The Chairman's Message

Having fun in Austin!

Wow, what happened to June? It seems like I blinked, and it’s July. Time really does fly when you’re having fun in the Texas Panhandle. All things considered, though, I’d rather be in Austin.

The good news is that a trip to Austin is only two months away – at the FRSUG Technical Conference, September 24-27. If you look to the left or below what you’re now reading, you’ll find links to this year’s conference.

By now, registration mailings have been sent out, and reminders will be forthcoming soon. You may register via the mailings, or over the Internet through this site. Either way, I encourage you to register as soon as possible (you’ll save money that way).

Also, take some time to look at the conference agenda. I think you’ll find a number of topics and venues that should be of interest and value to you and your company.

For you who have little or no experience attending these annual meetings, let me share some things that will make your attendance more worthwhile. Even the old hands will still benefit from this advice.

Don’t be intimidated - The first conference I attended was in the fall of 1990, several months before we installed and operated our first Provox system. I remember sitting in sessions with other users that knew a lot more about Provox than I did. The end result was that I thought they were geniuses, and I was an idiot. The truth was – they were just more experienced.

Use the experience of others – Once I figured out that these other users had done things we hadn’t yet attempted, I decided that I could learn from them (and not repeat their mistakes). Because we were starting up our first system, I asked people how they trained their operators to use a console interface. I also asked questions about their procedures for checkout and commissioning.

Talk to Fisher-Rosemount personnel – From the Fisher-Rosemount perspective, their support of the Users Group gives them the opportunity to accumulate valid information from their customer base. They come to the meeting to listen to what you have to say. Do not waste this opportunity.

Be an active participant – Even if you’re not an official presenter, at almost all sessions there is time for discussion. You have knowledge and experience. Share it.

Bring plenty of business cards – And make it your objective to give all of them away. If you approach this conference expecting to extract maximum value, then you will be meeting and talking with lots of people – other users, FRSI personnel, and 3^rd party vendors. Network, network, network. I cannot overemphasize this.

Find other users that you can call 6 months later to discuss a problem to which they may have a solution. Get to know FRSI people that can become part of your informal technical support network. Find 3^rd party vendors that have solutions to your specific problems.

If you do all of the above, your bang for the buck will be big-time. I guarantee it.

I look forward to meeting you in September. As always, you can contact me at ksimpson@continentalcarbon.com., or any of the other Board members through their addresses listed here on the site.

Keith Simpson
Chairman

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