“We were hoping for an in-person event this fall, but decided to wait, and it’s proving to be the right call, unfortunately,” Matt told me at the time. “The virtual meeting is the next best thing.  For a user group, structured meetings are needed to set a solid foundation and create connections to further build upon.”

In Matt’s case, persistence has paid off. The annual IBM Automation Midwest User Group Meeting is back and bigger than ever, August 24 and 25, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin at the World Headquarters of Acuity Insurance, Matt’s employer. The two-day Agenda is devoted to client success stories, Business Partner expertise on topics like Cloud and AI, IBM executive presentations, and the complete roadmap and direction for the IBM Digital Business Automation portfolio.

Ever the considerate host, Matt and the Midwest User Group are producing the get-together as a Hybrid Event, meaning if you can’t attend in person, you can pull up a PC and attend virtually. When you register, you will be asked to select whether you plan to attend in-person or virtually. If you choose virtual, you’ll receive a web link to join.

But if you take the time to join in-person, Matt is promising to throw a real Sheboygan welcome, which includes a Networking Happy Hour at the conclusion of Day One. “Wisconsin is well known for its beer,” he points out.

The Agenda is designed to appeal to all users of IBM Business Automation, with sessions devoted to its broad set of capabilities, and even a few adjacent capabilities around AIOps and Watson use cases. Client success stories from Midwest Users, including AutoOwners Insurance, Discover, Met Life, Principal Financial, and Prudential, will cover applications built with FileNet, Datacap, Blueworks Live, Business Automation Workflow, CMOD, and CM8. 

Midwest IBM Business Partners Genus Technologies and Dayhuff Group are also participating and presenting some of the forward-thinking applications that their customers are building on the IBM Business Automation platform. 

Finally, there will be IBM Executives and deep subject matter experts, like the opening keynote from Bill Lobig, Vice President of IBM Automation Product Management. Matt and the team have shaped the Agenda from the topic requests by group members. As a result, there are special sessions, like the Case Manager update from Dave Perman, one of the key architects of Case Manager, and Mike Mello will be on-hand to talk about IBM’s recent acquisition, Instana, for performance monitoring. Day Two is devoted to the roadmap and direction of the entire Business Automation product portfolio, presented by the product managers themselves.

Registration is easy. Just indicate In-person or Virtual: https://ibm.biz/MidwestUser2022

Also here is a flyer, put together by Event Producer Vicki Miller with information about traveling to Sheboygan and nearby accommodations, should you choose to stay over.

Here’s a quick 3 minute video with more information. Mat and I hope to see you there!