We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at Community Summit North America in Nashville. You probably already have a full list of sessions to catch. We’ve been building ours too, and wanted to share a few we’re making time for. These are speakers and topics we’re excited about, and we hope the shortlist is helpful as you plan your week. Have a great Summit!
This shortlist covers breakout sessions, panels and partner showcases. We haven’t included the keynotes here, but we’ll be attending those too. See the keynote program.
October 11 to 15, 2026 | Gaylord Opryland, Nashville
All times below are Central. PSS means Partner Solution Showcase. Check the live agenda for changes.
Save sessions to your agenda
Browse our 16 picks below to find the sessions that fit your week. Click a session title for its full description, or use its planner link to start adding it to your schedule.
- On the Summit website: Click Open in Summit planner, then + Add to Schedule. Email verification may be required.
- In Whova: Open the event, go to Agenda > Full Agenda, find the session title and select Add to My Agenda.
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Monday October 12
Transforming Business Processes with Agentic AI and Copilot-Driven Automation
3:00 PM to 4:30 PM CT | Tennessee B, Level 2
Siena Pennington and Leo Salomons, Mavim; Rachel Profitt, Microsoft; Mike Urban, Avanade
Our take: For leaders sorting out where agents fit: a broad discussion of process ownership, governance and the human decisions behind successful automation.
Tuesday October 13
From Reactive to Resilient: Building Post-Go-Live Stability in D365 Through Tools, Release Strategy, and Governance
9:45 AM to 10:45 AM CT | Volunteer Mezzanine 5, Level M
Nicky Gulhar | The Heico Companies
Our take: A customer perspective on life after launch. Useful for D365 owners trying to improve release planning, governance and day-to-day stability.
PSS: One Test Automation Solution for Every Organization Size - A 10,000-Test-Case Journey with XPLUS
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CT | Ryman C, Level 0
Bartosz Szpiech | XPLUS
Our take: Worth a look if you are comparing automation approaches. XPLUS uses a large customer program to explore scale, maintenance and the transition from RSAT.
PSS: Ask an MVP: You Went Live. Now Comes the Fun Part. Win a Free Agent!
11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CT | Volunteer C, Level 2
Christian Segurado | Forvis Mazars
Our take: For teams already live on Dynamics and asking what comes next: user adoption, process improvements, data quality and a realistic path into AI.
Fashion Pioneer “Rent the Runway” defines their D365 Testing Transformation
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM CT | Ryman C, Level 0
Mackenzie Mertens, Rent the Runway; Dan Diefendorf, TheTestMart
Our take: The people and process side of a customer transformation. A good choice for teams working through ownership, change management and adoption of automation.
Are We Ready to Go Live… or Are We in Trouble?
3:30 PM to 4:30 PM CT | Ryman 3, Level 0
Nash Simeunovic | Reach International
Our take: A practical go-live decision checklist. Bring unresolved questions around data, access, performance and cutover that could change your launch decision.
Wednesday October 14
Ship With Confidence: ALM, Testing, and Observability for Copilot Studio Agents at Scale
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM CT | Magnolia Mezzanine 9, Level M
Andrew Hess and Karima Kanji-Tajdin | Microsoft
Our take: For teams moving Copilot Studio agents into production. Covers deployment discipline, monitoring, evaluations and costs across environments.
A Six-Step Framework for Scoping Automation Projects (Before You Build Anything)
8:00 AM to 9:00 AM CT | Magnolia Mezzanine 1, Level M
Kanwal Khipple | 2toLead
Our take: A useful starting point before approving an automation project: assess the process, effort, risk and stakeholders, then decide whether to build.
Become a Subject Matter Expert in User Security Governance – A Practical Guide to Security and Compliance in D365FSCM
9:45 AM to 10:45 AM CT | Ryman 15, Level 0
Bartosz Szpiech | XPLUS
Our take: A practical session from XPLUS for anyone responsible for D365 access. Focuses on security roles, governance and how permissions support business processes.
Why Your D365 UAT Is Failing (And Costing You Money After Go-Live)
9:45 AM to 10:45 AM CT | Ryman 1, Level 0
Francis (Frankie) Morrow Clegg | Hobart Parts
Our take: A customer view of why readiness gaps become operational problems. Especially relevant for process owners who need clearer accountability before go-live.
Using AI and DevOps To implement QA best practices on a Power Platform Implementation
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM CT | Ryman 11, Level 0
Robert Bailey | Upzoids
Our take: For Power Platform delivery teams improving how work moves from requirements to release. Connects AI and DevOps with acceptance criteria, defect handling and quality.
AI as Architect: Using Copilot to Design and Build Automations That Run Without It
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM CT | Tennessee D, Level 2
Ray Beste | Sikich
Our take: Use Copilot to design the automation, then let scripts and flows run it. Useful for choosing when a process actually needs AI at runtime.
Thursday October 15
Mitigate D365 Finance & Supply Chain Risk: A New Release Readiness Framework
8:15 AM to 9:15 AM CT | Ryman 18, Level 0
Matthew Sabath | TheTestMart
Our take: For D365 teams planning their next release. Matt offers a framework for assessing readiness earlier and reducing disruption for functional and operations teams.
Bridging ERP and CRM: AI & Automation Patterns Across Dynamics 365 F&O and CE
8:15 AM to 9:15 AM CT | Ryman A, Level 0
Jay Greene and Daniel Spees | BDO
Our take: A strong fit for teams joining ERP and CRM workflows. Uses order-to-cash and service examples to explore Power Platform, Copilot and AI across systems.
Microsoft Presents: Realize the ROI of AI with Dynamics 365 ERP MCP
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM CT | Ryman 1, Level 0
Jared Hall | Microsoft
Our take: For attendees exploring how AI agents can work with ERP data and business context. A useful introduction to Dynamics 365 ERP MCP and potential applications.
For Business Central teams
BC Page Scripting: Your Built in QA Team
Monday October 12 | 4:45 PM to 5:45 PM CT | Delta Mezzanine 4, Level M
Sam Mueller | OpsTerra
Our take: A practical pick for Business Central teams that want to use built-in page scripting to make repeatable checks part of everyday operations.
Sessions that overlap
A few of our picks run at the same time. Split up with a colleague if you want to cover both.
- Tuesday October 13 | 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM CT: XPLUS automation showcase or Forvis Mazars on life after go-live.
- Tuesday October 13 | 3:30 to 4:30 PM CT: Rent the Runway customer story or Go-live readiness with Nash Simeunovic.
- Wednesday October 14 | 8:00 to 9:00 AM CT: Running Copilot Studio agents at scale or Scoping automation with Kanwal Khipple.
- Wednesday October 14 | 9:45 to 10:45 AM CT: XPLUS security governance or UAT ownership with Frankie Morrow Clegg.
- Wednesday October 14 | 2:00 to 3:00 PM CT: AI and DevOps for Power Platform or Sikich on Copilot-assisted automation.
- Thursday October 15 | 8:15 to 9:15 AM CT: Matt Sabath on release readiness or BDO on connecting ERP and CRM.
Considering a replay? Check the session listing and your registration access before relying on a recording.
Explore the full Community Summit session agenda to build your own schedule.
See you in Nashville
We hope this gives you a useful starting point for the week. If you’d like to catch up at Summit, get in touch with our team. You can also find more from us on the TheTestMart blog. Hope to see you there!
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