The HDI Conference in Orlando, FL was a smashing success! Those in attendance gained valuable insight into Metrics and Measurements, Service Management Excellence, Team Dynamics, The Customer Experience and more. MetricNet’s role in the conference spanned the gamut this year. Jeff Rumburg, Managing Partner of MetricNet, presented two sessions, served as the track chair for Metrics and Measurements and received the prestigious Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award! On Day 1, Ron Muns, HDI’s founder and the father of the technical service and support industry, made an appearance that was both inspiring and insightful. In it, he said, “Don’t ask what you can get, ask what you can give”. A powerful statement which many professionals in the standing room only crowd will without a doubt carry with them throughout their career. Shortly thereafter, the 2014 Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Jeff Rumburg. Congratulations Jeff! The general session went out with a bang when Bruce Turkel, keynote speaker, shared his passion for harmonica with over 2,000 Service and Support professionals. In a challenge that was both hilarious and innovative, Bruce left the crowd with a new sense of empowerment. In the foreseeable future, we’ll all be asking ourselves “Why didn’t I see it like that before?”. See clips from this session in the highlight reel. The true value of the HDI conference lies in the educational sessions presented by industry leaders who spend their lives hopelessly devoted to the success of our industry. Speakers are carefully selected by HDI track chairs so as to add immeasurable value to the overall conference experience. 2014 track chairs included Jeff Rumburg, Ron Muns Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, Mike Russell, a twenty-seven year veteran of the IT field, Lisa Templeton, certified HDI Support Center Manager, and Chris Farver, a leader in BMC’s Global Project Management Office. Through them, an impressive lineup was formed. Jeff Rumburg presented session 309, The 80/20 Rule for Desktop KPI’s and session 607, Leveraging KPI’s to Maximize the ROI of Support. Attendees of session 309 now understand the importance of adopting a holistic approach to performance measurement and management. And in session 607, Jeff urged the audience to understand and communicate ROI on a regular basis. This critical change will give Service and Support professionals the ability to justify investments in people and technology. A full session guide as well as copies of the presentation slides can be found onHDI’s website. From start to finish, day 3 of the conference rocked the house! A packed crowd for the Randi Zuckerberg keynote was awoken with an ACDC tribute, strobe lights and dancing. Energized attendees filled the session rooms and cheers could be heard throughout the halls as speakers empowered them to better the industry. Conference attendees then flocked to the Coquina Lawn at Gaylord Palms Resort for the infamous conference party. Adorned with 80’s gear, glow sticks and airbrushed tattoos, the crowd rocked out to the music of Nerd Ranger complete with KISS Stilt Walkers. The highlight of day 4 was, hands down, Roy Atkinson’s musical interlude of Come Together complete with amended lyrics all about metrics. We’ve only scratched the surface in this post, but suffice it to say, all those in attendance left brimming with new knowledge, action items and the drive necessary to take their organization to the next level. HDI announced that the conference would be heading back to Vegas for 2015… Hope to see you there!
