IQMS Blog for Manufacturing ERP Expertise

Today we continue our latest blog series offering a peek into the daily lives of IQMS’ directors. From human resources to testing and training to development, meet the key department leaders who are molding our company’s future and continually advancing the EnterpriseIQ ERP and MES software.

It is just about the second quarter of 2013 and nearly five months since IQMS' last User Group. Believe it or not, we are already receiving requests for when the next User Group event will be! This is wonderful news because it reiterates the success of the last event and, more importantly, the validity of continuing this conference. But what goes into the preparation of User Group and when should clients plan to participate? Good questions. 

I recently attended IQMS' User Group 2012 conference at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Having been to several previous User Groups, I can honestly say this was the most gratifying User Group I have ever attended. I don't know if it was any one thing that made it so great - the venue was new, the agenda was modified, the IQMS attendees list was modified, the meeting materials were greatly enhanced and half of the customer attendees were new to User Group. But whether one or many things made it great, I'm grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend and present.

Editor’s Note: Nicole Smith is the Marketing Associate at IQMS and this is the final part of a three day series chronicling her experiences at User Group 2012 [read parts one and two here].

It is hard to believe that User Group 2012 (#IQMSUG2012) ended today. What a whirlwind the last three days have been – it was an experience not to be missed!

Editor’s Note: Nicole Smith is the Marketing Associate at IQMS and this is part two of a three days series chronicling her experiences at User Group 2012 [Read part one here].

Today’s User Group 2012 schedule (#IQMSUG2012) was focused completely on the breakout sessions. At every User Group event, IQMS wants to be sure and offer the maximum benefits to our attendees, so back in February, we surveyed our customers to get feedback on what they wanted to see and discuss at this year’s event. Based on the responses, IQMS tailored the User Group sessions to feature the most popular survey subjects and modules.

Editor’s Note: Nicole Smith is the Marketing Associate at IQMS and this is her first User Group experience. Please join her over the next three days as she chronicles the exciting events occurring at User Group 2012!

Daniele Fresca and I began planning for User Group 2012 (#IQMSUG2012) more than a year ago and I can’t believe it is finally here! For those of you unfamiliar with the User Group experience, here are the details. Held every other year, IQMS User Group conferences are jam-packed, three day events featuring industry networking, best practice discussions and software development sessions. This year, more than 300 attendees from companies across North America are joining IQMS employees for our largest User Group conference yet.

I have questioned before whether face-to-face events such as conferences and trade shows were still a relevant meeting spot. When the economy was struggling and we were in the midst of the recession, companies seemed wary to spend extra money on travel and outside opportunities such as conferences and shows. That philosophy seems to have subsided as more and more people are heading back to in-person events.

As I wrote about several months ago, preparations have already begun for the IQMS User Group 2012 (#IQMSUG2012) event. In fact, we started planning this event when we were still double digit months away from the date. Time sure has flown! It is already summer and I can count on less than one hand the months that remain before we kick off another User Group. So, what have we been doing in preparation for the event and what can attendees expect?

NPE 2012 has come and gone. This every three year event is one of the largest trade shows for one manufacturing industry segment: plastics. If you were following a lot of the conversations surrounding this latest event, you are aware that the big question was: How would the new venue (Orlando) compare to NPE's previous home for the last few decades (Chicago)? Would people come? Would it be successful? Are trade shows still a viable forum for companies to present and attendees to gain knowledge?

As IQMS embarks on planning for our next User Group conference, I am struck by how many trade shows and events the company will be at between now and the end of the year. With the onslaught of social media and online networking, it got me wondering ... how much priority is set on face-to-face meetings nowadays?