As we prepare for this years’ Strategic Partner Conference, many of you are calling us to get more details on what to expect, so let me share our planning so far…
Firstly, the beautiful Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, California is the perfect place for a conference that's designed primarily as a networking event. Not only are the grounds of the hotel layed out, so there are plenty of places to share a quite moment with friends, but it is also located across the famous Pacific Coast Highway, overlooking the beach and the ocean. This location creates the perfect opportunity to make new friends and re-kindle old relationships, all with people using the same software as you.
Next, the conference is filled with useful information from our technical support team, but most importantly from our customers. People like you who use the software every day. We are lucky to have knowledgable customers who are willing to share their experiences with you, so you can learn and take back the knowledge to benefit your business. In 2011 we will be joined by nine speakers, who include Gail Bisbee, Jez Tibbetts and Richard Harris:
- Gail is well known to all the PRISM members as the "queen of imaging" (sorry Gail, I couldn't resists the title.
). Gail is not only a regular speaker at PRISM International conferences but also hosts the Confidential Records Management - Document Imaging School. - Jez Tibbetts is an ex-employee of O'Neil Software Ltd, who has taken his knowledge and expanded upon it by working in "the real world" at Saracen Datastore in the UK. Jez has extensive operational experience and will be explaining how he uses it to create competitive advantages, especially in relation to tools such as RSMobile.
- Richard Harris runs a small records management business in Australia. He is very proud of the fact that the company was started from scratch and extremely passionate about service and excited to see his business grow a little bit bigger every week. Richard offered to speak by explaining; "When I was first introduced to the records management industry it was as a sales representative, it didn’t take me long to see the potential and I now own 50% of the company. I had my doubts about O’neil in the beginning but this was due to a lack of knowledge and training, I’m pleased to say that the more I and my staff learn about the program the more impressed I am. I would be happy to share my passion for our business and how even a small records management business down under is utilising O’Neil software to grow nationally across Australia." If you are fairly new to the industry, just spending time with Richard will make the attendance worthwhile.
The third component that makes the O'Neil Strategic Partner Conference so special are our vendor partners. These companies are not coming with a show booth and a mission to sell you their products, they simply come to network and help you with questions about their particular industry expertise. Each has worked with many O'Neil customers, so they are familair with the software and how you use it. If you have a question, whether you are a customer of theirs or not, they are more than willing to help you. Of course, they would love you to become a customer, but that would be a bonus. This is a "No Hard sale" Zone!!
One of the most fun aspects of the conference is the Record Center Challenge. The challenge started out as a way of getting attendees to mingle and work with others, who they may not be familiar with. A fun set of challenges have us all working closely to beat the other teams. In the past we have raced boats constructed of record storage boxes, built bicycles for children in need, held a "Masterchef Cook-off" for hungry children, and painted "team" pictures of the Orange County Ronald McDonald House.
Adding a charity component was the idea of several customers, and this has been embraced by all.
Last year the conference raised over $20,000 for this worthwhile charity, and its all thanks to your generosity. The conference provides a vehicle for helping children who are less fortunate than us. Through the record center challenge, donated gifts for a silent auction, and the opportunity for everyone to sponsor a part of the event, 100% of the proceeds go to the charity. The charities have all been grateful for the help, especially in such difficult times, and it's nice that we can use the event to remiond ourselves of how lucky we are and provide an opportunity where, a small contribution by everyone, can add up to a significant amount for the charity. This year we are planning to bring hope, strength and joy to children with life-threatening medical conditions by supporting the the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and Make-A-Wish Foundation International. Its mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.
Finally, this is a great opportunity to meet so many of the O'Neil Software team, many of who you will have spoken to regularly on the phone. We look forward to meeting with you and sharing some of our ideas for the future, as well as taking the opportunity to show you many of the features available in the software today. We may even through in a few Strategic Partner of the Year Awards for good measure.
The O'Neil Stratetic Partner show is a unique industry event. A software user conference designed for you to network with and learn from each other. So you can plan accordingly, the dates of this highly anticipated event will be Wednesday, September 14th to Friday, September 16th whether the volcano erupts in Iceland again or not!! So don't delay. Attendance is limited to 150 people and typically spaces sell quickly. You can register at http://www.oneilsoft.com/news-portal/conference-news and we look forward to seeing you in September.
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