The Power of Connections
- Advoco
- May 7, 2021
- 2 min read
As we wrap up our 9th annual Infor EAM user conference, I’m filled with excitement, anticipation, but mostly gratitude to our customers who keep coming back year after year. This morning I reminisced on some of the articles I’ve written about #AdvocoConnect over the years:
It’s interesting to see what was inspiring us at different points over the years. I don’t think I would have believed you if you would have told me that we would have over 500 people joining us for a virtual conference.
We owe this success to our connections: people like Jamie, Tony, Bob, Mary, Dale, Shawn, and the many others who keep coming back to our annual event.
The power of these connections has grown greater than we ever thought it would. And I don’t think the momentum is going to stop in 2021.
After my freshman year of college, I had to attend a summer class. I didn’t want to go because “none of my friends were going to be there.” My mom loves to tell this story because her response to me was, “Do you think the only friends you’re going to have are the ones you have right now?” Like always, my mother was right!
For a long time, I didn’t understand how powerful a network is. I would think, “What’s in it for me?” instead of seeing the great possibility that connections – new and old – can bring to the table.
When the pandemic hit last year, we pivoted to host a virtual conference. We had to figure out how to add value to our attendee experience online. We had budgeted meal money that wouldn’t be used that we wanted to do something good with.
What did we lean on during this time? Connections!
Had we not had those strong connections, had we not developed that momentum over nearly a decade, we would have been stopped in our tracks.
Our conference has changed to a year-long training opportunity for our customers – Office Hours, industry roundtables, access to a robust library of videos. We developed the #ConnectForGoodGVL initiative from allocated meal money and gave away nearly 150,000 meals as well as created jobs in our community.
The Connect community set us up for success once again this year when we made the decision to go completely virtual again.
We are amazed at what the Infor EAM community can do together and the value it brings to all of us. What’s so cool is that the learning extends beyond geographical boundaries and financial restrictions, and speakers we were never able to secure can share their stories.
Never underestimate the power of connections and where they can take you, even in a more virtual world.
Until next time…we are Advoco, make every minute count.
About Mary: Mary Devine is our Director of Marketing and Events. Affectionately referred to as “Make it Happen Mary,” she's been around since the early days of Advoco—making things happen! Whether it's planning exciting surprises for Connect attendees or spearheading new marketing initiatives, we're so happy to have Mary on our team. If you have a question for Mary, please send her an email.
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