My name is Tom Suder and I am with a company called Concert Technologies that does business in the Federal and Commercial market place.
I am semi-notorious for being an insatiable networker. I attend many events and conferences in the general Fed IT space including those put on by AFCEA, AFFIRM, ACT/IAC, Fedscoop, DISA, Executive Biz, Meritalk, GSA, OGI, and FOSE to name a few.
This is the first time I have attended IRMCO. See info below:
Presented by GSA, the Interagency Resources Management Conference (IRMCO) brings robust content, renowned thought-leaders, engaged attendees, and sponsors with solutions specific to this topic, to connect and network with each other. GSA established the theme for 2010 as Leading Reform for Mission Performance. Now in its 49th year, IRMCO continues to serve government’s senior managers and program managers, human capital, information technology, acquisition and finance executives.
IRMCO is clearly different from any conference that I typically go to. Sure, it looks almost exactly the same agenda-wise in the fact that it has a golf tourney on the first day, keynote Sunday night, and track sessions and speakers like any other conference.
The only thing that is different is that the attendance is 75% government. Most events are from 0%-30% govies.
Why? They limit industry by making sponsorships very exclusive. By that I mean high $$$.
It is the classic “walled garden.”
That being said, I think that it is definitely worth it (I am a co-founder and owner of a sponsoring company) for the networking.
I may have learned more about where the government folks are thinking about issues of our day than any other event. I am more in a position to help give back to my government counterparts.
Why is this?
Frosty cold beverages.
Seriously, for some reason the govies are more relaxed at IRMCO than any other event, presumably since it is a GSA conference and they can let their hair down.
It is almost like an commercial event that everyone is laid back. Honest dialog is happening. Ideas are being scrawled on napkins or IPads. People are communicating.
This is all good by the way.
Well, I have to sign off…IRMCO “late night” is from 9-close.
Great post. Nothing like the frosty cold beverages. What do you see as the key issues being talked about?