As we approach the 2015 HUG Conference this November 8-12th at Sunriver in Oregon, we'd like to take a moment to celebrate all 25 conferences from the past. As a conference that is uniquely run by the Users for the Users, we have the opportunity to provide content and trainings that is relevant to the industry trends and the user's requests. Our conference is known for its open conversation format that allows its users to share ideas and knowledge as they discover new features or functions of their systems. As you walk the hallways of our conference you find it impossible not to make friends and grow relationships that will last far beyond the end of the conference. The memories from our conferences remain with our attendees for years. I have attended 13 conferences over 17 years. I will never forget the people I have met and the experiences I have had at all of these conferences.
In her article posted on Hospitality Upgrades 'Tech Talk', Jennifer Jones talks about what 25 years of HUGs has meant to our industry:
"While HUG serves a purpose of invaluable continuing education, it also offers vital networking with other industry leading properties and learning about ways to leverage the product better. However, there's always some time for fun at HUG, as many can contest. Terry Price, formerly an employee at PAR Springer Miller, has attended HUG for about a decade. In 2004 at Pointe South Mountain, it was an exciting year as Springer-Miller was celebrating their 20th anniversary as a company. Terry allowed his alter ego, Marilyn Monroe, to take over and jumped out of a cake to serenade John Springer-Miller, with a very jovial 'Happy 20th Birthday to You, Springer-Miller!'. "Having a chance to learn the product from other users instead of just hearing the "corporate" version from the company is why HUG has been so successful over the years", said Terry.
Marie [Bell] remembers the "Fright Night" party at Sea Trail in 2003. "Everyone came in their own unique Halloween costume, though I wasn't quite that unique in my Pirate costume! The best costume of the night was a couple of guys wearing the classic "red screen", referencing the SMS error screen. It was such a great costume idea."
Rick [Downing, product manager for PAR Springer-Miller] recollects a special moment during a nightly HUG event in 1995 at the resort now known as Paradise Point. The event took placed on a rented a riverboat where there were actually some passionate animal-loving attendees. "Following dinner, most of the guests were gathered on an upper deck where the band was playing. Several tables of desserts had been set up, each of which had a large ice sculpture as a centerpiece. As the band was taking a break, guests began to congregate by the railing on the starboard side for the view. As more and more people moved in that direction, the ship began to list (tilt) slightly. The captain came over the speakers and asked if some in the crowd could please move into other areas of the ship. At that very moment, a commotion began near one of the dessert tables when a small group picked up the ice carving of a dolphin and, carrying it over their heads, proceeded to pitch it over the side while chanting "Free Willey, Free Willey!" The captain was not amused."
At the end of the day, many people will ask "Why should I go to HUG?" Downing has summed this up perfectly by stating, "The volume and variety of sessions, training classes, roundtables, panel discussions and seminars, led by both PSMS staff and users, now exceeds 90 over four days. With half a dozen tracks running in parallel, many properties send multiple attendees to maximize their coverage. Attendance has become, arguably, the best expenditure a property can make in maximizing the investment in their system. The opportunity to meet and learn from users from other properties is an operations manager's dream. That was the original purpose and it remains at the heart of the conference today."
You can find Jen's entire article at
http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/techTalk/Articles/Who-Could-Live-Without-25-Years-of-HUGs/.
This year at HUG we plan to share memories from the HUGs of the past. We have several pictures from some HUGs, but we are missing so many...we are missing your's! Please send me your favorite memories from HUGs of the past. Do you have a picture to share? Send it to me too. We will be sharing these memories and pictures throughout the 2015 HUG conference. So send your memories and pictures to me at mbell@smshug.org.
25th Anniversaries are traditionally celebrated with Silver. At our 2015 HUG Conference, the PSMS Party theme for Wednesday will be a tribute to our Silver Anniversary with a theme of "Black, White and Silver". So whether its escape convicts with silver sequined shoes, pandas in silver ties, showing your Raider Nation pride, or simply wearing your tuxedo with a silver cumberbone, grab your party gear and join us in celebrating 25 years of HUGs!
Sincerely,
Marie Bell