CBORD hosted its 43rd annual User Group Conference at the Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas, on Oct. 29 through Nov. 1, and, according to attendees, it was a huge success. As with previous years, this UGC was a time of networking and learning with lots of fun sprinkled in. 

The conference kicked off with an exciting opening session on Sunday evening as CBORD’s new president and CEO, Dan Park, delivered an informative review of his first several months. Since joining CBORD, Dan has devoted much of his time to making site visits and meeting customers, and he spoke about what he gleaned from those conversations. He came away with a clear mission to strengthen those relationships and build back the customer intimacy that CBORD is known for. 

“Our success has always been grounded on the principle of intimately knowing what our customers’ day-to-day challenges are and how our solutions can help. We understand the importance for your operations to be up and running 24/7, tackling tough problems together, and forging and maintaining deep personal relationships. That level of customer intimacy is what has made us different, special, and ultimately successful for 45 years.”  

Following Dan, keynote speaker Jason Dorsey, premier researcher and expert on generational trends, engaged attendees with an entertaining and informative presentation on how to inspire and bridge generations in the workplace. 

Packed Full of Engaging Sessions and Useful Resources 

With hundreds of higher education and healthcare industry professionals in attendance this year, UGC offered a record number of sessions, panels, caucuses, and trainings. A popular session was led by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill mobile credentials team, who shared how they worked with CBORD and other university entities to successfully launch their mobile campus ID card this year. 

In another well-attended session, Mater Health outlined how it has taken hospital foodservice to the next level and gained a reputation for being leading-edge in its delivery of restaurant-quality, high nutrition food for patients. 

“Office Hours” were added to the agenda this year, providing attendees with one-on-one time with product experts to ask burning questions. These sessions were a huge hit and several attendees noted they walked away feeling better-equipped to tackle their work challenges. 

UGC attendees were eager to learn about new product offerings, such as Amazon Just Walk Out technology, and many were equally excited to learn how to maximize their existing systems and obtain best practices from like-minded organizations. Application trainings such as CS Gold Basic SQL, Oracle MICROS Simphony Cloud Reporting and Analytics, and NetMenu Acute Care Menu Management filled up quickly, and many other trainings expanded their capacity to accommodate the high demand for learning.