The Trusted Advisor Retreat Wrap-Up
Last week we hosted the Endpoint Management and Virtualization Trusted Advisor Retreat. We had a fabulous time. And met some really great people.
We began with a great dinner at a local restaurant where we ate good food and had fun getting to know one another and laughing. The next morning we woke up nice and early and left the beautiful Grand America hotel and traveled to the Symantec offices in Lindon, UT.
Peter McKellar shared interesting statistics about Connect and then presented the roadmap for the future for the site. The Trusted Advisors shared their opinions and ideas on how to improve the site. For example, we discussed how to refine the creation process on the site, how to streamline the graphics on the site, expanding the Trusted Advisor permissions, and streamline the ability to moderate the site.
Then Leslie Miller reviewed the Trusted Advisor program itself. Did you know that Trusted Advisors make up .009% of the membership of Connect, but account for 30% of all of forum solutions? And, we announced that Trusted Advisors will now receive a 10% point bonus for all gated content that is submitted.
After lunch was mistakenly delivered to another group--and then remade and picked up by the fabulous Cheryl, better known as ohzone--we all sat down to chat with some of the product managers for the formerly Altiris products.
Then, we spent the afternoon getting a behind-the-scenes insights from product management teams on some of the most popular programs.
Matt Meservey: Workflow
Sandy Fletcher: Asset
Will Lewis: Service Desk
Mike Greuber: Wise Application Packaging
Jordan Sanderson: Workspace Virtualization
As we listened to the product teams, the snow started to fall outside. By the time we were ready to head home, there were a couple of inches on top of the car. Dinner that night was at a popular Brazillian steakhouse. The Trusted Advisors took full advantage of the all-you-can-eat nature of the restaurant. Lots of meat, lots of laughter.
With all the snow that fell the night before, it was perfect weather the next morning to hit the slopes. From the first timers to the experts, skiing was fabulous. The Trusted Advisors were joined by a representative from Altiris product support. We followed up with an amazing Italian dinner--even if a couple of people nearly fell asleep on their plate. Everyone went to bed exhausted and happy--albeit a bit sore.
Saturday morning came early, so it was a good thing that the ride to our Saturday morning activity took about 90 minutes--perfect for a quick cat nap. We arrived at the absolutely magnificent mountain rustic lodge where we received our orientation and took to the snowmobiles. On a guided tour we found high mountain ridges with amazing expansive views, nice straightaways that allowed us to get our speed up, and super fun times. After arriving back in Salt Lake, we were treated to the VIP treatment at the Utah Jazz NBA game, where no matter where each of the Trusted Advisors called their home town, they were Jazz fans for the evening. Screenbert even ticked off a couple of LA Clippers fans with his enthusiasm.
All in all, it was a fabulous retreat. Full of work and play. We learned a lot, and really enjoyed getting to know one another. Can’t wait until the next retreat. You won’t want to miss it. You can see a a couple of the presentations attached here.
About Symantec Connect Blog
Stay up-to-date with the latest developments on the Symantec Connect website. The team of moderators and administrators post here regularly about upcoming features, tips, and anything else that relates to the Connect website.
Comments
Did you come to the retreat?
Tell us what you thought!
I one thought that sticks to
I one thought that sticks to my head is: AIR BAAAAAAAAAAALL :)
Bet you can't wait to use next time you go to a game! :)
My voice has successfully recovered. They only shot about 60% (20% below average) during that game.... I'm taking the credit. :)
Screenbert
That doesn't mean that we
That doesn't mean that we didn't hear you
Photos from the snowmobile adventure...
Everyone gets ready to ride out for the day...
Taking a break... Hi Ian and Leslie
The snow is really deep...
Leslie killed the snowmobile... bad Leslie! Acually it died on its own.
It was a great time and I'm very nearly recovered.
Cheryl ("...oh, your avatar totally makes sense now...")
Endpoint Management,
Endpoint Virtualization
Community Manager
www.twitter.com/EMnV_symc
Need Altiris help? IRC chat #Altiris
It was amazing... I really
It was amazing...
I really appreciated a few different things. Here is my list:
-Meeting other Trusted Advisors
-Meeting the Connect Crew
-Meeting with the Symantec Product Managers
It was nice to learn about the Connect website and see where it is going. There are some exciting things planned. It was also good to hear about the Symantec products that I use every day.
It was also a lot of fun. I was really tired after the weekend is over.
When is the next retreat?
I'm kinda bummed i wasn't
I'm kinda bummed i wasn't able to make it, but it's good to see everyone had a good time.
Look forward to seeing people at Vision.
- Matt
wow - looks like an awesome retreat
Sorry I couldn't be there. Instead - I was enjoying a week with family in sunny\warm California (Disneyland, Sea World, etc)
I'll be out in Utah in a few weeks - looking forward to a lunch\chat with Leslie and Cheryl. I'll also be meeting with various product managers in Lindon to discuss some items around RTSM 7.1, Deployment Server 7.1, SEP, and more. Plus - last week I had the oppty to visit Symantec HQ in Mt. View to discuss SEV 6.2 capabilities with vPro (imagine distribution\reclamation of application licenses out-of-band... take a look at http://www.symantecintelalliance.com/public/pdf/INT_Sym_EndpointVirtualization_SB.pdf)
However - I must admit I'm jealous.... a day on snowmobiles would've been awesome.
I look forward to meeting everyone attending Vision in Las Vegas. BTW: There's a raffle within each Intel session\lab for a HP mini notebook
The opinions expressed on this site are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or strategies of Intel Corporation or its worldwide subsidiaries
Amazing
The retreat was beyond belief!! Absolutely superb. I've got some photos which I'll post up when I get the chance to get them off the camera.
Skiing was brill, and the snowmobiles were truly awesome. On top of that, food was fairly spectacular too. A couple of mornings I was still so stuffed I couldn't face breakfast.
Seeing everyone in person though was the best part of it all. A most energising and refreshing trip.
When I think "Connect" now I have this image of Leslie gently moving her hands together into the "Connect Clasp". Is there a cure?? ;-)
Big thanks to all for the hard work involved in setting this up!
Ian Atkin, Senior Developer for the ICT Support Team, Oxford University, UK
Connect Etiquette: "Mark as Solution" those posts which resolve your problem, and give a thumbs up to useful comments, articles and downloads&
Great time!
My wife and I had a great time! As everyone else mentioned, the snowmobiling was an excellent idea, and a ton of fun (well except those few times where I hit a hidden "dip" in the ground, compressing my vertebrae suddenly)! Also anyone who wasn't there will have to have Ian relate his story of treasure hunting at the bottom of the Nile on the end of a rope...
The dinner at Cucina Toscano was great as well, and we enjoyed the hotel amenities as well.
Thanks to Leslie, Cheryl and Peter again, and I look forward to seeing you all at Vision next month!
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
For Forum threads, please click "Mark as Solution" if answered.
For all content, please give a thumbs up if you agree with or support the post.
Absolutely Amazing!
Lin and I had a great time too - we have only just got back after spending a few days in Palm Springs after the retreat. Thanks to Leslie and her team for making the retreat such a success, and it was great to meet some of the other TAs who we've not met before.
Can't wait for next year....
If your issue has been solved, please use the "Mark as Solution" link on the most relevant thread.
Hi Leslie, Do you know how
Hi Leslie,
Do you know how long it will take to get feedback on some of the points we raised? I'm thinking here on getting 24/7 support for TAs, non-expiring licenses (low node count) for Altiris products, and somehow making the TA status generally more recognised within Symantec?
There were probably others, but I'll be damned if I can read my own handwriting...
Ian Atkin, Senior Developer for the ICT Support Team, Oxford University, UK
Connect Etiquette: "Mark as Solution" those posts which resolve your problem, and give a thumbs up to useful comments, articles and downloads&
The first thing I can tackle
The first thing I can tackle is to have all of you submit the names of the people you work with in Symantec. Send them to my email. That way I can start getting you more recognition right away. (This goes for everyone.)
As for the other items, they're a bit longer in scope. But, I'll touch base with Peter to see if we can get things moving on these a bit more quickly.
Here are some really neat
Here are some really neat looking snow covered trees (from the snowmobiling trip):
Here are several of us taking a break...
Thanks,
Kyle
Symantec Trusted Advisor
For Forum threads, please click "Mark as Solution" if answered.
For all content, please give a thumbs up if you agree with or support the post.
Would you like to reply?
Login or Register to post your comment.