MMS does not include the cost of meals in our standard registration package. During MMS, you can enjoy complimentary coffee, water, and light snacks. For standard meals, we encourage you to take advantage of all the food located in and around the Mall of America, or consider our MMS Meal Plan option.
Special Discounts for MMS Attendees
Several restaurants are offering a special deal to MMS attendees. Simply show your badge and receive a discount at the following restaurants:
Caribou is in the hall between Radisson Blu and the Mall of America. You will find the remaining restaurants in the Mall of Americas.
MMS Meal Plan
For some companies (and employees), it's easier for you to choose a registration package that includes food, rather than managing your receipts for each meal. When registering, simply select the meal plan for $50 per day, and at registration you'll receive a $50 gift card (per day) for the FireLake Grill House. You can then use these gift cards any time you choose, for any amount, for food and beverages.
FireLake Grill House
An attendee favorite for breakfast, lunch, dinner, AND drinks, the FireLake Grill House is right next to the conference center. You will find speakers mingling with attendees pretty much any time of day or night here. Great food (ask about their $10 beer and burger for lunch), and the cocktail bar is open till midnight during the week.
Caribou Coffee is next to the conference center. IHOPis just across the street for breakfast. And TGI Fridaysis also next door and is open late. Chevy'sis also a late night option.
Questions? This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
We are just over two months away from MMS! As we move into spring, we are continuing to work to bring you an amazing conference that you have grown to expect and look forward to seeing you there!
A few updates as MMS approaches:
We will sellout again this year - make sure your colleagues/friends register as soon as possible! The same story goes for the hotel – book your hotel (through Eventbrite registration) before we run out of rooms (late registrants will still get rooms across the street).
Welcome Reception - On Sunday, May 14th there will be a welcome reception from 5-7:30pm. Keep an eye out for further details in the coming weeks.
Vote! A friendly reminder to vote on your favorite sessions.
Get Social – Grab our media pack and help spread the word in your social channels, as well as your email signature! Be sure to #MMSMOA or @mmsmoa so we can help promote you too!
For previous correspondence, be sure to check out our attendee blog, as well as FAQ.
*Session proposals will be accepted from November 16th to December 16th, 2016. Keep an eye on our blog and twitter feed.
By submitting a session, you agree that your presentation:
is fresh content (not presented at other conferences)
is entirely your work, completely owned by you (and your co-presenter)
can be shared publicly (sample scripts as well as presentation materials will be available and downloadable for attendees)
You also agree to the following deadlines:
Date
Task
7 days after acceptance
You MUST complete your attendee profile (bio, pic) on sched.org within 7 days of your welcome email.
01 MAR 2017
Speakers must submit their airline receipt and exact hotel dates to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. **No airline reimbursement after this date!
Attend and participate in the conference all four days (May 15-18)
Co-lead at least one Ask-the-Experts session or Nerds of a Feather (NoF) session
Collaborate with another presenter for your sessions. (All sessions will have two presenters) Wear your speaker hoodie daily and make yourself available to attendees.
Engage with attendees - help them see the value of the community.
Your session may mention 3rd party (Non-Microsoft) products, but your session will not promote sales or demonstrations of paid-for 3rd party products. (If you're interested in selling or demonstrating a product, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be a sponsor - sponsor sessions are available).
MMS is a deep technical conference. We expect level 300, 400, and deeper content. During slide review, we may ask you additional questions to ensure that your content will meet our attendee expectations.
Meet Deadlines! The deadlines mentioned above are crucial to ensure a well-flowing (and cost-effective) conference. Missing deadlines could result in canceling your reimbursement or acceptance to speak.
Promote MMS in your social media presence.
Promote MMS by using the speaker logo in your email signature and blog posts when possible.
Flight reimbursement:
We will reimburse up to $1,250 maximum for international, $599 maximum for domestic.
You must submit your receipt on time (by Feb 17 2017)
You must co-present at least two sessions
We're excited about our fourth annual event, and look forward to having you as part of the MMS 2017 speaker team!
Session Selection Starting Soon!
We start session selections in January, meeting weekly until all slots are filled. If none of your sessions are selected, we might come ask you to co-speak with someone else's session or run a Birds of a Feather session. Session proposals will be accepted from November 16th to December 16th, 2016. Keep an eye on our blog and twitter feed.
Tips for session submission
Plan for 75 min of content and 30 min of Q & A
How deep is your content? Give us (and attendees) an idea of the target audience. Think of use cases on how your content will apply to the target audience.
Goals of the session - we find that it's helpful to include information in your description that helps attendees understand what they will learn and the value they will obtain.
We know that tech evolves fast - if you want to submit content on something that is not yet released, or expected to change before MMS, please include this information in your proposal - we will work with you to refine the session description as we approach the conference.
We love co-presenters! In fact, we love co-presenters so much, that we require each session to have two presenters. From experience, we have learned that some presenters prefer to present on their own. We also learned that many of our presenters last year really enjoyed the opportunity to work with someone else. Many times, it was someone that they had known (or known of) for several years, but never really worked together or got to know. If you wish, we can pair you up with someone (and might have to if they're booked for another session at the same time).
Three (co-presented) sessions max for each speaker! Many of our speakers have been overworked in the past – we are limiting speakers session count (not including Birds of a Feather and Ask-the-Expert sessions).
Help us get to know you. We know several of you, but we don't know all of you. When you submit your sessions, include information to help us learn more about you - your LinkedIn profile, blog posts, and other places on the web that you share content. This will help us determine if you (and your content) are a good fit as a presenter at MMS.
MMS is a deep technical conference. We expect level 300, 400, and deeper content. Of course, 'levels' are subjective. If you say it's a 400 level session, tell us how it's a 400 level session.
*Session proposals will be accepted from November 16th to December 16th, 2017. Keep an eye on our blog and twitter feed.
By submitting a session, you agree that your presentation:
is fresh content (not presented at other conferences)
is entirely your work, completely owned by you (and your co-presenter)
can be shared publicly (sample scripts as well as presentation materials will be available and downloadable for attendees)
You also agree to the following deadlines:
Date
Task
7 days after acceptance
You MUST complete your attendee profile (bio, pic) on sched.org within 7 days of your welcome email.
01 MAR 2018
Speakers must submit their airline receipt and exact hotel dates to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. **No airline reimbursement after this date!
Attend and participate in the conference all four days (May 14-17)
Co-lead at least one Ask-the-Experts session or Nerds of a Feather (NoF) session
Collaborate with another presenter for your sessions. (All sessions will have two presenters) Wear your speaker shirt daily and make yourself available to attendees.
Engage with attendees - help them see the value of the community.
Your session may mention 3rd party (Non-Microsoft) products, but your session will not promote sales or demonstrations of paid-for 3rd party products. (If you're interested in selling or demonstrating a product, please contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to be a sponsor - sponsor sessions are available).
MMS is a deep technical conference. We expect level 300, 400, and deeper content. During slide review, we may ask you additional questions to ensure that your content will meet our attendee expectations.
Meet Deadlines! The deadlines mentioned above are crucial to ensure a well-flowing (and cost-effective) conference. Missing deadlines could result in canceling your reimbursement or acceptance to speak.
Promote MMS in your social media presence.
Promote MMS by using the speaker logo in your email signature and blog posts when possible.
Flight reimbursement:
We will reimburse your flights here and back.
You must submit your receipt on time (by Feb 17 2018)
You must co-present at least two sessions
We're excited about our fourth annual event, and look forward to having you as part of the MMS 2018 speaker team!
Session Selection Starting Soon!
We start session selections in January, meeting weekly until all slots are filled. If none of your sessions are selected, we might come ask you to co-speak with someone else's session or run a Birds of a Feather session. Session proposals will be accepted from November 16th to December 16th, 2017. Keep an eye on our blog and twitter feed.
Tips for session submission
Plan for 75 min of content and 30 min of Q & A
How deep is your content? Give us (and attendees) an idea of the target audience. Think of use cases on how your content will apply to the target audience.
Goals of the session - we find that it's helpful to include information in your description that helps attendees understand what they will learn and the value they will obtain.
We know that tech evolves fast - if you want to submit content on something that is not yet released, or expected to change before MMS, please include this information in your proposal - we will work with you to refine the session description as we approach the conference.
We love co-presenters! In fact, we love co-presenters so much, that we require each session to have two presenters. From experience, we have learned that some presenters prefer to present on their own. We also learned that many of our presenters last year really enjoyed the opportunity to work with someone else. Many times, it was someone that they had known (or known of) for several years, but never really worked together or got to know. If you wish, we can pair you up with someone (and might have to if they're booked for another session at the same time).
Four (co-presented) sessions max for each speaker! Many of our speakers have been overworked in the past – we are limiting speakers session count (not including Nerds of a Feather and Ask-the-Expert sessions).
Help us get to know you. We know several of you, but we don't know all of you. When you submit your sessions, include information to help us learn more about you - your LinkedIn profile, blog posts, and other places on the web that you share content. This will help us determine if you (and your content) are a good fit as a presenter at MMS.
MMS is a deep technical conference. We expect level 300, 400, and deeper content. Of course, 'levels' are subjective. If you say it's a 400 level session, tell us how it's a 400 level session.
From: < your name > Subject: Midwest Management Summit Proposal
I would like to request approval to attend the 5th annual Midwest Management Summit (MMS – www.mmsmoa.com) hosted by Minnesota System Center User Group in Bloomington, MN, May 14-17. This conference is a unique opportunity to help develop not only my system management skills and competencies, but also a chance to build upon our current systems management practices. This is a great opportunity for me to be a part of the System Center community and to take home best practices, new ideas, and real world insights for program improvement that I can share with our entire team.
MMS will highlight technical training across all Microsoft System Center product lines, current and upcoming releases, new features and technological trends, as well as the real-world challenge to success. The 4-day conference will have training with a variety of sessions, product demos, real world issues and solutions, networking, and other social elements. The conference strives to meet three goals: top quality real world content and presenters, intimate size, and affordability.
I am seeking our organization’s approval for the registration fee and travel expenses. This event is an incredible value considering the comprehensive array of sessions, hands-on experiences, and the networking opportunities.
Here is an approximate breakdown of conference costs:
Airfare: < add flight expenses >
Transportation: FREE hotel shuttle to/from airport
Hotel: $700 for 5 nights
Meals: Approx. $200
Conference Fee: <insert your fee ($1299 for early bird discount or $1799 after)>
The total cost based on the numbers above is < add your estimated figure >.
Other Common Questions:
What is the conference about? The conference focuses on deep technical content on System Center products featuring world-class presenters. Technical sessions at MMS will be level 300, 400, and 500.
Who will I meet there? I will meet industry experts that are globally recognized that provide real world information for me to gain knowledge from as well as my peers in systems management to glean experiences from. Because of the intimate size, I will have the opportunity to take time to meet the presenters. There’s time to actually absorb what I see and talk with over with speakers and other attendees.
Why is it good for me to meet and network with those people? Many of those in attendance are willing to provide contact information to provide minor guidance on technical issues.
What will I learn there? The content that is presented is specific to my role vs Ignite being an aggregation of all Microsoft technologies. There will be over 100 sessions focused on System Center, Azure, SQL Server and PowerShell.
How will this learning enhance what I can offer to my employer? I can bring my current issues and roadmap discussions to technology specialists in their area of expertise.
Are there any practical benefits that will result? Possible remediation of current issues, guidance on where to go in the future from a technology standpoint, and real world pitfalls that were experienced and what to do to avoid them.
The Midwest Management Summit has the ideal opportunity for me to strengthen my skill set and make valuable contacts with others in our industry. Attendance at this conference can be considered part of our organization’s investment in the future.
If you find it helpful, I am happy to provide a report following the convention to my colleagues with access to the presentations and information shared at the event.
