A Strategic Partner Conference Update

As we prepare for this year’s Strategic Partner Conference, many of you are calling us to get more details on what to expect.  So let me share our format…

Firstly, the beautiful Hilton Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington Beach, California is the perfect place for our conference, designed primarily as a networking event.  Not only are the grounds of the hotel laid 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 setting 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 and most importantly, from our customers. People like you, who use the software every day.  We are lucky to have such knowledgeable customers, who are willing to share their experiences with you, so you can learn and take back the information 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 resist 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.  He is extremely passionate about service, as well as 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 my staff and I learn about the program, the more impressed we are.  I would be happy to share my passion for our business and how even a small records management business "down under" is utilizing  O’Neil software, to grow nationally across Australia."  If you are fairly new to the industry, just spending time with Richard will make your attendance worthwhile.

The third component that makes the O'Neil Strategic Partner Conference so special is 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.  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.  Today, 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 The Orange County Ronald McDonald House charity and it's all thanks to your generosity.  The conference provides a vehicle for helping children who are less fortunate than we are.  Through the Record Center Challenge, donated gifts for our 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 our help, especially in such difficult times.  And it's nice that we can use the event to remind 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 supporting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and Make-A-Wish Foundation International, whose 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 the O'Neil Software team, many of whom 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 throw in a few Strategic Partner of the Year Awards for good measure.

The O'Neil Strategic Partner Conference is a unique industry event, designed for you to network with and learn from one another.  So you can plan accordingly, the dates for this highly anticipated venue are 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 sells out quickly.  You can register at http://www.oneilsoft.com/news-portal/conference-news.  See you in September!