"Creativity is Just Connecting Things" - Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs once said that “Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” That’s exactly how Advoco Connect came to be, and five years later, we still marvel at what this conference has become, all thanks to a growing group of people who are truly invested in their EAM systems and learning how to make them even better.

We recognized a need to launch something different for the Infor EAM community - to bring together a group of passionate people who could learn and share with one another, in turn making everyone better. We wanted a collaborative space that offered the chance to maximize potential and propel growth. We wanted something people looked forward to and kept coming back for. We wanted Connect.

In 2013, the first-ever Advoco Connect EAM user conference kicked off with two days of workshops focusing on topics like Reporting, What's New in EAM, EAM Training, the Storeroom, and even a special presentation on Winemaking. Our first conference was limited to just 50 participants, and at the end of the conference we knew we had tapped into something great.

For the second annual Advoco Connect we opened up attendance to make room for 75 participants—the group from 2013 was spreading the word and we didn’t want anyone to miss out.

Buzz about the Connect conference kept growing, which meant our conference was growing too—in 2015 we had 120 attendees plus the Advoco staff. We learned from each other, had stimulating conversations, and hosted more breakout sessions than ever.

Connect 2016 brought 160 Infor EAM enthusiasts to Greenville from all over the world—it was clear people were enjoying the conference, coming back, and bringing friends! Our 4th annual conference showed us that when people with common interests come together to share ideas and successes it can inspire people to become leaders with passion, drive, and humility, with the ability to take their EAM system to the next level.

In 2017, we’re celebrating our 5th Annual Connect conference and we are so excited for what this year has in store! We say it every year, and we mean it every year—Connect would not be what it is today without our passionate participants, who keep coming back, spreading the word, and helping us take this conference to the next level year after year.

Mark your calendars for May 7-11th for Connect 2017, a conference that’s sure to be bigger and better than ever before! Learn more about Connect here.

Until next time… We are Advoco, make every minute count.

About Mary: Mary Devine is our Director of Marketing and Events and the Queen of Connect. Affectionately referred to as “Make it Happen Mary,” she's been around since the beginning of Connect—making things happen! Whether it's planning exciting surprises for Connect attendees or making sure our speakers stay on track (most of the time!) we're so happy to have Mary as our Connect guru. If you have a question for Mary, please send her an email.