Why should I care?

It's that time of the year again and the excitement has been building up, creating a hint of magic in the air. No it's not March madness and the NCAA basketball tournament. Nor is it the commencement of the 2006 major league baseball season. I can't even say that it's a result of the upcoming fishing season, kicked off by the start of trout next week. No… While all of these reasons may be good explanations for my adrenaline running so high, they are mere sparks, slight in comparison to the real fire that burns. Like the night before going to Disneyland as a kid, it is the 2006 annual Glovia International User Group Conference that calls my name in the middle of the night, leaving me to count the days, hours and seconds.

Last year's User Group Conference was held in Long Beach, CA and although it was an extremely successful event, I can't help but feel that this year's conference in Nashville, TN is going to be the one that will be remembered for a long time. Not only is it located at the music capital of the United States, a city filled with history, culture and arts, but the actual event will be held at one of the most hospitable and accommodating venues in the country as well. The Sheraton Music City hotel is fresh from a recent 8 million dollar renovation that has everything from private balconies to indoor/outdoor pools and tennis courts. This resort type atmosphere will be a perfect environment for all the events that have been planned by the User Group Board, such as: Glovia International presentations, user presentations, roundtables, and an incredible keynote speaker.

As the former CEO and President of a Fortune 500 company subsidiary, Peter Teneyck will be giving a number of presentations, collectively known as, "Attitude - It's an Inside Job." A great motivational speaker with incredible insight, our keynote speaker is ready to share his secrets on leadership, communication, customer service, managerial skills, self-management, and interpersonal relationships. Peter's unique style and personable approach engrosses his audience and enriches their minds by destroying misconceptions with logical approaches.

While our keynote promises to deliver his personal wealth of knowledge, it is vital that the users at the conference have the opportunity to share and learn form each other as well. With similar goals and objectives, fellow users are able to relate to each other on a higher plane because they encounter the same obstacles and search for the same answers. To help facilitate this exchange of information, the user group has set up a number of roundtables including manufacturing, inventory control, migrations and material supply. In addition, there will be users telling their stories of success and the lessons learned from those experiences. Notable are the presentations from Bridgestone APM Company outlining "Business Process Mapping and Business Process Improvement" and Avery Dennison Corporation on "How to Keep an IT Group on the Lean Journey."

As we focus on Lean and other best practices topics, the presentations from Glovia International should provide you with plenty of pertinent information that is tailored specifically for the users. With "a leanER Process" as the central theme for the conference, Glovia plans to approach each session from a lean perspective, whether it concerns collaboration, migration, business optimizations analysis, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, or shop floor data collection. With so much going on, it's hard to believe that the conference could be packed into such a small amount of time. From May 21st-25th, the only difficulty attendees will have is choosing amongst the vast number of quality presentations.

It appears there are enough reasons to get excited, but for those that are still hanging out on the fence, the 2006 Glovia International User Group Conference has a REALLY big surprise in store, something that will completely blow everyone's minds. So don't wait! If you've signed up, start your countdown. If you haven't signed up, don't miss out. In the meantime, feel free to check the user group website at http://www.gloviausergroup.com/html/conference/2006/ for additional information on registration and the event itself.

The Glovia International User Group is an independent, not-for-profit organization for glovia.com users around the world. If you have not participated in any of our activities before, please consider starting now!

The User Group is an extremely valuable way for you to get the most from your Glovia solutions as well as network with and learn from your fellow manufacturers. As with any organization, the User Group always becomes stronger and more successful when others participate.

If you are interested in learning more about the Glovia International User Group, visit our web site at www.gloviausergroup.com.