We held our first IQGeo Meetup in October of 2019 with only a small number of local delegates attending. Things have certainly changed a great deal since then. This year we hosted Meetup events in Tokyo, Ghent and our most recent event in Denver. The Meetup events have changed dramatically in both scope and scale with well over 200 delegates joining us in Denver for the IQGeo Americas Meetup 2023, our biggest event to date.
As my marketing team has been instrumental in organizing the Meetup events, I’ve been fortunate to have a front row seat to the evolution of these events and how the topics discussed at the Meetup reflect wider industry trends and priorities. Our CEO, Richard Petti, summarized it well in his keynote when he focused on the once-in-a-generation opportunity our industries have to create digital equity with fiber broadband services for all, and how utility companies are at the forefront of delivering a net-zero future for the long-term health of the planet.
We expanded the format of this year’s Meetup to three days with workshops on the first day, our general keynotes on day two, and more detailed industry working groups on the final day. This year we had a fantastic line up of customer and partner speakers including keynote sessions from Google, Gigapower, Skyline Technology Solutions, Bell Mobility, LG&E and KU, and AT&T. In addition, we had some excellent sessions hosted by Portland General Electric, and our partners Central Service Association (CSA), Deepomatic, NetPMD Design and Integration and DeepUp.
IQGeo and partner demo pods during the breaks
Wednesday workshops
We kicked off the Americas Meetup with three separate sessions on different product and industry related topics. The first was a special session for OSPInsight software users to introduce them to our latest Insight edition of Network Manager Telecom. Designed specifically for smaller fiber network operators, the Insight edition is a packaged version of Network Manager with a powerful geospatial network model and simple upgrade path for OSPInsight customers. Network Manager Telecom was very well received by those that attended the session as it provides an impressive range of features and a seamless path to our Professional and Enterprise editions when greater configuration and customization is required.
With standing room only, the Comsof Fiber automated planning workshop was our most popular workshop of the day. Our Product Management and Training teams shared insights into the automated planning process, explaining how to configure the software and create multiple high-level designs with fully costed estimates. It was an ideal session for those researching the use of automated fiber planning to expand their networks.
Our final workshop was the inaugural Customer Advisory Board (CAB) for utility operators. CABs are designed to be highly interactive sessions with IQGeo sharing our product plans and gathering input and suggestions from customers. It’s a great opportunity for IQGeo to learn from utility operators and adjust our software development priorities to match the needs of the industry. The chance to share real-life experiences and speak candidly about technology and business requirements was extremely valuable for all those joining the workshop.
On Wednesday night we hosted a welcome reception for all delegates, giving people the chance to meet each other and network before the keynote sessions on Thursday morning.
Thursday keynotes
All delegates attended the keynote sessions on Thursday in the Grand Ballroom at the Le Meridian hotel. After our CEO keynote from Richard Petti, we had an insightful presentation from Amy Wheelus at Gigapower where she explained how they are using IQGeo’s Network Manager Telecom software as a foundation for the management of their fiber network lifecycle. As a relatively new player in the fiber industry they quickly rolled out the new software to keep pace with their plans to deliver broadband to millions of customers across the US. This was followed by a fascinating session from Sagar Baliyara who demonstrated the latest Google Cloud AI technology and how it can be used by the utility and telecom industry to accelerate business activities. The morning session was concluded by IQGeo’s Product Management team that provided a high-level product development roadmap and highlighted some of the most exciting new features delivered over the past year.
Enrique Eulloqui from AT&T presenting on Day two of the IQGeo Americas Meetup 2023.
The afternoon was totally dedicated to our customers who presented four inspiring sessions on their IQGeo product deployment strategies. Nick Caleo and Steve Crawford from Skyline explained how they use the OSPInsight software to design and operate fiber networks for municipal and educational institutions. Terence Saar at Bell Mobility featured the flexibility of the IQGeo software in their innovative bid management solution. Deploying IQGeo’s field mobility software to hundreds of field users across Tennessee, Jason Jones from LG&E KU shared an iPad demo of how their crews use the software to accelerate field tasks and improve electric and gas network data quality. In one of the most entertaining and inspiring sessions of the day, Enrique Eulloqui from AT&T explained how he and his team use the IQGeo software as a catalyst to successfully drive change across their organization by overcoming challenges to deliver business success.
Thursday evening we met at a local Denver venue to enjoy a casual dinner, more networking, and a few games of highly competitive ping pong.
Friday industry working groups
On Friday we broke up into three industry working groups to get “under the hood” and explore more detailed software and integration issues. It was a valuable day for those technical users that wanted to dig a bit deeper on present and future capabilities. The Insight group looked at new OSPInsight developments and contrasted them with our latest Insight edition of Network Manager Telecom, giving delegates a thorough view of what to expect with their future upgrade path.
Day three, Friday's industry working groups.
The Enterprise telecom working group showed how Network Manager Telecom can be used across the lifecycle of a fiber network which included integrating powerful partner software from Deepomatic and DeepUp, as well as service offerings from NetPMD. The Enterprise Utility group followed a similar path with detailed updates on Network Manager Electric and Gas and presentations from Portland General Electric and our partner CSA on their impressive field mobility solutions for electric grid operators.
IQGeo Innovation Awards
One highlight of the Denver Meetup event is our customer and partner innovation awards, and this year we had an impressive list of winners that included CSA, C Spire, Gigapower, NESIC, Portland General Electric, and Ziply Fiber. Dedicated to outstanding innovation across a range of applications, you can read all the details on the impressive achievements of these amazing industry leaders in the IQGeo Innovation Award press release on our website. The entire IQGeo team is pleased and impressed to be working with such talented individuals that are changing the face of our industries.
Read the IQGeo Innovations Award article >>>
2023 IQGeo Customer and Partner Innovation Award winners
Don’t miss out on the 2024 America Meetup
I want to offer a big thanks to all the customers, partners, and IQGeo staff that made the 2023 Americas Meetup a big success. With such an exciting and enjoyable event, you’ll want to book early for the 2024 Americas Meetup. We will be announcing the venue and dates soon and hope to see an even bigger list of delegates next year. See you in Denver next October.
Building better networks
IQGeo’s growing list of customers include some of the world’s most innovative telecommunication and utility network operators. Their stories share how IQGeo’s award-winning geospatial network management software is giving them the insights and agility they need to transform their businesses. Visit our customer stories page to learn more.
Customer stories >>>
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