For NetSuite customers and partners the grand gathering of the year is here.. Suiteworld 2018 is being held in Las Vegas next week. Having attended each and every Suiteworld in the last 7 years and seen its growth the same excitement fills me in as we get ready for yet another exciting week of learning and celebration with the NetSuite community.
As we gear up for the 8th Suiteworld , I thought of sharing some of my learnings over the years of attending Suiteworld, hope this helps my fellow partner attendees and friends as we all gather for another celebration of this wonder product called NetSuite !
So here are my 7 tips over 7 years of attending Suiteworld !
1. Come in early and do stay back
The pre-event training are a good way to kick off your week of learning.. I still remember the first pre-event training was a gathering of around 10-15 people with just 2 tracks. From that time to today the pre-event has multiple tracks and over hundreds of attendees. For somebody new to NetSuite or trying to fast track your certification this is a good place to be and you have the best trainers of NetSuite available to your disposal. The post event tracks for partners have also gained traction and have served as an extremely helpful sessions to take back. So whether you are new partner on the block, or an experienced partner these sessions are a good way to get started and end your Suiteworld !
2. Kick off with Partner gatherings
Though the general sessions start from 24th , for partners Suiteworld starts on 23rd. Do not miss the International partner kick off which is officially the first session of Suiteworld. Hosted by Craig Sullivan and his team, this session has over the years gained popularity and is the best session to know about what’s happening in NetSuite internationally with news and updates as well as the focus for NetSuite in the international markets. It has always helped partners like us align our strategies to NetSuite’s international strategy. It’s not only a great occasion to meet the old partner friends whom we meet every year, but also get to know new partners who have joined the eco-system and know about some of the amazing work they do in their respective geographies..
Post lunch, is the official partner kick off where partners across the globe join. Hosted by Craig West and his channel team, every year this kick off has also got bigger.. In this session you will get to know about the channel updates, we as partners do get a sneak peak earlier than others on what’s in store for the coming week in Suiteworld as well as announcement of awards and some of the great work which partners across the globe have been doing. I also look out for what’s new in the Suiteapp community and the cool apps which SDN partners are building and look forward for Guido’s updates on SDN partner network..
During the week on 25th there is also Business Partner advisory Council (BPAC) Forum for Solution partners, BPAC over the years has been doing a great job in being the bridge between partners and NetSuite management and you will meet very experienced partners here sharing their learnings as well as what are the initiatives for BPAC in the coming year…
3. Key Notes
Every day from the 24th there would be key notes from senior management team of Oracle NetSuite as well as some great customer stories. I always look forward to Evan Goldberg’s session, as it sets the tone for the coming year in terms of what to expect in the product. In the past I have used these session recordings as well to help sell more of NetSuite by giving prospects a feel of what’s coming.. This year I also look forward to hearing Magic Johnson .. So from Jim Mcgeever, to Evan or Mark Hurd do not miss any of the key notes , as there are a lot of take aways from these keynotes as you plan your year ahead with NetSuite practice..
4. Breakout Sessions
With over 10 industry and 14 product tracks, there is a lot to learn from each of the sessions. I am sure we all want to be in multiple sessions which clash at the same time, however there is no need to panic as all sessions are recorded and can be viewed later for the ones which we miss. For partners, the recording as well as presentations have later been shared on the APC. I always choose to attend sessions based on speaker’s experience as well as the ones which have customers jointly presenting. It always gives us new ideas when we get to know how other customers are leveraging NetSuite for their business. So whether you are from sales or services , whether you are beginner or an expert there is a track for you to follow and learn…
5. Suite Guru 1:1
If you are a partner who is struggling to get local help, this is a good place to interact with some of the NetSuite experts. Coming from India, in the initial years, there was very little local support for NetSuite however I found interacting in these sessions extremely helpful to take back some specific issues being faced in the implementation during my early years of implementing NetSuite. So if you have a specific issue for a product I would highly recommend to block a time to go and meet one of the gurus who definitely can help you.. Do book this in advance as this tends to get filled up very soon…
6. Interaction with NetSuite Senior management
Do not also get intimidated by NetSuite senior management, I have always found them very humble and friendly , always ready for a chat. Over the years I have enjoyed my interactions with Zach , Evan, Jim , Craig W, Craig S and many more.. What I have always liked is they might not remember your name, but most of them remember your face and are always keen to know how NetSuite is doing in your markets !
7. Networking and Fun
The NetSuite expo is a great place to know more about what partners are building on top of NetSuite. Every year, the number of applications which are built on or integrated with NetSuite have just grown. Do spend time at the expo networking and knowing more about each solution, you never know the next customer you are implementing might need one of these apps, so a good place to build relationship so that it is easier to reach out when needed later..
Every attendee has one thing in common with you which is using NetSuite, so do not be a wallflower and be proactive in introducing yourself when waiting for a session or in the session, most of the time the other attendees are also there to know you so go ahead and network and get to know more partners and customers connected to NetSuite.
The after-parties whether its sponsor party or the gala are a great way to unwind after a long day.. You need not talk business all the time, sometimes these parties are a great way to make new friends and know about their stories, stories about their country, their journey with NetSuite, and what they plan to do in Vegas ☺
While Suiteworld is a great platform to learn more about the NetSuite community, every year when I return back from Suiteworld I feel energized about how can I help make a difference in the lives of my customers with this amazing cloud platform and most importantly how so many thousands of people have common thread connecting you to them – the world’s best Cloud ERP !
