Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realise their full potential.

Microsoft's Communications Sector had identified a requirement to communicate their major account wins to their Global and Strategic Accounts teams and approached Anderson Baillie, through their mutual partner - sales consultancy Youd Andrews, to assist in this process.

It was quickly identified that an event would be the best way of communicating to the teams, and it would also provide the only forum of the year for the Global and Strategic Accounts Teams to meet with one another and share ideas and experiences.

Anderson Baillie understands the requirement to develop a strong core message and engaged with the Microsoft Project Team and relevant Microsoft thought leaders, and Youd Andrews, in order to create the theme and content for the event. The outcome of the Anderson Baillie run miniworkshops produced the theme of global and strategic best practice.

With the theme agreed, the content for the campaign was then developed by Anderson Baillie and Youd Andrews, which included a series of coaching teleconferences with the workshop speakers, in order to ensure the message was consistent and meaningful throughout the campaign and into all the content of each presentation.

In addition to the benefit of Anderson Baillie’s strategic input, Microsoft also looked to Anderson Baillie’s Projects and Events businesses to organise and manage the development and roll-out of the 2006 event.

After an extensive venue search Anderson Baillie identified the Sheraton Park Lane Hotel as the preferred venue. With this agreed, Anderson Baillie was then able to engage on the day-to-day management of all the venue requirements, including the identification of and provision of full AV and onsite management at the event.

The measured success of the Forum depended on Anderson Baillie recognising and satisfying the event objectives, by producing a professionally managed and executed event. Some of the comments from the Global and Strategic Accounts teams were as follows:

"Great Meeting!"

"This was a very good and well organised event."

"Very valuable workshop - I think the best part of this event were the very well organised and targeted sessions."

Following on from the success of the April 2006 event, Anderson Baillie are currently assisting Microsoft’s Communications Sector in the development of the next Global and Strategic Accounts Best Practices Workshop