My first DattoCon

I wasn’t sure what to expect at my first DattoCon, I’m new to the industry (just 12 months at an MSP), and a three-day IT event with industry leading businesses and suppliers seemed a bit daunting.

The location was obviously delightful, Barcelona is a top choice for any event, but three days with IT bods talking about IT in rooms brimming with even more IT solution providers; really? Just how many points on the Yawntastic Work Event scoreboard would this conference score? I was hoping for an 8, but, from previous events in other industries, was expectantly anticipating a score of 4 (1 being incredibly Yawntastic, and 10 being not Yawntastic at all).

The Venue

Firstly, the venue was superb. Secondly, every branding opportunity was expertly exploited. From the digital logos inside the venue and hotel, to the delegate bags and swag branding. From the lanyards, attire and staircases, to room branding, presentation animations, stand alone features and event app. Superb job Marketing Team! Kudos to you.

My Experience

How was it for me? Well I stuck with my team, Dan, George and David for most of the event and the evenings too. I also had the pleasure of tagging along with some of the other attendees including Jessica, Mitesh, Karen and Paul, who all took me under their wing. I overindulged slightly on the first night, but it was all good as it helped me find my DattoCon feet. I was part of the team and intended to be on board for the whole event, and if that meant late nights, early mornings, loads of swag, expert led knowledge sessions and team building. I was 100% in!

?Bring it on DattoCon!

The four tracks ensured that as delegates, we were able to gain the insights we needed for our roles and our own development. The breaks, exhibitor stands, and food stations kept us alert, educated and engaged.

Nancy Rademaker’s keynote discussing the impact of digitalisation on customer behaviour and business routes to market, was brilliant, she knows her shizzle and she was clear and entertaining. I left that session feeling pumped, enthused and knowledgeable, and from the reaction of the other delegates leaving the auditorium, and the kudos on the app and social media, everyone else did too!

Richard Thompson’s talk discussing an MSP’s marketing and lead generation journey was full of excellent tips and was honest and open. He’ really knowledgeable and with his role as a consultant, he’s going to bring much value to MSP’s.

Bear Grylls was captivating. I think I had my jaw dropped for most of his entire session. He was, by all accounts, delightful in person too. Well, he is an inspirational English gentleman, what else would you expect?

The generosity and empathy from Austin McChord and his team was profound, we were all enraptured listening to him and personally, I was uplifted by his passion for his company, his teams, his family and his life. Simply wonderful. I wish you every success achieving your dreams Austin.

The MSPeasy Panel

I was delighted to be asked to take part in the Social Media MSPeasy panel with Tim Jeffcoat, Jessica Symonson, Richard Tub and Mark Williams. I hope in our session we shared useful insights that could provide a nugget or two to get Social Media on the radar for those MSP’s not quite on the Twitter Train, Facebook Ferry, Snapchat Scooter, YouTube Yacht, LinkedIn Locomotion or Instagram Infiniti.

The finale spectacular was the Elements Party, and this was so well organised, it ran like clockwork, the whole team did an excellent job! The band were bonkers crazy fantastic, and the food was sooooo good…… I’m still dreaming about some of those incredible dishes. Nibbles aplenty!

Final Thoughts

I am so enthused from the whole event, I can’t wait to put some of what I learnt into practice and I’m looking forward to working with MSP’s that I met at the event, and those we’ve already established professional relationships with. I’m intending on bumping up the activity at Mirus so we can deliver value to the industry and our clients. I’m also going to look at other, more dynamic and empathetic ways we can market our solutions, services and our partners solutions to the market.

DattoCon clearly demonstrated to me that Mirus works with partners and industry leaders who not only invest in their services, but in us too, their network partners. With that kind of support, we’re an educated, dedicated and formidable IT and Cyber Security partner for SME’s and SMB’s.

I’d like to thank the Mirus leadership team for sending me to DattoCon, it was a ride that’s inspired me and driven me to learn more from more of the best in the business.

It was enlightening and so much fun, I very much appreciate the opportunity.

I hope I’ll be at the 2019 event for more DattoCon shenanigans, oh and the final scores on the doors for #DattoCon18?

A very confident 10!