NEXT month, as the mercury surges past 40°C and the ground is so hot your feet would burn without sandals, the Arizona desert will welcome a large influx of business professionals.
Around 900 individuals from across the asset management and asset reliability community will check-in at the Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge resort for MaximoWorld – the event dedicated to the IBM enterprise asset management system, Maximo.
And, while they will be eager to soak up information about the software’s new functionalities, learn from the user experience stories and deepen their understanding of the developments in core areas like AI, one question all first-timers will surely all have in common is: Why exactly are we in Arizona in August?
Melissa Ruth, Cohesive’s Senior Manager, Advisory Services, Americas, is a regular MaximoWorld participant. She laughs: “No one signs up to be in Arizona in August. But it has many benefits. Everything is there in one place and it’s a beautiful place to visit.”
For those new to the event, we’ve pulled together some tips to help you survive – and thrive – at the conference which is taking place on August 5-8:
What you need with you:
Sunscreen: Phoenix is a place where sunscreen is worn inside as well as out, so bring plenty of it. “Even inside you are always getting exposed to the sun – sitting next to a big window, for example,” explains Melissa. For the same reason, she recommends packing cool but long-sleeved tops.
Vitamin C: At MaximoWorld you’ll be on the go from dawn to dusk. Your conference day will be sandwiched by breakfast in the morning and after-event socials. “It’s literally a 7-11 kind of a day, everyday,” explains Melissa. “You’ll find people you want to catch-up with at breakfast and there is always something going on in the evening and opportunities to meet and network, that you won’t want to miss.” When exhaustion sets-in and caffeine is a must, there is a Starbucks on the resort site.
Clothing: Walking shoes are recommended. It’s a big facility and, getting from ‘a’ to ‘b’ means comfy footwear is a must. Another must is a band t-shirt for the annual MaxStock Music Festival which is held in aid of a charitable cause. This year, it is taking place on August 7th at 6.30 pm in the Grand Saguaro Ballroom.
What you need to know:
Time: Arizona does not observe daylight saving time and is instead on mountain standard time (MST). This has, of course, been the cause of many missed engagements and late dinner arrivals.
To keep on top of your schedule, Melissa recommends establishing your own calendar for the week. “There is an event app but, with so much going on, you would be wise to sort your own calendar so you can be sure about where you need to be and when and not risk missing anything.”
The event app is a useful resource too, explains Meghan Howe, our Cohesive MaximoWorld event lead. “You can book meetings through it and so on,” she says. Delegates should download the CVENT app onto their phone and look up MaximoWorld. Enter the email address you registered with and you will be able to log in.
Badges and tabs: MaximoWorld deploys a very useful identification system in which your relevant ‘tabs’ are added to your name badge. So, for example, you might have a tab that says ‘speaker’ or ‘author’ attached to your lanyard (see Melissa’s, image above). These are a great route to striking up conversations with people and immediately finding things in common to chat about. “If they are a speaker, for example, then you can ask them what they are speaking about,” says Melissa.
Networking: On that note, people and relationships are everything at MaximoWorld. The more effort you put into talking with people, the more you will get out of it. “Show up at breakfast and look for people, plan some lunches, and go to the social events in the evening,” advises Melissa.
Another great way to strike up conversation is by dining with the MaximoWorld award winners (the annual award ceremony will take place on August 7th at 8am). “If you look for people to eat with that have a reason to celebrate, you will learn more,” advises Melissa.
Finding your way: If you think you are tired, spare a thought for the event organisers, ReliabilityWeb. They’ve been there for many days prior to the event starting, setting it up. They are a great group of people, who will all be going to the nth degree to help you maximise the value you get from the conference. “Look out for them as if you are lost, trying to find a specific room, or not sure where to go, they will be your best friend and have all the info you need.”
What you mustn’t miss:
Presentations: It is hard to choose between talks at MaximoWorld as there are genuinely so many good and useful sessions that you will be spoilt for choice. This year’s hot topics will include the Maximo Application Suite and its functionalities and the role of AI in taking asset management to the next level. The theme for 2024 is: “Mastering AI for asset management.”
We are potentially a little biased, but we’d definitely get Cohesive’s talks into your schedule. They will include:
August 7th 1.45pm – 2pm: ‘Let IBM MAS help you take reliability engineering from the basement to the boardroom’ – a RAP talk from Pierre De Wet, VP, Cohesive Americas.
August 6th 3.15pm – 4pm: Realising the Value in IBM MAS Reliability Strategies – Kevin Sutherland, Principal Business Development Manager, Cohesive Americas
August 6th 10.15am -11am: Enabling a Digital Twin Integration with Maximo – Greg Hoile, Cohesive Americas Transportation Lead.
August 6th 11.15am – 12pm: Building Workflows that Work – Rachita Bhatia, Director of Services, Cohesive
August 7th 10.45am – 11.30am: Power Trio – Maximo, Digital Twins & AI, Joseph Lonjin, Senior Solutions Manager
August 7th 11.45am – 12.30pm: Navigating Deployment Choices for Maximo Application Suite on Red Hat OpenShift, Jeff Yasinski, Director, Cloud Hosting Services and Stanislav Shvetsov, Senior Manager, Hosting, Cohesive.
August 7th 11.45 – 12.30pm: Upgrading to MAS – Preparing for the Future, Trish Gosh, Principal Sales Executive
August 7th 4pm – 4.45pm: Optimising EAM inventory to Support Operations Effectively, Greg Hoile, David Armstrong & Lance Gilbert
Other events and speakers not to miss include:
August 6th 8-9 am Terrence O’Hanlon, the CEO and founder of Reliabilityweb.com, which organises MaximoWorld, speaking with Kendra Dekeyrel, Vice President, ESG & Asset Management at IBM.
August 5th 1pm – 4pm: Transportation User Group
RAP talks: These Reliability and Asset Performance talks, on August 6th and August 7th, are a great way to download expert information in an easy-to-digest way.
WIRAM: Any women attending the conference should join the Women in Reliability and Asset Management lunch which will be held on August 6th at 12pm. It’s a great way to extend your network and get to know people.
Swim: If you can squeeze in some downtime, head to the Lazy River. It’s a lot of fun – but it is only open at set times so check before you go.
MaxStock: The annual event is another must-attend. This year, it will be held on Wednesday, August 7th at 6.30 pm. As detailed above, don’t forget your band-shirt…and enjoy!
We will have a team of experts on hand at MaximoWorld, together with our CEO and Head of Americas, to provide complimentary, 45 minute private advice sessions. We can discuss capabilities including:
- MAS Readiness & Implementation
- Reliability Work Processes & Configuration
- Mobility Work Processes & Configuration
- Bespoke Upgrade Accelerator Tools
- Data Services
- Hosted/Managed Service Solutions
- Digital Twin Integration
- ISO 55000 Compliance
- Digital Transformation Advisory
- Change Management Advisory
- Value Workshop to Optimize Asset Lifecycle
To book a meeting, please visit here: 2024_Maximoworld_Meeting_registration (cohesivegroup.com).
You can also visit us at booth 201, where we will have stations dedicated to reliability, digital twins and mobility. We’d love to see you.
