In 1992 I went from being a full-time employee at a CAD software company to a self-employed consultant with my former employer as my first client. Several projects were on the list, but the one that I still recall with great fondness was organizing the company’s first user conference. This was before the Internet was a universal resource; less than half of the company’s customers had email addresses. So we reached out through a newsletter and with phone calls (a lot of our business was direct sales on the phone).
We expected 20-30 attendees, mostly regional. We were blown away when close to 100 people from all over the US and several foreign countries signed up. By the end of the first session, everybody in the room realized they were surrounded by friends. They all shared the same enthusiasm for the software and had the same questions about customization or the product roadmap. Over breaks and meals, they shared tips and swapped stories about how the software solved problems or created new opportunities. It was two days of high energy and excitement for everyone there.
Synergis Software just held their first user conference, Adept Experience, October 17-20 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Customer feedback was that the Adept Experience Conference and Advisory Council was an amazing event for all the Adept leaders who attended.
If you missed this year, don’t worry. Synergis is already planning next year’s event. If you are at all hesitant about the value of attending a conference like this, give me a chance to convince you to budget ahead for it. Here are my Five Star reasons why you absolutely must attend Adept Experience 2017:
Reason #5: Best and brightest on hand
Synergis Software headquarters is a town away, meaning a large percentage of their technical staff was on hand. The person who sits next to your and answers your question is likely a development staff member who created that part of the program.
Reason #4: The road to come
Members of the Synergis Software leadership team will be on hand to discuss the product road map. This session gives attendees a crystal ball look into the future of the product. Two Customer Advisory Workshops also give Adept customers the chance to collaborate with each other and vote for the new features and capabilities they want to see the most in the next version.
Reason #3: Meet the neighbors
Other Adept leaders are your virtual neighbors, so to speak. This conference is THE chance to build relationships for future collaboration... and listen to the best practices from Adept ambassadors from Dow Chemical, Joy Global, Lucite International, and Greene, Tweed & Company. Plus, there’s plenty of time allowed for networking at meals and social events in the evenings.
Reason #2: Get hands on training
Plan ahead to get the most out of the conference by signing up for training sessions on the two days before the conference. This year attendees attended classes on Administrator Basics, an accelerated class in the Adept API, Understanding Web Services, and attend workshops on Workflow, Transmittal Automation, and Reporting
Reason #1: Adept 2018
The next version of Adept will be at the centerpiece of next year’s conference and it’s a great chance to go deep on the product capabilities. The conference will be your best chance to get up-to-speed quickly on Adept 2018 and taking your engineering document management—and your business to the next level of excellence.
Look for an email in your Inbox with an invitation to next year’s big event.
Randall S. Newton is the principal analyst and managing director at Consilia Vektor, a consulting firm serving the engineering software industry. He has been directly involved in engineering software in a number of roles since 1985.
