Workday Rising - A View from a First Timer!
Date posted
11 November 2014
Reading time
6 Minutes
Workday Rising - A View from a First Timer!
[caption id="attachment_10226" align=" width="599"]
The final day of Workday Rising, 2014[/caption]
After the busy buzz of Workday Rising it was a quiet trip home. That is, in part, because the Customer Appreciation Party was the night before! We all left feeling energised, positive and having had a great week with the whole Workday community.
[caption id="attachment_10220" align=" width="599"]
The Kainos Stand at Workday Rising[/caption]
It was my first time at Rising, and it would be safe to say that Smart went 'viral' at the conference from day 1, our stand was inundated by interested Workday customers. Workday testing and our upcoming Financials testing product drew the crowds so many wanted to know more! Anyone who hadn't paid us a visit certainly did after a session named 'From QA to Customers - Managing Change With Workday Updates', where two of our Smart customers were on stage - Brown University and T Rowe Price.
[caption id="attachment_10219" align=" width="600"]
From QA to Customers - Managing Change With Workday Updates[/caption]
They talked about the impact Smart has made to them and managing their Workday updates. Brown University reported that Smart had reduced testing effort significantly - T Rowe Price talked about the same and answered questions from the floor. Following this session, the questions came in thicker and faster in ever more excited tones as the week progressed, the crowds got bigger and word of Kainos Smart spread among the customers in attendance. We answered questions and talked to Workday customers we even got told Smart is 'awesome' we've heard a lot of positives but this was the first time we'd heard that particular adjective!
In fact, when we were asked on video to describe Rising in one word - "awesome!" is the answer that sprang to most of our minds that evening. In hindsight if asked that question again I would change that to "energising". The buzz was indescribable, with a group of Workday customers together a feeling of happiness, positivity and enthusiasm grew and consumed the group.
[caption id="attachment_10225" align=" width="600"]
The team meet Dave Duffield, co-founder of Workday![/caption]
What struck me most was the sense of community. The customers really enjoy being Workday customers. They enjoy being with other Workday customers, sharing stories, tips or just a joke. Many of them had been attendees at Rising for a number of years - it's hard to believe that the first Rising was just 8 years ago and had just 145 attendees.
[caption id="attachment_10221" align=" width="169"]
Ruairi dons a cowboy hat and takes a ride on the mechanical bull at the Customer Appreciation Party![/caption]
When you're at Workday Rising, this atmosphere of positivity is hard to resist, so sometimes it's best to just go with the flow and let it carry you along to the point where you volunteer to get photographed on a rodeo bull with a cowboy hat on! Big thanks to Workday for putting on such a great event, we already can't wait for next year. Workday revealed some product updates at Rising as a sign of what's to come and what's in the wings it's safe to say Workday's future is a bright one.
The final day of Workday Rising, 2014[/caption]
After the busy buzz of Workday Rising it was a quiet trip home. That is, in part, because the Customer Appreciation Party was the night before! We all left feeling energised, positive and having had a great week with the whole Workday community.
[caption id="attachment_10220" align=" width="599"] The Kainos Stand at Workday Rising[/caption]
It was my first time at Rising, and it would be safe to say that Smart went 'viral' at the conference from day 1, our stand was inundated by interested Workday customers. Workday testing and our upcoming Financials testing product drew the crowds so many wanted to know more! Anyone who hadn't paid us a visit certainly did after a session named 'From QA to Customers - Managing Change With Workday Updates', where two of our Smart customers were on stage - Brown University and T Rowe Price.
[caption id="attachment_10219" align=" width="600"] From QA to Customers - Managing Change With Workday Updates[/caption]
They talked about the impact Smart has made to them and managing their Workday updates. Brown University reported that Smart had reduced testing effort significantly - T Rowe Price talked about the same and answered questions from the floor. Following this session, the questions came in thicker and faster in ever more excited tones as the week progressed, the crowds got bigger and word of Kainos Smart spread among the customers in attendance. We answered questions and talked to Workday customers we even got told Smart is 'awesome' we've heard a lot of positives but this was the first time we'd heard that particular adjective!
In fact, when we were asked on video to describe Rising in one word - "awesome!" is the answer that sprang to most of our minds that evening. In hindsight if asked that question again I would change that to "energising". The buzz was indescribable, with a group of Workday customers together a feeling of happiness, positivity and enthusiasm grew and consumed the group.
[caption id="attachment_10225" align=" width="600"] The team meet Dave Duffield, co-founder of Workday![/caption]
What struck me most was the sense of community. The customers really enjoy being Workday customers. They enjoy being with other Workday customers, sharing stories, tips or just a joke. Many of them had been attendees at Rising for a number of years - it's hard to believe that the first Rising was just 8 years ago and had just 145 attendees.
[caption id="attachment_10221" align=" width="169"]
Ruairi dons a cowboy hat and takes a ride on the mechanical bull at the Customer Appreciation Party![/caption]
When you're at Workday Rising, this atmosphere of positivity is hard to resist, so sometimes it's best to just go with the flow and let it carry you along to the point where you volunteer to get photographed on a rodeo bull with a cowboy hat on! Big thanks to Workday for putting on such a great event, we already can't wait for next year. Workday revealed some product updates at Rising as a sign of what's to come and what's in the wings it's safe to say Workday's future is a bright one.