Collaboration University Chicago Day 1
Category Collaboration UniversityDay 1 was a whirlwind of finely-tuned presentations. The speakers really seem at home here - this being the 7th CU conference they should! We had a great start - most would say because I broke my own mold and actually kicked off the conference with a 6-minute introduction - and kept it to 6 minutes...unlike 2006, where I planned a 6-minute introduction that went 24 minutes. Here are my opening slides - most of you will know this is uncharacteristically short for me!
In the middle of the slides, each of the presenters introduced themselves to the packed room, then explained what their focus would be for the conference (well, SOME of them did that only AFTER lamenting their session scheduling!).
The most important slide is the one below - representing the fact that at Collaboration University, we really do represent a good chunk of the Sametime and Quickr user base. These people will also have the opportunity to provide their input to IBM as to the top priorities for the products - Quickr, Sametime and Connections too. It was great to see an attendee, Handly Cameron from Atlanta, posting "Day 1" updates to his own blog during the day.
Our keynote address "Collaboration When it Counts" was a big success. Col. Ed Hackett was a lively and engaging speaker - explaining the role of collaboration in all aspects of his 25-year career in the Marines - from interactions with the flight deck of carriers when he was commanding officer of a flight crew, to his work with the Joint Chiefs on information sharing initiatives, to humanitarian aid in Somalia and other world hotspots, to his current work that brought us together, mostly over Sametime chats at 3 AM! Julian posted a great summary of his talk.
Last thing tonight, the speakers met for a great dinner at "Shikago" - a block down the street from our hotel. Great food and wine, great stories, great fun. Can't wait for tomorrow!
