We are currently making plans for the HEATWave 2007 event.  We will continue to evolve this event to make sure it is meaningful, beneficial, and thought provoking.  We will continue our quest to equip all participants with the knowledge they need to build a “world class support center” for their company.

HEATWave 2006, CreekPointe’s 4^th Annual HEAT User’s Conference, was hosted in historic Charleston mere steps from some of the best shopping and dining this city has to offer on September 18^th  - September 22^nd .  We kicked off the week by conducting three pre-conference training classes including Advanced HEAT Admin, ITIL Foundation, and Service Desk Solutions.

Using a Casino theme, we started off our reception on Wednesday evening with slot machine tournament and hors d’oeuvres.  This was a great time of re-acquainting with others and meeting many new people from all walks of HEAT.  Trying our luck with the one-armed bandit got things off to a rowdy start.  For those with a more of a gambling bug, we hosted a Texas Hold’em tournament adjacent to the Swamp Fox Restaurant and Bar located inside of the hotel.  Some played late into the night while others headed out for dinner, Charleston style.

We began Thursday morning with prizes awarded for the slot and poker matches on Wednesday night.  Unique CreekPointe poker chips were given out to everyone along with rules on how to earn more throughout the conference.  These were safely guarded by all and later traded in for a chance to win one of several amazing prizes on Friday.

Our first presentation was provided by George Spalding with Pink Elephant, North America’s leading provider of ITIL certification, consultation and instruction.  Being completely involved with ITIL best practices and even being asked to help author the next release of this large IT Infrastructure Library, George was very adept at laying out ITIL and applying it to the day-to-day.  Several of our attendees commented as to his excellent presentation and the wealth of its content.

After a break and a chance to network, we assembled once again for a Lunch-n-Learn on “What’s New With HEAT 8.4” presented by our Director of Technology, Bryan Hudgens.

Later, we were presented with a look at the LANDesk Process Management Tool  by Toby Martin and Marty Kurzinski with LANDesk.  This toolset/engine allows you to manage business object via automation.  Not only is this application founded on ITIL disciplines it clearly drives down costs associated with manpower while driving up productivity.  Integrating HEAT with LPM allows organizations to address 3 of the 7 streams of ITIL – Incident, Problem, and Change Management.

We ended our Thursday sessions with round table discussions focused around the following topics: Team building, burnout, career advancement and reducing Stress, Customer satisfaction – measuring and increasing, Diagnosing, analyzing, assigning and managing problems, Help Desk vs Service Desk – Moving to a full Service Desk, and Technology trends for delivering support.  These round tables were very well received and you can look forward to them on next year’s agenda.
 
With our “work” for the day being done, it was time to relax a bit and take in some of the city.  We assembled out front for guided tours of Charleston while riding in mule-drawn, open air carriages.  We ended our tour at the Boathouse Restaurant for a great meal before being shuttled back to the Francis Marion.  Once back we attended “Casino Night” where packed tables of Blackjack, Poker, Craps and Roulette were soon underway.  Prizes for 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place finishes for the big money winners were awarded Friday morning.
 
Friday began with a huge, Southern style breakfast buffet.  We got underway with a presentation on the HEAT Roadmap given by FrontRange Solutions’s HEAT Product Manager, Jason Holmberg.
 
Following this session was a presentation by Mike Heberling of FRS on IP Contact Center.  With at least 3 of our attendees having already implemented this cutting-edge HEAT module and several more on the path to do so, the IPCC presentation had everyone’s attention as they saw the benefits of VoIP technology integrated with HEAT.

Over lunch we enjoyed Reporting with HEAT using Crystal Reports given by T Rendleman, one of CreekPointe’s Business Development Managers.

Following this we were presented with Reporting with HEAT using Stonefield Query hosted by Chris Hodgins of SFQ.  For some in IT, reporting can be a daunting task and we saw how, through use of SFQ, you can quickly and easily create numerous reports from your HEAT system.

We ended our sessions with a look at Help Desk Best Practices, hosted by our own Bryan Hudgens.  With the ITIL framework becoming more entrenched in US IT policy, a move from Help Desk to Service Desk and the necessity for more sophisticated reporting metrics, this presentation helped to tie all of the presentation threads together and end our conference from a necessary vantage point.

Of course no HEATWave ends in a mild-mannered fashion.  Before departing, attendees traded in all the well-earned CreekPointe chips for raffle tickets and we let the drawing begin.  An X Box , $100 AmEx giftcards, a digital picture frame, a certificate for a “paid” HEATWave 2007 conference, and a Professional Gambler’s Poker brief case were some of things won.

Based on feedback from our attendees, HEATWave 2006 was our best conference ever!

The depth and breadth of knowledge of the presenter and attendees is unparalleled  elsewhere.
- Walt Schroeder, Flowers Foods 
 
Incredible content.  Featured Kick off speaker was informative and pertinent as well as entertaining.  All other content and delivery was well worth the time spent and info I could use NOW!
– Drake Tsioutsias, City of Chesapeake
 
The speaker, George Spalding, was excellent and gave me many valuable ideas that I am now applying to both our help desk restructure and to areas of I.T. compliance such as data ownership.
 – David Crabtree, Tandy Brands Accessories 
 
The combination of the Advanced Admin class and the conference provided a good mix of technical information and networking with other users so I was able to return with real ideas to implement when I returned to work.
 – Ron Tsolis, Railinc 
 
It’s useful to learn emerging technologies and methods for over all IT management.  It’s a must for anyone looking for streamlining processes and upgrade current service level.
– Armghan Malik, Rock-Tenn 
 
The Round Table discussions were a great deal of help in accessing problems with HEAT that we shared with others and how to alleviate those issues.
 – Kimberly Critchlow, VBCPS 
 
The topics covered were industry-current; presented in an enjoyable atmosphere conducive to learning and networking.  The speakers were informative and dynamic.
 – Linda Thorson, Bon Secours Health Systems 
 
It is a ton of fun and I always learn a lot!
 – Stacy Smith, Cousins Properties

We are currently making plans for the HEATWave 2007 event.  We will continue to evolve this event to make sure it is meaningful, beneficial, and thought provoking.  We will continue our quest to equip all participants with the knowledge they need to build a “world class support center” for their company.