Just a quick note here from Microsoft about the upcoming public launch of OCS R2:

(There’s a link on the site right now that will conveniently add a calendar item and reminder to Outlook. )

The virtual event experience will be available at www.OCSR2LAUNCH.com on Tuesday February 3rd 2009.

The event will open with a LIVE keynote hosted by Stephen Elop, President Microsoft Business Division, with customer stories and product demonstrations on February 3rd 2009, 09:30 -10:30 AM Pacific Time. Please reserve this time in your calendars as it will be a showpiece of the event.

The virtual site will also contain breakout sessions showcasing Office Communications Server user experience, business value, deployment guidance and customer momentum news. We have over 150 stands in the Partner Pavilion, where you can explore our partner capabilities and connect with them. Registered participants will also be able to sign up for a free trial of Office Communications Server 2007 R2 where you can explore the user experience within a hosted environment.

The really nice part about this is that after February 3rd I’ll be able to blog on absolutely everything related to R2 including screenshots of content and anything else that might skirt the line between what is currently public and what is still covered under NDA.