Getting your Windows 8 or Windows Phone app into the store is an incredible accomplishment. Why not celebrate that achievement with friends, family, and your users – by launching your app at one of the retail Microsoft stores!

There are roughly 30 (non-specialty) stores across the US and Canada (with more on the way), and each has a theater area that can be used for seminars, workshops, and LAUNCH PARTIES! Community Development Specialists (CDS) will work with you to schedule the space; you can get in touch with them through the individual stores by checking out that store’s information page. In the area that I cover, your options include Boston (Allison Knight), Salem NH (Kate McCaughey) and Danbury CT..
I’ve worked with Allison in the Prudential Center store for a while now, and she and her team are incredibly accommodating. Keep in mind that the logistics and availability for each store will vary, but for Boston, they can handle up to about 40 people. You can bring in food and drink (and there many options available right in the Prudential Center), but you can’t serve alcohol. You’ll get additional exposure too through the Microsoft Store events pages and the Meetup page too. Allison recommends booking about a month in advance, particularly if you’re looking to do it on a weekend.
I know that Timmo’s Challenge is on tap for next month, so I hope to see a lot more of you sharing (and reveling) in your hard work!
Jim is a Technology Evangelist for Microsoft who covers the Northeast District, namely, New England and upstate New York. He is focused on engaging with the development community in the area through user groups, code camps, BarCamps, Microsoft-sponsored events, and on-line. Currently Jim's focus is on mobile applications and their integration with cloud services.
Jim joined Microsoft in April 2008 after nearly 12 years working for Sybase in a support and sales consultant role for its developer tools, specifically PowerBuilder and EAServer. Prior to that he worked on various DoD projects at MITRE (Bedford, MA) and BDM International (in McLean, VA, now subsumed by Northrop Grumman). Jim received a B.S. in Mathematics and Computer Science from Austin Peay State University and his M.S. in Computer Science from Duke University.