#GPUGSummit 2017 Conference Day 2 – Part 2

Wow, what a morning so far.

Apart from the stress of trying to get Leslie to the GPUG Community General Session, watching the emotional rollercoaster she went on was amazing and draining at the same time. I am so thrilled that I can call Leslie Vail, MVP and GPUG All Star, my friend.

After the general session it was time for the combined Mekorma and Winthrop Development Consultants partner sponsor session: Kill 2 Birds with 1 Stone. This session started with Craig Klapman from Mekorma presenting their great Multi-Batch Management product, showing how simple it can be to create payables batches, print cheques and generate EFT files across multiple bank accounts and companies. A massive time saver for anyone who processes more than one payment run.

For the second half of the session, Craig assisted me with a short demonstration of some of the support and administration features of GP Power Tools. If you missed this session and would like to see a demo of the product, check out this video. The amount of time and effort that can be saved along with the enhanced usability offered for Microsoft Dynamics GP makes GP Power Tools a “no brainer” that should be installed on all customer sites globally.

Thanks to the great audience, we loved having the chance to show you our offerings and hope you enjoyed the session.

I had planned to attend some other sessions, but ended up going to the Speaker Appreciation Lounge with Mariano, so we could prepare for the sessions we were presenting together.  The entrance to the room with its red carpet made it look much fancier than it was inside, but it was a functional space where we could relax and get some preparation done.

Later I had a lunch meeting with a client that I had communicated with via email and Skype but never met in person. It is always fun meting people for the first time, especially if they look different from their online profile pictures.

After lunch I spent some more time at the Mekorma booth, chatting to people about my products before “walking” the expo to see who and what was on display. I had to be careful about meeting people who followed the Dark Side, you know those non GP attendees. 🙂

I also met up with the Training Dynamo, Amber Bell and we decided to get a photo with the cut-out figures. The result did not work so well as we were both too short and standing on tip toes was just not enough!

I headed back upstairs to the GPUG breakout session rooms. I swear the organisers were trying to make us fitter by having the session on the top floor of the conference centre. I eventually discovered the elevators, but you had know where they were hiding to use them.

I was a little early for the session with Mariano, so I stood at the back of Mark Polino’s Sex, Lies and Dynamics GP Security session. Nice title, but I don’t think it covered all three of the aspects mentioned.

Next, Mariano and I presented the session, Deploying Microsoft Dynamics GP Web Client. Actually it was more that Mariano presented and I was there to make him look good and provide comic relief. I don’t mind as this is a topic that is his speciality not mine.

After our session, as we were heading back to our rooms to dump our bags and freshen up for the evening’s events, Mariano and I caught up with Amber Bell, who was looking stunning after she and Shawn Dorward presented their Walk the Line with Johnny “Cashbook” & June “Credit-Carder” session.

For the evening, I joined Mariano and Craig and went downtown with them to the Wild Horse Saloon for a party primarily sponsored by Sikich, thanks to Tom Myers for letting me gate crash the party. I found the wild horses that the venue is named after… they were galloping across the ceiling. Mariano’s theory was that if you drunk enough they would be the correct way up.

After leaving the party we walked round the corner to join the Rock n Rave party for this year. The Nashville Rock n Rave was sponsored Party Bike and Pedal Tavern Tours. Think of a mobile bar the size and weight of a small car, with six saddles with pedals each side, that is powered by the riders along with a small electric motor to help get going and on the hills. Every time we stopped at a red traffic/stop light, everyone had to take a drink. If anyone took photos of us we had to point and them and yell “paparazzi”. It was noisy and fun, but also hard work on the hills (even with the assistance from the motor).

The Sprocket Rocket Tours photos from the event are shown in this Facebook Album, see if you can find your pictures.

After the bike ride, Angel Blum, Mariano and I stopped by a restaurant to grab a bite to eat before heading back to the hotel. As we were leaving the downtown area in Mariano’s car, we saw Kim Stewart crossing the road in front of us. Mariano “tooted” his horn to get her attention so we could offer her a ride. Kim, thinking that we were just an impatient driver, gave us the finger and kept walking towards a bus stop. Mariano had to stop the car, so I could jump out and run over to get her. Then she eventually realised that we were trying to get her attention and not telling her to get out of the way. Finally, the four of us returned to the hotel and called it a night.

Final day to come.

David

This article was originally posted on http://www.winthropdc.com/blog.