Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

system · September 21, 2005, 2:17pm

I will be attending again this year. It will be my 3rd time. I
attended the year after we purchased Vantage, before we went live.
It was at Palm Springs that year. I also attended last year. I
learned a lot both times I went, but last year I came down with a
miserable cold the day before leaving, so I was under the weather the
entire time I was there.

I think Todd C. had a good breakdown of the work/work & play/play.
I've always attended every session possible, even when I was sick,
but afterwards I try to have what fun I can afford. I got to play in
the golf tournament in Palm Springs and got to sign up for it again
this year, so I'll be going out a day early for that and flying home
early Thursday morning so I can attend all of Wednesday's sessions.
The days are pretty long and if you attend everything there is you
will feel like you worked hard.

Last year I was impressed by all that V8 had to offer but did not
expect upgrading to be a problem so I didn't prepare an elaborate
song and dance after my return. I new we'd want to wait a while to
upgrade, I was hoping to be under way with testing by now for a
late '05 go live, but due to negative publicity about the stability
of V8 and some budget concerns, the purchase of the new server has
been tabled for a while. My goal is to get adequate ammunition for a
song and dance that will get the upgrade back on the priority list.

Brian Stenglein
Clow Stamping Co.

--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "todd Anderson" <todd.anderson@s...>
wrote:

> Out of curiosity ...
>
> Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?
>
> Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?
>
> Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or

some

> percentage in-between?
>
> Did you have trouble selling it to management?
>
> How did you sell it to management?
>
> George
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

system · September 21, 2005, 8:07am

I'm going (surprise!).

This year my objectives are:
1. Accumulate every shred of detail for benefits from 8.0 - including potentials from customizaiton and dashboards
2. Acumulate every shred of detail for costs with 8.0 - including hardware, report conversions and customization time
3. Figure out the underlaying mechanics of 8.0 and ongoing admin tasks and costs
4. LABS: Heavy on Customization and Navigation - Objective: Rework quoting screens
I have a whitepaper to write for my 2006 strategic plan which is supposed to document the costs and ROI for migrating to 8.0. I suspect it wil take at least a year to convert and prepare and we would go live in early 2007.

Work/Play Ratio:
75% work - 15% play work - 10% play play
Play work is the "after sessions" social events (welcome reception, Tuesday party) related to conference where I can tap into brains and suck the info out (and the reverse too). Much easier done with a drink in hand (theirs AND mine). ;)

My wife always comes with so a certain amount of late evening time is devoted to helping that great city build even greater monuments to probability studies. We stay over Wednesday night because in order to take full advantage of all the sessions it is too late to flay back home that night anyway. Then I tack on a day of vacation for Thursday so we actually fly home Friday. So post conference there is some dedicated play time. We usually find a hotel deal somewhere else (since on our nickel). Last year had a free room at Main Street Station downtown. This year either Sam's Town or the Aladdin deal since I didn't buy the Las Vegas Advisor coupon book this year.

Selling management has not been hard because:
A) Post conference trip reports from past years have proven the worth
B) System improvements put in place after returning have always paid for the trip
C) This year it is crucial for my 2006 strategic plan
D) We've had a reasonably decent business year
E) All those "sales guys" get to travel all over and I never get out except for Perspectives :( (I'm not above pouting)

-Todd C.

-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of todd Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 5:34 PM
To: 'Vantage @ YahooGroups. Com'
Subject: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

Out of curiosity ...

Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?

Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?

Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or some
percentage in-between?

Did you have trouble selling it to management?

How did you sell it to management?

George

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

SPONSORED LINKS
Manufacturing <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Manufacturing+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=AvWEwtBBb2CCZUYeLzjLVQ> software Membership <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Membership+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=8uEu2piLZhrmuaS0aRTs5A> database software Database <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Database+mortgage+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=WxJOMUVfawa-Spj4srksIw> mortgage software
Pda <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Pda+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=8c6UocdSpoECWlSALplOdQ> database software Database <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Database+management+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=C2nNY1SnmwAiBO61ww9nTw> management software Online <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Online+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=cYursVrba9nF7BBMh8EfUA> database software

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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

system · September 21, 2005, 8:09am

I am not able to go this year or went last year. Very hard sell to
management. They think it is only an Epicor sales pitch with no
value whatsoever. I have been to 10 previous ones but my previous
experience has no bearing on attending this year's conference.

--- In vantage@yahoogroups.com, "todd Anderson" <todd.anderson@s...>
wrote:

> Out of curiosity ...
>
> Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?
>
> Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?
>
> Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or

some

> percentage in-between?
>
> Did you have trouble selling it to management?
>
> How did you sell it to management?
>
> George
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

system · September 21, 2005, 9:07am

Todd,
Never been before, but based on reports from this group it was an easy sell.
I am aiming at learning as much about 8.0 implementation as possible looking
toward an implementation (note not even calling it an upgrade) early to mid
next year. Also need to pick a bunch of minds about improving my skills
with Progress and BAM/BAQ. If there is one thing that I have learned so far
from these tools it's that there is so much more to learn.
Did I mention the sell was eased significantly by the fact that the company
president is going and bringing his wife with?
She should have a good time regardless. If the conference is half what
others have said, he should be blown over with to much information and
encouraged to send me in the future. If not, this will be the last year for
both of us I am sure.
Aaron Hoyt
Vantage Plastics

-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf
Of todd Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 6:34 PM
To: 'Vantage @ YahooGroups. Com'
Subject: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

Out of curiosity ...

Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?

Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?

Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or some
percentage in-between?

Did you have trouble selling it to management?

How did you sell it to management?

George

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links

system · September 21, 2005, 9:47am

I am going this year. I went once before - 2001 in Orlando. At that time
we had extra service credits that we had bought with Vantage that we needed
to use up, so the cost of the conference was covered. And, I have an aunt
that lives around the corner from where the conference was held, and I
stayed with her to help defray the cost, so it only cost the company about
$400 total to send me - and since we were still relatively new with using
Vantage and still implementing some modules - it was a very easy decision to
send me. I got so much out of it (I personally thought it was better than
all the many Epicor training classes I had taken - combined).

The reason I haven't attended in the years since then was basically because
Vantage really hadn't changed all that much and my bosses kept asking me
what value I would get, and based on the sessions and labs I could not
clearly identify where I would add value (although I'm still sure it would
have). But, this year with our testing on 8.0 and all the sessions on 8.0,
all I had to do was mention it would help with the implementation of 8.0,
and they said to GO!.

-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
todd Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 6:34 PM
To: 'Vantage @ YahooGroups. Com'
Subject: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

Out of curiosity ...

Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?

Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?

Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or some
percentage in-between?

Did you have trouble selling it to management?

How did you sell it to management?

George

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links
Yahoo! Groups Links

system · September 21, 2005, 1:24pm

I always include it as part of my "training to stay current" -- if Engineers
have to do that, and Sales guys go EVERYPLACE...

Also, even when it is not about the current version -- there is always
someone there to help you solve your issues.

Lydia

-----Original Message-----
From: todd Anderson [mailto:todd.anderson@...]
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 7:21 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

Todd,

Ok, so you have the routine down to a science ... Nice!

Any examples of the write up's before and after that you did for management
to SELL them on Perspectives?

Strikes me that more people might attend if they could figure out how
persuade management to send them.

Todd

_____

From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Todd Caughey
Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2005 7:05 AM
To: vantage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

I'm going (surprise!).

This year my objectives are:
1. Accumulate every shred of detail for benefits from 8.0 - including
potentials from customizaiton and dashboards
2. Acumulate every shred of detail for costs with 8.0 - including hardware,
report conversions and customization time
3. Figure out the underlaying mechanics of 8.0 and ongoing admin tasks and
costs
4. LABS: Heavy on Customization and Navigation - Objective: Rework quoting
screens
I have a whitepaper to write for my 2006 strategic plan which is supposed to
document the costs and ROI for migrating to 8.0. I suspect it wil take at
least a year to convert and prepare and we would go live in early 2007.

Work/Play Ratio:
75% work - 15% play work - 10% play play
Play work is the "after sessions" social events (welcome reception, Tuesday
party) related to conference where I can tap into brains and suck the info
out (and the reverse too). Much easier done with a drink in hand (theirs AND
mine). ;)

My wife always comes with so a certain amount of late evening time is
devoted to helping that great city build even greater monuments to
probability studies. We stay over Wednesday night because in order to take
full advantage of all the sessions it is too late to flay back home that
night anyway. Then I tack on a day of vacation for Thursday so we actually
fly home Friday. So post conference there is some dedicated play time. We
usually find a hotel deal somewhere else (since on our nickel). Last year
had a free room at Main Street Station downtown. This year either Sam's
Town or the Aladdin deal since I didn't buy the Las Vegas Advisor coupon
book this year.

Selling management has not been hard because:
A) Post conference trip reports from past years have proven the worth
B) System improvements put in place after returning have always paid for the
trip
C) This year it is crucial for my 2006 strategic plan
D) We've had a reasonably decent business year
E) All those "sales guys" get to travel all over and I never get out except
for Perspectives :( (I'm not above pouting)

-Todd C.

-----Original Message-----
From: vantage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vantage@yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of
todd Anderson
Sent: Tuesday, September 20, 2005 5:34 PM
To: 'Vantage @ YahooGroups. Com'
Subject: [Vantage] Birds of a feather - Perspectives -

Out of curiosity ...

Who is going this year and what do you expect to get out of it?

Are there certain sessions you are planning on attending?

Is it a working trip ( 100% ) or a golf / gambling trip ( 100% ) or some
percentage in-between?

Did you have trouble selling it to management?

How did you sell it to management?

George

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Useful links for the Yahoo!Groups Vantage Board are: ( Note: You must have
already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/messages
(3) To view links to Vendors that provide Vantage services goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/links

SPONSORED LINKS
Manufacturing <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Manufacturing+software&w1=Manufacturing
+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=P
da+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+soft
ware&c=6&s=185&.sig=AvWEwtBBb2CCZUYeLzjLVQ>
&k=Manufacturing+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+s
oftware&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+m
anagement+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=AvWEwtBBb2CCZU
YeLzjLVQ> software Membership <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Membership+database+software&w1=Manufac
turing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+softwar
e&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+databas
e+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=8uEu2piLZhrmuaS0aRTs5A>
&k=Membership+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+data
base+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Data
base+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=8uEu2piL
ZhrmuaS0aRTs5A> database software Database
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Database+mortgage+software&w1=Manufactu
ring+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&
w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+
software&c=6&s=185&.sig=WxJOMUVfawa-Spj4srksIw>
&k=Database+mortgage+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+databa
se+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Databa
se+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=WxJOMUVfaw
a-Spj4srksIw> mortgage software
Pda <http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Pda+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+
software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pd
a+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+softw
are&c=6&s=185&.sig=8c6UocdSpoECWlSALplOdQ>
&k=Pda+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database+so
ftware&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+ma
nagement+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=8c6UocdSpoECWlS
ALplOdQ> database software Database
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Database+management+software&w1=Manufac
turing+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+softwar
e&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+databas
e+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=C2nNY1SnmwAiBO61ww9nTw>
&k=Database+management+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+data
base+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Data
base+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=C2nNY1Sn
mwAiBO61ww9nTw> management software Online
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms
<http://groups.yahoo.com/gads?t=ms&k=Online+database+software&w1=Manufacturi
ng+software&w2=Membership+database+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4
=Pda+database+software&w5=Database+management+software&w6=Online+database+so
ftware&c=6&s=185&.sig=cYursVrba9nF7BBMh8EfUA>
&k=Online+database+software&w1=Manufacturing+software&w2=Membership+database
+software&w3=Database+mortgage+software&w4=Pda+database+software&w5=Database
+management+software&w6=Online+database+software&c=6&s=185&.sig=cYursVrba9nF
7BBMh8EfUA> database software

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already linked your email address to a yahoo id to enable access. )
(1) To access the Files Section of our Yahoo!Group for Report Builder and
Crystal Reports and other 'goodies', please goto:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vantage/files/.
(2) To search through old msg's goto:
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