90p Admin

On another subject to discuss, I could have invited at least another 5 or 6 people for the Summit gathering (potential members and affiliates), but could not due to the restrictions we had. I'm not sure we should restrict ourselves and lose out on the potential. I'm not saying it should be everyone in the channel, ISVs and Sage at Summit which seemed to happen at the Summit After Dark, but perhaps some room to accommodate others as we see fit. If we are striving to be more strategic, this is part of that.

John we had two other sponsors and I'd given them a maximum price for the event. Also, the event was not for potential members/affiliates, although some did get in.

@MoiraGoggin, what were the restrictions you imposed? And who were the potential members/affiliates that did get in (even though there were barriers?).

All good food for thought regarding future Summit events. We went from not having an event at all to one very well attended (especially and surprisingly from the Sage perspective). I think as a board, we need to use this gathering as John is saying to our strategic advantage (what ever the board determines this to be). The event has evolved from a party in the Bob/Gary's suite (once you found it) in Nashville (2012) to Jim/Robert/Wayne's DC hotel room where I bought the booze in, to a catered hotel event in Vegas, to a restaurant event total funded by 90M in NOLA, to a cosponsored (SLA) event in Chicago to this week's event where I-BN and APS were cosponsors. The events continue to draw a crowd (to my amazement) which gives us ample opportunity to tweak it to our advantage. We need to capitalize on our brand. We can easily get affiliates to sponsor it (several wanted to this year) so cost is not a major concern. By thinking strategically, we can make our event THE MUST ATTEND EVENT of the entire Summit!!!!

It's always been the Avalara/Scanco, etc. event, but my opinion is it should be the 90 Minds event. We'll know we've made it when Stephen Kelly plans his schedule around at least a 15 - 20 minute visit to our event! (""Oh, come on, Blair, let's go - there's a good chap. 90 Minds always puts on a grand party, and everyone will be there . . ."") That to me is one of our ultimate goals.

I think we should market 90M Green Ties (and socks) to our membership.....

With the 90 Minds logo, of course.....

I am also surprised by the attendance at Summit. I talked to two vendors who were blown away by the booth traffic. I was wrong on my prediction about attraction to the 90 Minds event -- one that I'm happy lost the vote! That said, we need to remember that all trade shows pull very, very heavily from a 200-mile radius. Repeats year over year drop rapidly, and there hadn't been anything in the Atlanta area for a very long time. I don't think next year will likely be as big. However, even with 2/3 the attendance it would be a significant event for us to push. And with Sage's newfound need for channel, perhaps more partners there. So, we are clearly looking at MOTM followed 10 weeks later by Summit. We should plan Board meeting there; in-person does help build cohesiveness, and creates the time to address things that really can't be handled in 90-minute GTM.

Historically, it has been as much of a recruitment event as it has been for the membership and affiliate thank you.

@JeffSchwenk what color should the logo be on the green ties?

I think we need to tie in with the ""limey"" green color that Sage is now.

Added to agenda

@JerryNorman I haven't discussed this with anyone, but I felt this was one of the best Summits I have attended, and I feel that Sage came across positively. That's only my opinion and experience, but I'd be interested in other opinions. If Summit is going to be in Atlanta the next 2 years, I think it will only grow.

John, my forecasting record on this recently has been rubbish -- so I won't argue now. Certainly for next year.

It was one of the better Summits in a while. The Road Ahead was disappointing in how poorly it was presented. Overall there was a positive Sage message. The trade show was well attended. The smaller size was good in that it created a quality audience vs a quantity Audience.

@JohnHoyt I think your appraisal of what is likely over the next couple of years is likely. Did they officially announce the location for next year? I had heard a rumor it was in ATL for a total of 3 years but it wasn't vetted in any way.

That was only a rumor. In past years, they made a big deal about announcing the next location at the end of the final day morning session. That did not happen, and it did not last year. I think Atlanta is likely - management and many resources are there and the city has the capacity to host it. Irvine never offered that as a city. Sage is also deeply entrenched with Atlanta. Finally, the choice supports the headquarters idea and provides needed stability.