One of the great things about this conference is the crossover of sessions available to attendees. Whether your affiliation is with AFSMI, SSPA, or TPSA there is a tremendous amount of educational opportunities to choose from, and our attendees are encouraged to attend any session they wish.

Our keynote sessions, however, are tagged by Association to help guide our members toward what might be most useful to them. This morning, on the TPSA side, we heard from Ruth Fornell, vice president of professional services for NCR. In her presentation, “Managing Professional Services in an Economic Downturn,” Ruth shared the tactics her services organization has pursued to preserve and increase services profitability. She also discussed emerging tactics that services executives need to consider in a prolonged economic downturn.

Focused toward the needs of AFSMI and SSPA members was “Maximizing the Value of Your Customers’ Software Investments,” by Leo Annab, corporate senior vice president of CA Support, CA. Leo highlighted ways that vendors can better position the services they provide to help them develop, sustain, and maximize value. He discussed the future of customer success in the IT industry, and how software vendors can provide valuable programs to ensure business success.

Both Ruth and David covered vital subjects in today’s challenging times.

The Technology Services Expo opened with a Welcome Reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thirty-six companies filled the Technology Services Expo―services and solutions providers from Adobe to Zebra.

One of my favorite areas is the Cyber Lounge and Wi-Fi Hot Spot. Cool white couches, relaxing palm trees, and wireless Internet access, all compliments of Salesforce.com.

I also attended a Solutions Session at our Media Center (Booth 27) presented by remote support provider Bomgar. This informal presentation was highly informative and created a comfortable atmosphere for Q&A. Other partners will be presenting at our Solutions Stage throughout the event.

Also at our Media Center you’ll find Suzanne Hite ready to harvest comments about your conference experience. We’d love to hear what you have to say, so stop by during Expo hours and share your stories of how you’ve engaged with our Associations.

At 3 p.m., attendees converged in the main theater where J.B. Wood, president and CEO of AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA, provided a compelling opening keynote address on “Breakthroughs in Service Economics.” J.B. laid out a solid framework for breaking down existing barriers in services delivery and provided a roadmap that services organizations can follow for navigating today’s challenging times.

William Steenburgh, senior vice president of Xerox Services, followed with his keynote presentation on “Differentiation through Systemic Innovation in Services.” Bill shared how Xerox Services has been looking systemically at bringing innovation throughout the technology adoption life cycle to create differentiation. He also provided an overview of a unique virtual BS degree program for services personnel at the Rochester Institute of Technology, as well as some emerging collaborations with other leading academic institutions.

Both sessions were held in the conference center’s amphitheater. The tiered seating and curtained stage provided a unique ambiance for attendees, with few seats left vacant.

Next stop? The opening of the Technology Services Expo!

The wait is over! Today is the first day of our conference. Services leaders from across the country and around the globe stared arriving as early as 7:00 a.m. to claim their badges and bags. Attendees could choose either traditional check-in or self check-in, making for a streamlined and efficient process. Although the vast majority of attendees registered early for the three-day event, we also welcomed a number of late arrivals and one-day pass holders, surpassing registration expectations.

First on our agenda were two pre-conference professional development courses, designed to offer in-depth content on topics important to our members. The sessions were led by Mark Sloan, COO of RTM Consulting, and David Kay, principal of DB Kay and Associates.

Mark’s presentation on “Global Resource Management” provided eager listeners with an understanding of the global resource management (GRM) process, a comprehensive review of GRM principles, and a foundation on which they can develop a GRM adoption/execution plan for their own organizations. Mark is considered an industry pioneer with respect to defining and deploying global resource management processes.

In David’s session on “Implementing Knowledge-Centered Support,” attendees discovered how to implement a proven best practice for knowledge management, maintain knowledge without slow and expensive review queues, and increase internal efficiency and self-service effectiveness. To help illustrate points in this talk, David’s group left the classroom setting for some experiential learning. David is an expert in the areas of knowledge management, self-service, feedback management, and collaboration.

Check back soon, as I’m off to the opening keynotes, and I’m sure they’ll be a lot to share.

Technology Services World 2009 commences tomorrow at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Silicon Valley. Our event runs May 4-6 and is co-hosted by AFSMI, SSPA, and TPSA—the three leading associations of the technology services and support industry. The conference agenda features over 50 sessions presented by experienced practitioners and industry thought leaders, offering a unique opportunity for services professionals to gain new ideas, network with peers, and challenge current business and strategic assumptions.

More than 550 services professionals representing over 180 of the industry’s leading companies will be attending―an outstanding turnout in today’s challenging economy. Our event also features a Technology Services Expo showcasing the latest services and solutions from many of the industry’s foremost providers.

As staff busily prepares for the coming excitement, members, partners and speakers begin to arrive. The registration and expo areas are coming together quickly and soon will welcome crowds to what has become known as the premier event for services professionals. 

We will be blogging live throughout the event to keep you up to date on the latest insights and key takeaways from industry leaders from around the world as well as excerpts from key one-on-one interviews with industry leaders and partners. Stay tuned…