We had a great turnout for the CONNECT2018 User Conference on 10th and 11th October, with more than 160 customers attending from all around the UK, as well as Ireland and the Channel Islands. As always, the agenda was driven by the RedSky User Group and we’re very grateful for its continued involvement.
The DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at Milton Keynes again provided the perfect venue for the conference, which kicked off with a welcome by Phil Kent, RedSky Managing Director. He said: “Over the past three years this conference has grown from strength to strength. It’s a great forum to extend an ear, lend a hand and offer advice on our software and service from RedSky, but also to learn how other customers are doing things. One of the takeaways from these events is how much our customers love to meet one another and this is something we are very keen to encourage.”
Each delegate had their own motives for attending the conference – for some it was the chance to meet RedSky personnel whom they speak to regularly on the phone (“It was brilliant to be able to put a face to a name and actually meet Kim”), while for others it was an opportunity “to get the latest updates”. Many said they valued learning from the experience of their peers, and in this respect we’re very grateful to the six customers who went the extra mile at the conference by taking part in an in-depth ‘in conversation’ session.
The external presentations inspired many delegates to take action. HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) session – followed by RedSky’s own presentation on preparing for MTD – prompted reactions ranging from “I feel a bit relieved to be ahead of schedule” to “what I’ve learned is that I’ve got to pull my socks up and get the new system on and test it”. The CITB’s talk about the Apprenticeship Levy and accessing grants went down well, as did the sessions about building information modelling (BIM), delivered by RedSky’s sister company, Rendra AS.
On day two the McFarlane family – owners of JDM Technology Group, which in turn owns RedSky – spoke about the journey from the company’s humble beginnings in Vancouver, back in 1984, to the 17-strong group software companies today, based around the world and all with a construction focus. The family explained that the Group aims to provide an integrated suite of solutions that will maximise users’ growth and profitability, creating value for contractors and people involved in the construction industry.
As expected, the hands-on technical sessions were extremely popular, with one delegate saying how useful it was “to be able to have a go at it on the laptop, with somebody there, guiding you through it all”. RedSky’s presentation on Reporting was also a big hit with delegates, with comments received including: “I was very excited about Web Services actually “and “I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it and playing with it, because I think we’ll be able to do some cool stuff with it”.
One delegate was particularly struck by the value of the RedSky User Group concept. Describing it as a great forum, he said: “It’s quite unusual, having that slight independence from the main company.
RedSky will return to Stadium Milton Keynes for CONNECT2019. The event takes place 2nd and 3rd October 2019.
If you would like more information on RedSky and our product options please click HERE or telephone +44 (0)20 3002 8700.
