Frequent visitors to my blog (Hi Mom. Just kidding; my Mother’s eyes glaze over when I talk to her about what I do for a living.), know that Brass Tacks became a OneStream partner under a year ago. This was the first opportunity that I had to participate in the yearly Splash conference the company hosts.
Conferences can be challenging. They always seem to be at the busy times of the year when it’s difficult to get away for a consultant. As a result, I only attend one a year. This year’s choice was definitely a good decision. Splash was worth my time and investment to go.
It was held in Chicago at the Drake hotel. I’m a sucker for this type of historic property, and definitely prefer it to the usual conference hall. I didn’t get much other time in Chicago. They kept me busy the entire time I was there, and I was exhausted when I left.
There was an entire track for partners. I found it incredibly useful to help grow my business. Based on the customer track sessions that I went to, you can tell that OneStream cares about it’s clients and its partners. That was refreshing! Believe me when I say that some other EPM software vendors can be abusive to their partners.
I can start by saying that the sessions were informative. Isn’t that the minimum of what you expect from a conference? Informative sessions are the reason you go.
Splash went well beyond that informative minimum. It was well coordinated. They had double the number of people they originally expected but kept us all well-organized. The layout of the Drake hotel could be confusing at first but there were people to ask for directions. Yes, I’m admitting that I asked for directions instead of just looking things up on my phone.
It was the touches showing thought that showed me that the company really cared about this. My particular favorite; Colored lanyards. You knew who was an employee, partner or customer at a glance. So often you spend your time trying to read the fine print on someone’s stomach. I found their method to be incredibly useful.
I spent the conference speaking to as many people as I could. At Hyperion conferences, I find that after this many years they have the feel of a high school reunion. I run into old clients, industry people I’ve worked with before, and even old bosses. I love to see them, but as a result of catching up with so many people, I don’t stretch myself as much.
This time it was the first day of high school. There were about five people that I knew, and all the rest were ones I introduced myself too. As a relatively new partner, I was very interested in how other people’s implementations have gone. Just as interesting was hearing the viewpoint of the prospective clients. I appreciate everyone (and there were many) who took the time to tell me about theirs.
As usual, I regret the sessions that I didn’t have time to see. I only had time for two sessions by Cameron Lackpour but they were great as always.
There was fun to be had as well. I Dressed up for the 80’s party in a shirt that was mine from that time. The best part? Mother’s Day was just before I left so I showed the shirt that
I wore to my mother. She declared it horrible, which was when I reminded her that she was the one who bought it for me. It fit me a lot better back in college.
Speaking of college, next year Splash will be held in New Orleans. I went to school there and love that place, so I’ll take any excuse to get back.