"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela
As local government officials, you can change the world, one municipality at a time. And that process starts with education. "Learning" is always a big theme at our User Conference, and this year was no different. We held relevant topic sessions, used a variety of teaching methods, and informed you of the future of SSI. And attendees seemed to love it!
You wanted relevant topics in the fields of payroll, HR, utility billing, finance, local government, and libraries. And we delivered. We held sessions, workshops, trainings, and roundtables on:
Every VIP module
Cybersecurity for counties
Labor and employment law
Auditing tips and tricks
Leveraging ChatGPT in local government and human resources
Improving revenue collections in utility billing
Partner products
Communicating with different generations
Ethics
And more...
You are all different and have varying ways of learning, and we kept that in mind when planning sessions. We educated you by providing learning labs with hands-on experience, speakers who are industry leaders in relevant topics, roundtables to discuss important issues with your peers, Q&A sessions, walk-in office hours with staff, networking opportunities, and workshops on key industry subjects.
You also wanted to know what's in store for SSI and how we're doing as a company. So we discussed the future. At the conference, our CEO/President delivered a State of the Company and members of our team discussed how SSI is doing and what’s in store next.
We created partnerships with ClearGov and Right Stuff this year, and we're looking for more partners to help you achieve more.
We enhance our software constantly with your suggestions in mind.
We continue to work towards industry certifications and enhance cybersecurity.
After every event, there are key people who must be thanked for their hard work and willingness to help with the event. To that end, we would be silly not to thank the many people who were involved in the conference this year:
Attendees - we wouldn't have the conference but for your thirst for knowledge, networking, and passion! Thank you for coming.
SSI staff - you all put on a fantastic event and helped our customers learn new ways to use our software, make their voices heard, and develop new processes!
Hotel Staff - to the employees at the Renaissance Hotel, thank you for all the cleaning, catering, setup, and breakdown help!
Partners - you gave our customers so much value and continue to do so throughout the year. They loved getting to know you!
After every conference, we send out a feedback survey so that you can voice your opinions, wishes, and suggestions. The attendees were decidedly happy about the conference this year, according to the survey:
"I felt it was informative, well organized, and a great place to meet colleagues who work in the same field on the same system."
"It's always worth the time. I learn many things and it's good to speak in person with SSI staff and other users."
"I always find value in the speakers and presentations. It is money well spent!"
"[I] always leave the conference with new ideas and ways to make my job easier."
"It was informative and a great conference. Good networking along with downtime and fun."
"The conference is always informative. The multiple round tables are my favorites, followed closely by the 'corner the expert' and the preview of coming attractions as well as the new items recently added."
Feel free to leave your comments about the conference below! It was an incredible conference this year—our biggest yet—and we hope to keep providing you valuable learning opportunities as we grow.
Mark your calendars for next year's conference at The Summit Hotel in Cincinnati, OH on October 23-25, 2024.