My first-time Attending DistribuTECH in Dallas 2022

For the first time after the Pandemic DistribuTECH took place in Dallas this year, with a lot of excitement regarding getting together and looking forward to seeing the creativity that took place during the pandemic. Naturally, there was also some comprehension about being together, and would the event be postponed again? Fortunately it was not.

As a vendor and service provider for utilities, Xtensible was looking forward to being present at this first DistribuTECH AC (After Covid) with a new booth design and some creative gaming approaches. Personally, this was my first DistribuTECH, and I must say it was a great experience. Why, might you ask? Well, continue reading to find out.

Meeting in person

At Xtensible we work remotely 90% of the time. BC (Before Covid) we used to have annual meetings, which during these past few years were conducted remotely. Catching up in person with my colleagues was very exciting after almost 3 years. Moreover, even better, seeing thousands of people at the event, and having conversations with many of you, definitely was a highlight for me and I am looking forward to many more conversations in the future.

Interacting with customers

The main reasons to participate at DistribuTECH is to share about Xtensible products and services and to also see what new trends are out there and to discuss with existing and potentially new clients.

As solution developers, we are almost always working behind our desks, so to be able to talk about what we do, and what our Affirma does and why it exists, with potential customers, was certainly a learning experience.

As my Dad used to tell me, “If you can’t explain what you know or what you do, it is like you don’t know anything and you are doing nothing”.

So, to be at the event, talking with so many of you, explaining who we are and what we do at Xtensible, and how our Affirma can help you, definitely helps me have a better understanding about what we are all doing behind our desks. It also helps us improve our products and our services.

For instance, a conversation with an auditor, made me think about Xtensible from a completely different perspective. How do we contribute to a positive auditing experience? And yes, we do!  By providing trusted, reliable, and consistent access to your data.

One of our neighbors, was this puppy robot!

The full experience about being there

Beside the technical experience, being at the event, helping to setup the Xtensible booth, talking with colleagues, with customers, conducting demos, that is something I don’t do during a normal workday. I think I spoke in those 3 days with more people than I did during these past 3 years combined! Moreover, why not have a happy hour around 4:00 pm every day at the event? Networking time is a good opportunity for you to meet new vendors and for us to meet new customers.

Affirma

Affirma is based on more than 20 years of experience helping our utility clients with data integration, building your Common Information Model (CIM) and beyond. Productized! So, you can benefit by bringing your Data Fabric to life. Imagine technology, governance, and integration being a cohesive whole. That is the Xtensible vision with Affirma.

What a great experience to be able to share this with you. We conducted demonstrations, watched videos, and of course played Affirma-Atari – Data Silo Blaster! Looks like there were some aliens interested as well!

Social

Having a dinner with our clients was a delicious experience. One of them even said, it was the best meal ever. That speaks to our restaurant selection process. You don’t want to miss an intimate dinner with us so we can get to know each other better.

Plan your visit and learn something new

With so many excellent presentations, vendors, and new technologies it is important to plan your visit ahead of time. Take some time to look at the vendor list prior to arriving and create your roadmap of the exhibit floor based on your interests and needs. Plan your approach. There is no way you can have meaningful conversations with all vendors. Look at your own business objectives. Go to those presentations that best meet you needs and visit those vendor booths who could be helpful to you. But don’t forget to go beyond your comfort zone. Learn something new. And also learn from your colleagues as well in the industry.

We hope to see you next year in our booth and at the dinner table.

Luis