Beyond the Booth: What We Learned at Elevate, Directions, and DynamicsCon 2026
Over the course of a few weeks, the Mekorma team attended Continia Elevate, Directions North America, and DynamicsCon. These three events brought together Microsoft ERP partners, consultants, and AP professionals from across the community.
Every event had its own personality, but the conversations shared a common theme: In the world of AP automation, features are no longer the star. The true focus is trust, long-term strategy, and helping businesses adapt to change with confidence.
What stood out most wasn’t simply the technology being discussed. It was the quality of the conversations happening around it.
More Than Product Conversations
One of the clearest takeaways from Directions was how collaborative the conversations have become. We loved connecting with partners across the community and hearing about the goals, challenges, and opportunities ahead. In the ISV lounge, discussions moved quickly beyond product evaluations and into long-term planning conversations.
The partners we spoke to talked openly about growth, operational challenges, and building sustainable AP strategies over the next 12 months. The question wasn’t whether AP automation mattered but rather how to implement it in a way that supported clients, teams, and business models.
Long-Term Thinking
Across all three events, we noticed a strong emphasis on collaboration, consistency, and shared growth. Partner conversations centered around how to support clients through evolving payment processes, ERP transitions, and increasingly complex operational needs.
For many organizations, Accounts Payable has become a larger strategic conversation. Teams are looking for ways to reduce manual work, strengthen controls, and create processes that can scale without overwhelming staff.
Those priorities are especially relevant as more organizations continue evaluating modernization efforts within Microsoft Dynamics GP and Dynamics 365 Business Central environments.
Embeddedness matters in AP Automation
Another theme that surfaced repeatedly was the importance of keeping AP processes connected to the ERP systems teams already rely on every day.
Rather than adding disconnected tools and extra layers of complexity, many organizations are prioritizing solutions that are embedded within existing workflows. Simplicity and ease of use came up again and again in conversations.
That includes everything from payment workflows and approvals to fraud prevention, vendor validation, and multi-entity management.
As AP teams continue balancing efficiency, security, and staffing challenges, the desire for streamlined and integrated solutions is only growing.
The Best Conversations Happened Between Sessions
Beyond the valuable sessions and product conversations, the events were also a reminder of how relationship-driven this community is.
Some of the most meaningful moments happened between sessions. In hallway conversations, partner dinners, and quick catchups that turned into deeper discussions about where the industry is headed next.
What We’re Taking Forward
If this event season reinforced anything for us, it’s that AP teams and ERP partners are looking for more than software.
They’re looking for reliable relationships, practical innovation, and partners who understand the realities of modern AP operations. They want solutions that reduce friction, support long-term growth, and help teams work with greater confidence and control.
We left Elevate, Directions, and DynamicsCon feeling grateful for the conversations, energized by the momentum in the community, and excited about what comes next.
And perhaps most importantly, we left reminded that the future of AP automation will be built together.
Haven’t had a chance to connect with us at an event this year? Visit our Events page to see where we'll be next or reach out to our team. We'd love to continue the conversation.
