Last week I atte
nded Gartner’s annual PPM & IT Governance Summit in Orlando and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the conference was organized to maximize the value of both attendees and sponsors of the event.
I’ve been to too many conferences that primarily focused on its sessions and provided very limited opportunities for both buyers and sellers of technology to interact. After all, these events are supposed to help generate business and provide pragmatic knowledge to those seeking to improve the way they work. Aside from focusing on sessions that were aimed at helping IT implement effective techniques to demonstrate the value they bring to their organizations, logistically the event was designed to maximize the interactions between vendors and buyers by setting up many of the coffee breaks and cocktails on the tradeshow floor. Taking advantage of the humid Orlando weather, even an ice cream bar was setup in the solutions area serving up Haagen Dazs on a daily basis!
If there is anything I took away from this event is that accountability was the reoccurring theme. Gartner stressed IT needs to become accountable to the organizations they serve. In a post-recession economy, now more than ever, for continued success the PPM vendor community needs to be part of their clients’ accountability. And finally, the analyst/research community needs to be accountable for creating the most conducive atmosphere for dialogue.
Tags: Gartner, IT Governance
