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Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

  • 1.  Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago

    Whew!! What a week!! 

    The IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference has come and gone! So many highlights to share, so many great sessions, great people, and such an incredible atmosphere. It was almost like a family reunion with 350+ IBM Champions, mixing & mingling, delivering high-impact sessions, and making new-comers feel warmly welcomed.  

    But don't take my word for it!  What about you? What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 conference? Tell us! 

    /kd 

    IBM TechXchange Highlights



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago

    To meet you all, it was a great week, to be there as first year champion and speaker.

    Many thanks to your all, and for all. And not to forget the speakers support: Paul Cortellesi, Gary Lafferty.

    Looking back on a very intensive, learn full week!



    ------------------------------
    Christian Sonnemans
    Tactical Unix system engineer
    De Volksbank
    Den Bosch
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago

    @Christian Sonnemans It was wonderful to have you there with us and thank you for your contributions to the conference and your hard work as an IBM Champion! Glad you made it home safe and sound! Have a great week ahead! 

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago

    Great Conference!  Meeting new people #1. 

    Getting my Blue Jacket!   

    Having great Conversations and catching up with old friends.   

    Pinball  ;) 



    ------------------------------
    Daryl Baker
    Director of Software Solutions
    BSP Software - Micro Strategies Inc.
    IL
    8153262562
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago

    @Daryl Baker Glad you were able to make it to the conference! It was lovely to meet you in person. The blue jacket suits you! 

    Enjoy the week ahead! 

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago
    Hi Kate,

    It was a great time for sure!

    By listening the community members and compering their outcomes with each other, I saw a value of my work for IBM and for me more precisely.

    Well done.

    Best regards,

    Marcin Pelczarski



    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 26 days ago
    Edited by Eric Bos 26 days ago

    The best was to meet face to face with clients, business partners and colleagues. And the hands-on labs of course! 



    ------------------------------

    Eric Bos
    Senior Technical Support Engineer
    IBM
    Ireland
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    Thanks for posting your blog, @Eric Bos! Yes, unfortunately, we didn't meet in person. I guess it will have to be next year in Orlando! 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 25 days ago

    For me, as we discussed on LinkedIn:

    • The best part is the total immersion in the community, people's needs, concerns, and interests, as revealed in hallway and mealtime conversations.
    • Technical content A+:
      • JJ Asghar's Watsonx workshop
      • Liam &co's VSCode Db2 session
      • Hugo from RedHat was generous with his time on the expo floor touring me through their latest support for containers. Great value in that conversation!

    There's so much else that was uplifting for a practitioner in the IBM enterprise systems space, too much to enumerate!



    ------------------------------
    Jack Woehr
    Senior Consultant
    Seiden Group LLC
    Beulah CO
    3038478442
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    Hallway conversations are the most productive, aren't they, @Jack Woehr? What about the awesome nearly, life-sized Chess games? It was great to see you at the conference and looking forward to seeing you next year! 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    This year @Kathryn DuPont I was not so engaged by chess. My mind was mostly elsewhere, particularly on AI.
    I think this year I got more from the conference content than I did the previous year.



    ------------------------------
    Jack Woehr
    Senior Consultant
    Seiden Group LLC
    Beulah CO
    3038478442
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    Glad to hear you got more out of the conference this year! Nevertheless it was good to see you playing chess when you had a bit of time! ;) 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 25 days ago
    Edited by Jesper Poulsen 25 days ago

    Lots of good things 😀

    • meeting with product managers face to face.
    • the hands-on labs learning about the new stuff.
    • listening to interesting sessions about product usage from customers and partners
    • the dialog with other product users / specialist about usage and product functionality
    • IBM Impact - helping others with very little effort
    • the feedback from the clients we brought - it was great value for them
    • having fun with all the IBM Champions and meeting the uncrowned pinball king (you know who you are 😉)

    So looking forward to next year in Orlando and hopefully bringing more clients.



    ------------------------------
    Kind regards,
    Jesper Poulsen
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    What a great list @Jesper Poulsen! Among all the wonderful tech learning opportunities and networking, you're right... the IBM Impact was also a very special part of the conference! Always nice to see people in tech giving of themselves to help others! 

    Now I'm curious who the uncrowned pinball king might be? Will you reveal your sources? :) 

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 15.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 25 days ago

    Meeting the product managers face-to-face is always good. It is great to get an opportunity to say things I'd rather not put in writing.

    I enjoyed speaking at the event, and was delighted that my live demo worked. (That was a relief!)

    It was great to lose about 6lbs in weight with all the walking I had to do!  (That's ~ 2.5kgs for you metric types!)

    Meeting one other person with links to Northern Ireland was quite a surprise. And he was a Champion!

    Getting hands-on access to some new technology in the labs was also a highlight. The Verify Identity Protection product is very cool.

    On Tuesday evening, I had the high score on one of the pinball machines. Admittedly, when I tried to check at the end of the week I was "herded" (delightfully so) back to the Champions Pack in preparation for our final video. (I felt like a winner temporarily at least!)



    ------------------------------
    Stephen Swann
    Managing Director
    Madigan Solutions
    www.madigansolutions.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 16.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    Wait a minute! @Stephen Swann Are you the unnamed, uncrowned pinball king that @Jesper Poulsen is talking about? :) 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 17.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 25 days ago
    Edited by Ray Mullins 25 days ago

    Wow! So many highlights! I hadn't been to a conference this large since a GUIDE in the late 1980s. Of course it was great to see Libby & Shari, but also to meet you, Morgan, Namitha, and others who ride herd on the Champions in person!

    In no particular order:

    • Getting my Champions jacket and the exclusive friendship bracelet
    • Meeting so many of my fellow Champions in different areas, and now I know what a "Maximo" is
    • Having a SHARE reunion; honestly, I was afraid of being overwhelmed but seeing so many of my SHARE colleagues made this feeling go away
    • The quiet space at the beach party (Apple Health was concerned about my noise exposure over the week, lol)
    • The OMP day
    • Fantastic sessions (and as always, having to pick and choose is like the which button to push meme)
    • [edit] How could I forget! Meeting PJ Catalano in person, finally!!!!!!

    Not so good: the calf muscle tear. It is healing, though, I'm mostly walking.

    I'm looking forward to next year (not the locale so much, I will have been there 4 times in 4 years 😀).



    ------------------------------
    Ray Mullins
    Sr. Software Developer
    Broadcom Mainframe Software Division
    Roseville
    +19164123982
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 18.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    @Ray Mullins it was so wonderful to have you with us. And hopefully your calf is fully healed soon! You were a champion for continuing to walk all those steps with your injury! Wishing you wellness! 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 19.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 22 days ago

    It's getting better! My foot doctor (seeing for an unrelated condition and in a bizarre coincidence also lives two houses away) checked it out and was impressed with the bruising that appeared over the weekend, lol. He gave me a compression sleeve and that's also been helping. I'm walking better, although still not 100%. Poppy & Daisy are getting their regular walks, albeit shorter.

    Thank you for asking!



    ------------------------------
    Ray Mullins
    Sr. Software Developer
    Broadcom Mainframe Software Division
    Roseville
    United States
    +19164123982
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 20.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 25 days ago

    Hey @Kathryn DuPont,

    it was full success in many ways.. It was like "coming home" and a familiar situation to meet you all again :)
    Additional to that, i had time to do my certifications , yeah!! Something was constantly getting in the way of doing this in everyday business life..

    And.. now i have three patches on my beautiful blue jacket! And above all, i had a lot of fun :) It was really nice to laugh together with you all. (#funpictures :) )
    Many years ago, i decided to find something fun to do, so i wouldn't have to work anymore.. This worked also very well at IBM TechXchange2024 :)

    And last but not least, i met many new Faces, Champions and great people and leveled up my networking and english skills :)
    After the TechXchange is before the TechXchange!

    To be continued..



    ------------------------------
    Ralph Belfiore
    Managing Consultant | Senior SIEM Expert
    connecT SYSTEMHAUS AG
    Siegen
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 21.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    @Ralph Belfiore It was so great to see you again! And yes!! Three patches for your blue jacket! The fun pictures episode with you and @Andrey Klyachkin and other joiners was absolutely hilarious!! I haven't laughed like that in ages! So fun! 

    Take good care and see you soon! 

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 22.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 24 days ago
    For me, this year was a bit strange.  Many of you know that my former company ended its formal activity as an IBM business partner in September and eliminated my position (it remains a business partner on paper to conduct transactions, but anyone left is strictly part-time and focused on other work).  

    So I ended up at TXC as an unemployed Champion, and I felt a little out of place initially.  I focused a lot of time on basic networking and talking to people about what *they* do, and the challenges they face, so that I can better prepare and equip myself for my next role.  I easily talked to ~70 of you - many I've only known by reputation in the past.  I came away with a good sense of what you think IBM's priorities are (or should be) and practical guidance.

    Looking forward to seeing you all again next year...

    Kevin R. Gee | geek@aixgeek.org | 6x IBM Champion, 2019-2024





    Original Message


  • 23.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    @Kevin Gee We were so happy you were able to join us at the conference. Your voice is important, and it's great you connected with others.  

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 24.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 24 days ago

    I'm still hyped about last week, what a ride it was! Being a first time Champion and a first time TechXchange visitor, everything was new to me and I was eager to fully submerge myself in the experience. During the pre-conference meetup, I immediately felt part of a community and I had chats with a lot of fellow Champions and many other folks.

    My highlights are:

    • all Champions activities
    • meeting Product Management
    • the TM1 World Championship Qualifyer
    • meeting a lot of new people and having good conversations with them

    Thank you for being such wonderful hosts!



    ------------------------------
    Luc Cusiel
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 25.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    @Luc Cusiel It sounds like you enjoyed a warm welcome into the Champions group! It was great to see you there and I'm happy to hear you got some great highlights from attending and participating! /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 26.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 24 days ago

    Getting to meet so many people was awesome. 

    As a first-year champion, I was initially intimidated, but everyone was fantastic! The conference was great and I am excited to be able to attend next year. :) 

    The blue jacket was pretty cool too. ;)



    ------------------------------
    Caroline Whitaker
    Senior Capacity Management
    Ensono
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 27.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    @Caroline Whitaker It was so good to have you there and glad to hear any concerns went away. The Champions (and IBMers) are truly a welcoming crowd.  The conference was meant to feel 'homey' for everyone. So great you will be with us again next year! Looking forward to it. /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 28.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    Kathryn:

    What a week it was indeed! On my last night I left the strip and went to dinner in downtown Las Vegas (near Fremont street) and saw a quote from Zappo's founder Tony Hsieh painted on a wall. While Hsieh's story ended tragically, he was someone who truly tried to do good, and with some success: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/28/us/tony-hsieh-las-vegas.html

    ANYWAY - here's why I mention Tony Hsieh: he wrote a business book called "Delivering Happiness" and in it (as I recall) he had a chapter on business networking with advice that I have lived by ever since: it was something about making real connections with people, finding shared passions and enjoying good company. Forget about woodenly collecting contacts without context or interest.

    And I am thrilled to report that IBM TechXchange 2024 turned out to be a perfect networking event in the BEST possible way. I enjoyed lovely conversations and meetings with fellow IBM Champions, Product Managers, Consultants and practitioners of every ilk. The atmosphere was positive and welcoming. I learned a ton, and feel like I have made some new friends for life, while strengthening old relationships.

    Thank you All! 



    ------------------------------
    Ann-Grete Tan
    agtan@tensorresearch.com
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 29.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 23 days ago

    WoW! @Ann-Grete Tan thank you for such a great post and the connection to Hsieh's book. The great thing about going to a conference like IBM TechXchange, as you wisely point out is that we get to make real connections with people. Our teams have worked hard on making the event feel comfortable and welcoming.  
    And thank you for joining me as a guest on the call today! You were fabulous (as always)! /kd



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 30.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 22 days ago

    For me the best past was meeting fellow Champions, it's amazing when you find "your tribe" with colleagues who share a passion for technology and innovation.   I was also great to see of course the fantastic Champion support team with Libby, Shari, Kathryn and everyone.  We so much appreciate all you do for us.

    Finally the topper of the week was meeting PJ!!  #WheresPJ

    WheresPJ



    ------------------------------
    Scott McFall
    Vice President
    ProTech Enterprise IT Training & Consulting
    Pittsburgh
    14124458070
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 31.  RE: Tell Us: What were the best parts of the IBM TechXchange 2024 Conference?

    Posted 22 days ago

    @Scott McFall 

    It was so great to have you with us for the week! You're right, the great thing about this conference is that you find and connect with people who have a shared purpose, vision, and mission! I love it!  I'm also glad you finally got to meet the incomparable @PJ CATALANO!! #wheresPJ! 

    /kd 



    ------------------------------
    Kathryn DuPont User Advocacy, IBM TechXchange
    Advocacy Engagement Leader
    IBM
    ON
    ------------------------------

    Original Message