InfoEd’s 2011 User Group Meeting took place this year at the Gideon Putnam resort in beautiful Saratoga Springs, NY, just a couple weeks ago. Since then, “the best ever” has been echoed time and time again to me and many others at InfoEd. By all accounts it was the best attended, had the best guest participation and guest speakers, and it was the best “produced” UGM we’ve ever had –I have to agree with the assessment!
As always, it was you – our friends and clients – that made the event so wonderful. I want to personally thank everyone not only for your attendance but your support. Last year, with the event being held in Colonie (not the world’s most tourist-friendly location), I expected a lot of folks to chose to spend the “afterhours” time with us. Saratoga Springs, however, is a leading tourist attraction in the country with ample appeal for “afterhours” fun and entertainment. That so many of you still chose to hang out with us is flattering – it speaks to how connected we are to the members of our user community and also how strongly you feel to forge those bonds.
We have received some great feedback and are looking to incorporate those remarks into the planning for next year. We got high marks for the “InfoEd Shuttle/Car Service” and will look to offer that again next year. We also got great feedback on the “New England Barbeque” so again, why mess with success? Lots of people enjoyed the carriage rides and bon-fire. Many of you asked, “Where is the dance music?” at the end of the Monday night Gala, so now that we know how many of you don’t want the party to end with dessert, we will see what we can do to accommodate in 2012. Research Administrators + Alcohol + Lady Gaga might make for some great pictures!
We got some great constructive feedback on the sessions as well, and will look to make those adjustments as we can next year. It was suggested that introducing the staff and their function earlier-on would have helped people connect more easily with the InfoEd person they wanted time with. Since the UGM is all about the personal connection, we admittedly could have done better with that and will do so next year.
There was tremendous interest in STAR Metrics reporting after the presentation by Keynote Speaker, Julia Ingrid Lane, and we’re looking now at how InfoEd can help facilitate that relationship. We will keep you posted on our progress.
Finally, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive on the venue. Since most of your fiscal year 2012 begins on July 1, here’s the inside scoop – we are going to have the InfoEd 2012 UGM at the Gideon Putnam again next year. We have booked the entire hotel this time so we’ll have plenty of rooms. I encourage you to make your plans now and book early! As always, if there is anything you can think of to make your experience better, please let us know.
Both personally and from all of us at InfoEd, thank you again for you continued support. Please keep the communication lines open and always let us know how we can make your InfoEd experience even better.
