No ignition for NZ's largest tech show as Microsoft cancels Ignite 2017
Microsoft New Zealand has cancelled its annual Ignite tech event, with a spokesperson saying the cancellation is a 'commercial decision'.
No further details around why the long-running annual technical training event for the Kiwi IT sector has been cancelled were revealed.
In an emailed announcement, Barrie Sheers, Microsoft New Zealand general manager, says "After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone this year's event.
"We appreciated that many of you look forward to Ignite as much as we do, and this decision was not taken lightly.
Sheers says Microsoft is committed to all its customers and is pivoting its business to be 'more partner focused than ever before'.
The event is something of a institution on the Kiwi IT calendar - this year would have been the twenty-second for the annual event which launched in 1996.
Rebranded from TechEd to Ignite in 2015 in line with global changes, it was New Zealand's largest technology conference, and was targeted at IT professionals and developers.
Last year Microsoft moved the event back one month, running it in October in order to align it with the Microsoft Ignite event in the United States.
The local event was traditionally a sell-out event attracting around 2,500 attendees for the 140+ sessions run over several days, including a highly anticipated celebration and networking function on the penultimate day.
Both local and international presenters fronted Ignite New Zealand, with last year's topics including cloud infrastructure and management, internet of things, unified communications and mobility.
The event also featured 'exam cram' sessions, along with hands on labs.
Several additional events, including Microsoft Partner Connect and the Women in Technology evening, have also been held around the conference in recent years.
However, while Ignite won't hit New Zealand this year, Sheers says it doesn't mean the event won't be returning in the future.
"We do hope to re-ignite the event in the future.
"As soon as we have made a decision on timings and logistics we will update all of you.
