Today started early but it was a lot better than my alternatives would have been! This year flying is easier since I'm leaving from the airport closest to me, in Kitchener, Ontario, and it is less than 30 minutes away. So a 6:45 am flight doesn't seem too bad after all! A GP colleague who lives nearby, Kiron Ghosh, was flying out of the same airport, so we caught up briefly before boarding.
On the first leg of the flight, I got a chance to re-listen to the Ed Kless interview part 2, on the Enterprise Software Podcast. It was fantastic; however the first time I was listening while driving and I was unable to take some notes. The value-based pricing model is interesting and worth listening to a second time.
Chicago
My first stop was O'Hare Airport for a two-hour layover. Perfect, I've got a new SIM card I can test, I was thinking. Or, not… Doh! I put the wrong start time on my subscription and it only activated about 30 minutes before my departure. Oops. For the record though, the Roam Mobility SIM card works perfectly, once the service kicks in. It's awesome being connected and not having to chase WiFi signals.
While waiting for the Fargo flight, I also ran into Jon Rivers at the airport and he, Kiron and I chatted at the gate while waiting to board our flight.
Fargo
The second leg of the trip was also uneventful, and a beautiful, sunny day greeted us at the airport. I got a ride to the hotel which was a bonus, quickly got checked in and registered for the week, then headed for a bite to eat.
The first thing I noticed is being at a new hotel this year. Not walking 20 minutes to get to an elevator at the Holiday Inn! This year the conference is based at the Hilton Garden Inn, and hey, the rooms are numbered normally and it's only a few steps to the elevator! Yay!
Certification Exams
One of the things scheduled for today was the first official sitting of the Association of Dynamics Professionals exams. I signed up for both the Dynamics GP Financials and the Dynamics GP Install/Config exams and wrote both in the 2-hour time block allotted this afternoon. It was quite different from the past exams in that this time it wasn't computer-based (yet) and a lot of the initial writing of these exams is really about vetting the questions and content for difficulty and things like that. We all signed off that we won't talk about the content, so that is all I will say for now! :)
Outside the exam room was the registration desk and one of the hotel bars… it made for a slightly noisy backdrop to writing the exam with the general noise of a congregating group of people re-connecting! After hanging out there touching base with colleagues and meeting some new folks, it's time to head for a bite to eat and get ready for the week to begin!
With that, I'll end today's post and will attempt, as always, to write a post each day about what I learned that I found interesting!
