by Benjamin Crill, CTA

It’s been nearly two weeks since Citrix Synergy has ended. By now most will have started reviewing the videos posted of the keynotes and breakouts (they are all on the Citrix YouTube channel if you are wondering). Keep watching and reviewing and learning, please. There is always more to learn, and the content is incredible. However, there was something even more incredible at Citrix Synergy this year than just the content. Unfortunately for those that did not attend Synergy (by the way, Synergy is in Orlando May 19-21 next year, so get to planning), there is one part of the week that can’t be adequately experienced from the posted videos and press releases. It was the community.

One of the best parts of Citrix Synergy is getting to meet new people within the community and reconnect with those we don’t get to see as often. Citrix once again did an amazing job of fostering the community at Synergy. Between the Social Hub and the CUGC booth within Synergy park, people were all over connecting and talking with one another. While Citrix technologies do an amazing job of allowing people to communicate and collaborate globally, something just can’t replace standing next to someone, shaking hands, and catching up on what’s happened since you last saw one another. What’s even better is getting to finally meet someone with whom you’ve had a connection through the CUGC forums, Citrix forums, Twitter, etc., and finally see that person face-to-face. That experience for me this year was finally meeting in person Dennis Span. Dennis is one of this year’s new CTPs. Previously, I had known him via the CTA program that we both participated in. Dennis is incredibly smart and helped me brainstorm through a rather unique StoreFront troubleshooting experience. Like any of the Citrix community, he is incredibly gracious with his time and knowledge. 

Time is one of the most important gifts we can give to our technology community. The schedule of events keeps getting busier, but everyone I saw was still willing to take time to stop, have a laugh, and share their knowledge and expertise. If you hung around the CUGC booth, you could easily strike up a conversation with any of the amazingly intelligent folks from the Citrix community. Nobody was too busy to listen. Or, you could engage with the amazing group that help keep the Citrix community rolling. A major thanks to Brad, Katie, Jen, Stephanie and Kimberly who keep the community active and making connections so that we can help each other out. Dr. Madeleine Albright said in her super session, “the core to diplomacy is person to person relationships.”  While we are not having to solve problems of geo-political influence, the importance of relationships is just as important and the team at Citrix and myCUGC make sure to foster and grow them.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Stephanie Roper. She was a major part of the community and suddenly passed away at the beginning of the year. She was a major champion of our Citrix community and she will be missed. However, I am confident that the amazing display of community this year at Synergy would have brought a smile to her face.

Do you want to experience this community for yourself? Start planning to be in Orlando next year! But don’t wait until next May to get involved. There are any number of local CUGC groups you can get involved with. If you need help finding a local group, you can find one here (https://mycugc.org/chapters/). Share your experience so that others can learn from you; attend a meeting to learn more from others (https://mycugc.org/events/); get involved! I look forward to seeing you. 

Benjamin Crill
Citrix CTA
Twitter: @benjamincrill
www.icrill.com