Reflecting on Global Excel Summit 2024

A fortnight ago, London had the privilege of hosting the first-ever hybrid edition of the Global Excel Summit, welcoming the biggest names from the Excel and data sphere to deliver top-notch sessions.

Hundreds touched down from all over the world to gather at Shepherd’s Bush Vue Cinema, while thousands of others watched from the comfort of their homes and offices.

They came to be educated, inspired, and to supercharge their Excel skills so they could head back to the office feeling reinvigorated and equipped to handle the challenges thrown at them.

Given how action-packed the event was, it’s impossible to cover everything, but let’s take a look back at some of the highlights.

An AI-Excelerated start

Microsoft Senior Researcher Jack Williams kicked off the show with an eye-opening keynote about how Excel is being transformed through research and AI.

He discussed some of the program’s newest features, including Formula Suggestions, Formula by Example, and Excel Labs. Plus, he demonstrated the enormous potential of the LABS.GENERATIVEAI function and how it can be used to interact with a generative AI model for sentiment analysis, among other tasks.

Our Event Ambassador, Leila Gharani, followed Jack's session by showing the power of Python in Excel and its role in machine learning activities.

26,000 Leila Gharanis?

Chandoo caused a giggle or two as he insisted on fulfilling the request of an audience member.

The New Zealand-based MVP had been showing off his bar charts that used a custom image for the dots displayed, with each one acting as five boxes of chocolate.

It took him just a few seconds to honour the request and turn the dots into a ball pit of one familiar face.

What started as…

Turned into…

Global by name, Global by nature

We wouldn’t be living up to our name if we only lured people from certain parts of the globe.

However, from Europe to Asia to Africa to North America to South America to Oceania, our speakers and attendees came from far and wide.

A grand total of 137 countries were represented — just one short of last year’s record.

Whether you came to London or attended online, a big thank you for ensuring Excel is seen, heard, felt, smelt, and tasted in all parts of the world!

Networking Area proved a hit

One of the biggest joys of having an in-person event was being able to meet people face-to-face (increasingly rare in today’s world).

For the majority, this was the first time they had bumped into famous faces they were accustomed to seeing on a screen for years.

At the end of Day 1 and Day 2, attendees and speakers stayed behind to mingle and chit-chat in the dedicated Networking Area. It’s fair to say it was jam-packed — perhaps helped by the free beer and wine!

Star-studded interviews

Giles Male kindly took the role of interviewer for the event, popping the questions to our speakers in front of the sponsor backdrop.

This was also part of his brand new YouTube series Excel on the Road, where he travels the world to meet experts in the Excel and financial modelling communities.

Needless to say, it’s almost certain he broke the record for most Excelebrities interviewed in a single day, let alone two!

Above and beyond Masterclasses

A special in-depth range of in-person and online Masterclasses allowed attendees to delve deep into Excel’s advanced features.

These were run by MVPs and industry experts. Each was several hours long, allowing the finer details to be covered so participants were equipped with some of the most sought-after skills in the workplace.

A big thanks to Danielle Stein Fairhurst, Alan Murray, Chandoo, Gašper Kamenšek, George Mount, Ann K. Emery, and Chandeep Chhabra for putting on invaluable classes.

A shoutout to our partners

Global Excel Summit 2024 wouldn’t have been possible without our partners, so we’d like to thank them for their amazing contributions to the Main Stage and Breakout Rooms.

Zebra BI showed us how to unlock the power of actionable reporting to drive decision-making.
Sheetcast taught us how to transform existing spreadsheets into powerful web apps.
Airrange revealed how its no-code app builder can turn Excel solutions and models into monetisable web apps.
Certiport & Prodigy Learning proved that obtaining digital skills certifications is an advantage in the job market.
Vena demonstrated how to create intuitive analytic experiences in Excel using Script Labs.
Openbox gave us an insight into how to build financial models in hours, not weeks.

Gutted to miss out?

Since the event, social media has been awash with people sharing their experiences at Global Excel Summit 2024, along with lots of picture-snapping and impromptu selfies.

It can all be rather FOMO-inducing (Fear of Missing Out), so we are terribly sorry if you’ve been experiencing this.

Maybe you’ve only just discovered the event.

Perhaps you attended our FREE day but are gutted to miss the first two.

Or, you want to go over something you’ve already seen to truly cement it in your brain.

Thankfully, we recorded everything for you to enjoy at your pace.

Check out our newly released on-demand event packages to replay the action.

Final words

Once more, we’d like to thank attendees, speakers, partners, and everyone behind the scenes for organising and delivering such a special event.

As you can imagine, the in-person element did add extra pressure and responsibility compared to previous years, but we’re glad so many of you had an enjoyable experience.

If you attended, we’d love to hear your thoughts. What gets the thumbs up what gets the thumbs down? All feedback is useful for us as we organise future events.

In the meantime…anyone for Global Excel Summit 2025?