Keenan Newton, aka DJ Kameleon, of the Microsoft SharePoint Product Group, warmed up the audience for this morning’s keynote in high style, pumping up the crowd (and the kicks) with his high-energy mix of remixed club bangers.  A most unexpected, and yet highly effective “pre-show” display to kick off the SPC keynote.  Kudos!

With the capacity crowd suitably warmed up, Senior Director of SharePoint Product Management Jared Spataro took the stage to welcome attendees, introducing himself as our host for the keynote, and for the week.  Explaining that the “theme for the conference is productivity delivered,” Jared mentioned that 7,500 attendees were in attendance, and said that with 125 million SharePoint licenses held by more than 65 million customers, “In short, SharePoint is on fire … and that is due to you, and your work.”

Having decided that it would be fitting to bring in an “A-list celebrity to represent the passion for SharePoint,” a truly inspired “behind-the-scenes” video was shown of Jared and his featured keynote speakers Jeff Teper and Kurt DelBene conducting a talent search for a suitable spokesperson in Hollywood.  The video features the likes of Luke Perry, Carmen Electra, Alan Thicke, and Florence Henderson all auditioning for the part.  The video doesn’t appear to be “out there” yet, but I promise to link it in here as soon as possible.  (Alas, no celebrity, A-list or otherwise, was brought out to follow the video, but the video itself was indeed highly entertaining and a reward in itself.)Jared referenced the 240 breakout sessions available throughout the week, and hailed the over 200 partners in the exhibit hall, encouraging attendees to investigate the extent of what’s possible in SharePoint via the partner ecosystem.

Following the presentations by Jeff Teper and Kurt DelBene, Jared returned at the end of the keynote to share his hope that, having attended SPC, “You’ll challenge your own status quo in terms of what’s available with SharePoint in your organization.  Finally, Jared announced, with no small amount of satisfaction, that there would indeed be another SharePoint Conference next year, and that it will be returning to the site of the last SPC … that’s right, we’re going back to Mandalay Bay in Vegas, baby!  Mark your calendars for November 12-15, 2012, and plan on going back… to the future.

Read our complete coverage of the Microsoft SharePoint Conference 2011.

• • Greetings from Anaheim & SharePoint Conference 2011!
  • SPC 2011, Bamboo, and the Promise of Instant SharePoint Gratification
  • Jared Spataro Hosts the SPC 2011 Keynote on ‘Productivity Delivered’ … and Announces SPC 2012
  • SPC11 Keynote: Jeff Teper on the 3 Guiding Principles Shaping SharePoint
  • SPC11 Keynote: Kurt DelBene on the Future of Productivity & the Value of the Cloud
  • Bamboo Customer Appreciation Party: We’ve Come a Long Way
  • ‘Clearing Away the Clouds: What’s Hype and What’s Real in Cloud Adoption,’ Presented by Gartner’s Jeffrey Mann
  • Paul Javid & Dave Pae on ‘SharePoint 2010: Improving Productivity with Social’
  • When Should You Consider an Add-On or Third Party Solution for SharePoint?

• ‘More Than My: How Microsoft is Driving Social Adoption and Intranet Transformation’ with Internal Enhancements to OOTB SharePoint Social Features
• Rob Koplowitz Presents ‘The Forrester Survey: Best Practices in SharePoint 2010 Adoption and Migration’
• Day 2 Report from the Bamboo Booth
• Community Central for SharePoint 2010 Receives Overwhelmingly Positive Response
• SharePoint 2010 Solutions for the Public Sector
• ‘Avanade: Unleashing Competitive Advantage through the use of Social Media and Collective Organizational Intelligence’ in SharePoint
• ‘We’re Going Two-way, Baby!’ How Vancity Took its Intranet from Static to Social with SharePoint 2010
• A View from the Bamboo ‘Complaint Department’
• Out of the Sandbox and into the Cloud