I’m writing this post to explain why I’m going to AUG Summit 2022 and why I think you should go too.
AUG Summit 2022 takes place September 12-14, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Here is a brief outline of the 3 days:
Day 0 (Sunday) 05:00pm – 08:00pm
Mix and mingle reception with beer, wine, and appetizers
Day 1 (Monday) 08:30am – 09:00pm
Most of the sessions run an hour, similar to the Acumatica Summit, with various topics covered, including: Acumatica 2022 R2 Feature Highlights, AP Document Recognition, Bank Feeds, Customer Panel, Modifying Reports, Modifying Dashboards, etc. There are also Developer Community Sessions which give developers an opportunity to interact. You can learn more about Acumatica ISV solutions in the Expo Hall which will be open throughout the day. At the end of the day, from 06:00pm until 09:00pm, there will be a reception in the Expo Hall with beer, wine, and a variety of appetizers.
Day 2 & Day 3 (Tuesday & Wednesday) 08:00am – 05:00pm
There are half-day and full-day classes available on Day 2 and Day 3. I’ll be teaching a 2 day class (2 full days) on Generic Inquiries & Dashboards.
Here are my three reasons why I’m attending AUG Summit 2022 and I hope this post will inspire you to attend too:
Reason #1 – Generic Inquiry & Dashboard Class
When I worked at Acumatica from 2015 to 2017, I taught the class on reporting. I taught this class in Orlando, Washington DC, Seattle, San Diego, and even Germany.
Here is a picture from the class that we did in Seattle in July 2016:
After I left Acumatica, I got to do a 1 hour session at Acumatica Summit 2019 in Houston which drew a pretty big crowd:
But, in Houston, I was working for a VAR at the time. Other VARs got jealous that I got to do a session at Summit so they complained and that was the last time I had the opportunity to present at an Acumatica Summit.
Now, at AUG Summit 2022, I finally get the opportunity to present again. Not only present, but teach a 2 day class on Generic Inquiries & Dashboards.
I’m REALLY looking forward to this.
What will we cover in the 2 day class?
I’m going to use the content from my Building Generic Inquiries & Pivot Tables video training course (click here) as a base, but I’m going to add in some additional content on Acumatica Dashboards.
My video training course is a great way to get up-to-speed on Generic Inquiries & Pivot Tables (and Dashboards) in Acumatica at your own pace, since each video is less than 10 minutes long.
But nothing compares to in-person training. You can ask questions, build relationships with others in the class, and get the benefit of being in a focused environment.
On that “focus” point, I think we’ve all experienced working from home in some capacity during the pandemic. Working from home is convenient, but there are also a lot of distractions. Coming to a 2 day class helps you to focus.
So come to Atlanta, turn off your phone, put an out-of-office message on your email, and spend 2 days with me learning Generic Inquiries & Dashboards in Acumatica!
Now, some of you might be thinking, “hmmm, I like the idea of an in-person class, but I also like the idea of taking Tim’s video training course on Building Generic Inquiries & Pivot Tables (click here).”
“Which one should I do?”
I hear ya, there are definitely pros and cons to both the video training course and the in-person class in Atlanta in September.
So, I’ve decided to make a special offer to those of you who attend my 2 day in-person training class at AUG Summit 2022. I’ve decided to enroll each of you in my video training course for 1 year AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.
Note: On the AUG Summit 2022 registration page (click here), you’ll see that you can register for Day 2 and Day 3 separately, allowing you to only attend one day of class with me. You can attend only one day, but note that my special offer will only be available to those of you who attend BOTH days of the in-person class because it is a full 2 day class.
That’s a cool offer right? Now you don’t have to decide between the in-person class or the video training course. Come to my class in Atlanta in September for BOTH days and you’ll get the video training course FOR FREE.
What’s in the video training course on Building Generic Inquiries & Pivot Tables?
First, there is the Foundational Knowledge area with 42 lessons with over 5 hours of video training content. This is the content that I’ll be using for the 2 day in-person class.
Second, there is the Tips & Tricks area with new lessons contributed on an ongoing basis in response to your questions and examples from my consulting practice.
Third, there is the newly added GI Library area where you can browse, download, and install sample Generic Inquiries for use in your company’s Acumatica environment.
So, you can attend the 2 day in-person class, then receive ongoing training for a year in the video training course, all for the price of the 2 day class which is $1,700 ($850 for each day).
I hope to see you in my class in Atlanta in September.
Note that my 2 day in-person class only has a capacity of 20 people so make sure to register soon, before it fills up.
Reason #2 – Joel Gress
Sorry to make you blush Joel, but you are my second reason for attending AUG Summit 2022.
For those who don’t know, Joel is the main driving force behind the event.
Joel owned and operated Dynamic Tech Services, one of the early Acumatica VAR consulting companies, from August 1996 until January 2022 when he sold Dynamic Tech Services to SWK. SWK is now quite possibly the largest Acumatica VAR on the planet. Now Joel works for SWK as a Vice President.
Doug Hollenback was the first person to start an Acumatica User Group. Doug started one in Denver Colorado and I personally flew out to attend the 2nd event (click here).
Shortly after Doug’s first event in Denver, Joel Gress started an Acumatica User Group in Atlanta.
Joel did a great job of growing the group in Atlanta. They held this event in Atlanta on August 15, 2019, the Summer before the pandemic shut things down:
Then they held an event at Acumatica Summit 2020 (January 2020 in Las Vegas), right before the pandemic hit.
Jon Roskill even showed up at the gathering. Jon then mentioned it during his keynote the next day.
In April 2022 they held their first post-pandemic event in Atlanta:
What’s my point? My point is that Joel Gress has a proven track record with Acumatica User Groups.
Why does this matter? It matters because I trust that Joel will put on a great AUG Summit 2022 event.
Joel and I talked about AUG Summit 2022 and what motivates him to help build the Acumatica User Group community on this Podcast episode:
Reason #3 – Setting up for the future
I personally am hoping that AUG Summit becomes an annual event.
Why? Because I think it’s important to have an alternative to the Acumatica Summit events.
The Acumatica Summit events have become large productions. The next Acumatica Summit (January 2023) will probably have over 3,000 people in attendance.
The goal for AUG Summit 2022 in September is 175 people.
Also, the Acumatica Summit seems to be parked in Las Vegas for a while. Las Vegas is great for big events, but it’s not the best place for learning since there are so many distractions. Las Vegas is also a long flight for people on the East Coast.
Atlanta is much closer for those of you on the East Coast.
But it’s not just about size and location. I think it’s also about transparency.
When any ERP software publisher (including Acumatica) puts on an event (like Acumatica Summit), there is a lot of “fanfare” and a lot of “smoke and mirrors”. Sometimes it can be hard to drill down into the details because of all the “fluff”.
I think there is more opportunity for transparency at an independent event like AUG Summit 2022 since it’s not put on by a software publisher.
I also think that it’s important to build independent community because pretty much every ERP software company (ever) stops putting their customers first at some point. Acumatica as been great, so far, but they are one acquisition (or one IPO) away from becoming like every other ERP software company. In my opinion, it’s not a matter of “if”, but a matter of “when”.
If / when that does happen, it’s important that we have independent events that continue to prioritize transparency and putting customers first.
Wrapping Up
First, here are three disclaimers:
1. I’m not involved with putting on the AUG Summit 2022 event. It’s not affiliated with AUGForums.com. I’m just teaching a class there.
2. Everything written above is my personal perspective. I posted this independently of the official AUG Summit 2022 event as my personal reasons for attending. This is not an official AUG Summit 2022 event post.
3. Officially, the event is called AUG Summit 2022 SE, with the “SE” standing for “Southeast” since Atlanta is in the Southeast. I thought the “SE” looked tacky, so I personally am just called this AUG Summit 2022.
That said, I’m really hoping to see you in Atlanta in September.
If you use one of these buttons to register, the folks on the registration team will know that you came from AUGForums.com. I don’t get anything for this other than a pat on the back, but I do like pats on the back 😀
Thanks for reading. I’ll see you in September.
Sincerely,
Tim Rodman