Microsoft Executive Briefing Centre – Only for the Elite !

Recently I was asked to speak at the Geospatial and Information Technology Associations www.gita.org annual conference this March in Seattle, Washington. You know the Seattle that is not too far from Redmond, home of Microsoft and their Executive Briefing Centre. Well, I thought, I am going to be in town, maybe I will take some time (of my own) and expense (of my own) and travel in to Redmond and tour the centre. Maybe see the latest in technology under development, met some of the key people……Well, I knew I couldn’t just “arrive”, prior arrangements must be made via my local Microsoft office, so I put a call into the team and asked them to see what they could do. Well, the answer came back today, they really can’t do anything, not unless I am a group of people, planning months in advance, with exact knowledge of what it is I want to see and discuss. I must be living in a cave, I didn’t realize that Microsoft had become so, BIG, BULKY and BUREAUCRATIC that they totally lost their ability to be flexible and fluid. Somebody needs to buy Microsoft Mark Joyner’s book simple-ology www.simpleology.com.The really strange thing was that it was actually up to me to know exactly what it is I wanted to do at the centre, even if they did decide to host me at the facility. Does Microsoft not have an executive briefing in a can for a public sector CIO. Do they not even have one public relations person who can host a session and answer a few questions.So I have to tell you all, I am a little, no scratch that, I am Very disappointed. I guess customer service and customer experience take a back seat to process and protocol at Microsoft. So I will find something else to do with my time. Who knows maybe I will just “arrive” maybe coming in unannounced might work for them. Oh and I will make sure I come to the FRONT door.