephen Elop is on now. Office 2010 is the main topic now. Live stream at https://digitalwpc.com
#wpc09 Live CRM/twitter integration shown live as part of the event. Do you like Creole food? Live at https://digitalwpc.com
Office 2010 Technical Preview announced at #wpc09. By invitation only, attendees will get it. Demos coming at live https://digitalwpc.com
#wpc09 Stephen Elop demos new Office 2010 features in Outlook, Exchange, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, ... 140 chars not enough

My day 2 tweets

#WPC09 Day two of Partner Conference. Steve Ballmer and Bob Muglia coming to you live in a few minutes at https://digitalwpc.com
New Orleans weather report: Cloudy with a chance of partner opportunity. Azure keynote live from https://digitalwpc.com #wpc09
#wpc09 BobMu on stage right now. SteveB coming later. Partner Conference keynote streaming live at https://digitalwpc.com
BobMu at #WPC09: VMM, private clouds, Azure, moving btw them. New Dynamic Datacenter Alliance. https://bit.ly/yVF0J
BobMu at #WPC09: Move btw data center, private cloud, hosted, Windows Azure (which is free until PDC). https://bit.ly/126R6B
Ballmer at #WPC09: 20 years from now, will all world's data be in Azure/Google/Amazon? No, it will be a mix with on-premises.
Azure pricing, partner discount, SLA, SQL Azure DB versions: Questions answered at day 2 of #WPC09 https://bit.ly/11a1vo

My day 3 tweets 

#wpc09 Day 3 keynote with Kevin Turner about to start. Live video streaming with side-by-side twitter feed at https://digitalwpc.com.
https://www.playingforchange.com live on stage at the #wpc09 streaming at https://digitalwpc.com. And I say: what's going on?
https://www.playingforchange.com live on stage at the #wpc09 streaming at https://digitalwpc.com. Don't worry, be happy!
#wpc09 Amalga on Surface demo. Healthcare, cloud, multimedia, multi-touch, multi-user, smart objects. https://digitalwpc.com
#WPC09 "Future" video wows the crowd. I've seen it a couple of times, but I see new things every time. https://bit.ly/26YuPu
#wpc09 A great experience in one device is not enough. You need an ecosystem of interacting devices. https://digitalwpc.com
#wpc09 Kevin Turner's Game Plan: Be realistic; Prepare for unknown; Deepen relationships; Grow market share; Sense of urgency

Conclusion

I would strongly encourage you to review the recorded videos at https://digitalwpc.com. Truly insightful.
And better yet, next time, watch it live and participate in the online conversation...
Hats off to the team working on this event! If it felt this good from a distance, I can only imagine what it must have been in person.