We recently had our annual User Conference, where our customers and business partners all come together to discuss one thing we all have in common—FM:Systems. I can honestly say this is my favorite event I get to attend for work each year because I get to meet new customers, catch up with familiar faces and most importantly get the opportunity to see first-hand how our product, FM:Interact, has truly benefited our end users and see the enthusiasm everyone has around it.
This year we moved the conference to sunny San Diego at the Omni San Diego Hotel in the Gaslamp District—I honestly could not have asked for a better destination to have our conference. The location was elegant and located in the heart of downtown San Diego where you could get to one of the best restaurants by walking distance within a matter of minutes. The hotel connected to the Padres stadium, which was a perk for a few of us who came in early and were able to enjoy going to a game prior to the start of our busy week!
We hit a new record with our conference attendance which we have continued to do year after year—we had more attendees, business partners and training registrants than ever before. Our registrants came from 10 different countries and were all able to take advantage of gathering in one place to network and learn more about how our workplace management system can help them more effectively run their facilities and make their day-to-day jobs more productive.
Our week kicked off with two full days of hands-on training led by our consulting and technical sales team. With 16 classes to choose from, our attendees have the chance to come a few days early to learn more about specific modules and product functionality that will allow them to do their daily tasks more efficiently.
The full conference kicked off with our Welcome Reception out on the beautiful outdoor Palm Terrace at the Omni Hotel. This night allows all our attendees to network over hors d’oeuvres and drinks while meeting and speaking with our sponsors—AMS CAD + CAFM Solutions, Autodesk, CADD Microsystems, CoWorkr, Dell, JLL, Little and RSP i_SPACE. Everyone has the chance to win door prizes and get to know other attendees prior to the start of the conference.
The following morning we began the day with a keynote by our Chairman and Founder, Michael Schley. This year’s theme was, “Mastering the What-if” and we had 17 presentations that all discussed how FM:Interact can allow organizations to plan for and manage change in today’s highly dynamic and rapidly evolving workforce. We had both a customer success and a FM:Systems product features track with presentations on FM:Interact tips and tricks, new features being released in Scenario Planning, maximizing your preventive maintenance program, utilizing your FM data, a higher education track and more!
Throughout the conference we have several things our attendees can take part in—providing us with a customer testimonial video, the chance to meet with our product management team, one-on-one time with our consultants and networking breakfasts for the higher education and healthcare industries.
Being in San Diego we thought it would be appropriate to go on a private dinner cruise for our Thursday night dinner—we cruised out into the bay and saw the sunset while having a cocktail hour on the top of the Admiral Hornblower. We then had a fabulous plated dinner while having a stunning view of the city.
Prior to our closing session we gave away several prizes—some lucky winners won some FM:Systems swag, two individuals who did video testimonials won Apple Watch’s and we gave away a couple Amazon Echos.
We will be having our 2018 FM:Systems User Conference back in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina at the Marriott City Center, April 18-20! I hope to see as many customers and business partners there that can possibly attend!
