HEATWave 2007
HEATWave 2007 Recap
CreekPointe hosted its 5th annual HEATWave End-User Conference in Charleston, South Carolina on September 10th – 15th.  Pre-conference training included CreekPointe’s R.E.A.L. HEAT Workshop, HDI’s Support Center Manager Skills Building & Certification Training, and CreekPointe’s Service Desk Solutions Workshop.  Feedback from these classes was excellent and many attendees agreed that this training was some of the best instruction they have received.  New to this year’s conference was the HEAT demo area where attendees could see and ask questions about HEAT, Knowledge Management, IP Communications Management, and HEAT Self Service.

            The HEATWave reception on Wednesday night began with each attendee walking down the red carpet and posing for a picture with a famous Hollywood character.  As you may have guessed the theme for this year’s event was “Hollywood Movies”.  As HEATWavers got to know each other or reacquaint themselves with friends from previous years, movie clips played in the background.  Before the reception ended, attendees divided into teams and played “Scene It?”  Each member of the winning team won a Movie Gift Card.  Following the Reception was the annual Texas Hold’em Championship Tournament.
Thursday began with an inspiring presentation by Brenda Iniguez with Pink Elephant.  Brenda challenged each attendee to “Don’t just Manage…Be a “Player At The Big Table!”  She provided insightful ways and valuable resources that would enable each attendee to grow their professional development.  Following was a session with some great tips on how to better utilize different aspects of HEAT.   New to this year’s conference was the HEAT demo area where attendees could see and ask questions about HEAT, Knowledge Management, IP Communications Management, and HEAT Self Service.

After lunch in historic downtown Charleston, Linda Thorson with Bon Secours Health Systems gave a customer testimonial on how they utilize HEAT.  She gave a live demonstration of the new HEAT Self-Service portal that their user community is beginning to use. Then it was time for everyone to break into groups for one of the most popular features of HEATWave – the round table discussions.  These sessions offered a unique chance to speak in-depth with peers about problems and challenges that each face, and solutions that many have found to help solve them.  Round-table discussions ended by bringing the group together to share what was discussed and any solutions that were found. 

Thursday evening, in a word, was “fantastic”!  The evening started with a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of beautiful historic Charleston with a final destination of the renowned Magnolias Uptown/DownSouth Restaurant.  As guests arrived, it was discovered that Sonny Sutton, a wealthy and eligible bachelor of the Charleston area, had been murdered.  During a delicious dinner everyone was asked to help solve the murder.  Diners interrogated several of Sonny’s friends and tried to help crack the case. 
Friday morning kicked off with a session on integrating HEAT with desktop management.  Next, Nathan Jackson with Atlanta Public Schools and Hornsby Sams with SIA shared how Atlanta Public Schools has refined and enhanced their business processes using the HEAT toolset.  After a short break, Mike Heberling with FrontRange gave a demo on the new features of IP Communications Management and Kevin Smith with FrontRange shared future development plans they have for HEAT.  We ended the conference with a session given by CreekPointe’s director of technical services entitled “Maximize Your Service Desk and Minimize Your Stress.”  This session weaved together the topics that were discussed at this year’s HEATWave in a thought provoking, educational, and entertaining way. 
The HEATWave 07 Grand finale was a raffle of Great prizes donated by Aeroprise, HDI, Pink Elephant, FrontRange, Stonefield Query, and or course CreekPointe.  Thanks to all for your participation and comments.  Your input is used to make future events even better.

Based on feedback from our attendees, HEATWave 2007 was our best conference ever!

It was nice to be able to speak to others in my field who have had different experiences and ways of doing things. I really enjoyed being able to meet people from disparate organizations and meshing ideas.
– Jim Rohrer, Wright State University 

One of the most if not the most carefully planned HEAT convention I've been to.  I've been to over 15 in the span of 8 years.
– Hung Pham, SMDC Health System 

The overall conference is outstanding and provides an excellent opportunity of exchanging ideas and seeing how others operate.
– Octavis Jones, Prince William County Public Schools 

Great information and strategies dissemintaed to attendees.
– Keith Blackmon, Cousins Properties, Inc. 

Being able to get together with other HEAT users and discuss how they utilize it, gives you some great ideas to take back to your system.
– Joyce Gunter, Self Regional Healthcare 

Having the oppurtunity to learn and network with other companies, HEATWave with CreekPointe gives any HEAT Admin a chance to update his system and policies to meet and exceed any business standard.
– Joe Barbour, Multiplan
Click on the below photos to enlarge
Reception
Annual Texas Hold'em Championship
Main Conference
Carriage Ride / Murder Mystery Dinner