'Tis the Season

[Matt Schvimmer]

"It's the most wonderful time of the year…."   No, I'm not referring to that time of year when a portly guy in a red suit shimmies down your fireplace to hand your kids an Amazon gift card.   In fact I'm referring to the time of year when we host the number one conference for IT Professionals — Knowledge, ServiceNow's annual user conference. This May we are hosting Knowlege16, our 10^th anniversary, and my fifth time attending as an employee of ServiceNow.     I have to say this company, and this event in particular, are unlike anything I've ever experienced in my professional career.   If you join us in Las Vegas, I guarantee you that you'll say the same after just one day.   Let me explain:

I've been in the IT industry a long time - since before we were knew shipping 50lb bags on dog food was a bad pets.com business model - and in that time I've been to LOTS of vendor conferences.   What's always clear to me is that these events are exceptionally self-serving for the vendor.   They are a place for a vendor to talk about how great they are and tell you what they are going to sell you next.   I call this the 'show up and throw up' approach.   Just bring your checkbook (or your Procurement Officer) because we know what you want.     The other thing I noticed was these events serve as an opportunity for the 'airing of the grievances' (Seinfeld shout-out — YouTube it if you want some entertainment). Your sales representative sets up meetings with corporate muckity-mucks, you complain about how you're dealing with terrible bugs, how hard the products are to maintain, and how you are perpetually stuck on 3 year old versions.   Said muckity-muck feigns surprise and promises to do better, but amazingly nothing ever happens.   You leave frustrated but with some cool vendor swag (because everyone can use a new t-shirt right?).

Well I'm here to tell you, it's just different at a Knowledge conference.  

Knowledge has always been about connecting industry professionals so they can learn and interact with other likeminded professionals.   It's no accident that nearly 90% of the sessions at Knowledge16 are presented by customers.   I'm still amazed at this fact.   These folks invest their time to share their company's initiatives, their experiences, and their best practices.   Sometimes the topics are covering CIO-level strategies and sometimes they dive down into details around, for example, how to design an engaging Service Catalog. There is value for every level of the organization!   And you know why?   Well it's the best part and something that makes our customer community unique in the industry:   Everyone is happy and excited to be part of the community.   Want to network with other customers in your industry?   Check!   Want to connect with others in your region?   Check! Want to connect with others in your same discipline, facing the same challenges or initiatives?   Check, Check, Check!   This is what happens when you connect over 10,000 IT Professionals in one location who are motivated to share, network, and learn from each other.     It's just magical to see it all come together.

Yes, you can still meet lots of ServiceNow folks.   We present our solutions and investment plans, and we genuinely crave your direct feedback on how we can push the envelope in ways to best meet your goals and objectives.   With roughly 1,000 ServiceNow employees in attendance, we promise we don't skimp on the access to whomever you want to talk with.   But at Knowledge, you and your peers are the stars.

I'll leave you with a quote from a long-time ServiceNow customer in Amsterdam whom I met at my first Knowledge in 2012, regarding another vendor's conference he also attended last year:   "It's like Knowledge but without the professional value or the fun."   Last I heard he did get a really cool t-shirt though.

My call to action is a simple four-step plan.   Come to Las Vegas, attend the sessions, join a special interest group, and network with some of the most forward thinking peers in your industry.   If you do just this (and there is SO much more!) I guarantee you'll advance your organization's interests as well as advance yourself professionally.   See you in Vegas!