What to expect at IT Nation Connect in Australia

For the first time, IT Nation Connect is headed to the Gold Coast! Meet the team and hear what you can expect at the must-attend conference for technology leaders and professionals.

Andrea Stephens, Senior Community Specialist

Andrea Stephens is the Senior Community Specialist. She’s responsible for IT Nation Connect networking events and parties (woohoo!) and event logistics—such as room planning, audio/visual, food, and beverage.

Andrea believes IT Nation Connect is a great opportunity for partners unable to travel to Orlando, Florida to experience The IT Nation and what it’s all about. She loves that they’re able to bring the best content, networking opportunities, and the chance to interact with the North America leadership team all the way to Australia.

Andrea is looking forward to meeting and learning from the Australian and New Zealand partners. If it’s your first IT Nation Connect experience, she hopes you walk away with new contacts you can link up with at future events as well as one action item you can implement into your business.

The most successful attendees plan ahead, and Andrea can’t stress enough how important it is to download the IT Nation Events mobile app. She wants everyone to know it will be your one source of truth for the event and keep you up to date on all important news.

Andrea would like to leave you with one piece of advice so you can make the most out of IT Nation Connect. “Attend all networking events,” she shares. “That’s where you’ll make the most connections with and learn from other like-minded individuals.”

Danielle Coquyt, Community Specialist

Danielle Coquyt, a Community Specialist, is the exhibitor liaison for IT Nation Connect. Since it’s a long hike for the Aussie partners to get to Florida, Danielle loves that they’re able to bring the great content and exhibitors from the North America events directly to Australia.

If you’ve never been to an IT Nation Explore or IT Nation Connect event in North America, Danielle hopes you’ll get a good taste of what these events offer, and maybe even decide to visit them in Florida. If you have had the pleasure of attending, Danielle hopes you’ll walk away with even more valuable information and meet new people in your area.

Something Danielle looks forward to at this event is meeting the partners she rarely gets to interact with. She gets to put a face to a name and engage in conversation, which she really appreciates. If there’s one thing Danielle recommends all partners do before they attend, it’s to download the mobile app. “Our IT Nation Events app houses all the information you need, including sessions, speakers, exhibitors, parties, and more. Plus, it allows for notifications,” she shares happily.

If Danielle could give out one piece of advice to attendees, it would be to take a good look at the website (if you haven’t already). She knows the content on their website will help you plan out your days and offers a great idea of what you can expect on site.

Paige Miller, Community Specialist

Paige Miller is another one of the Community Specialists and is responsible for everything content related. Her duties include managing breakout sessions, speakers (internal and external), resource planning, and making sure the event is properly staffed and that everyone is aware of their responsibilities.

The last thing Paige wants is for the Australia and New Zealand partners to miss out on all the fun that goes on at this event. That being said, she’s incredibly excited that they now have the chance to bring thought leadership and product training (and the fun, of course) right to them so they don’t have to fly halfway across the world.

Paige hopes that partners take advantage of this opportunity to network with their peers. “This is the perfect platform to solve business challenges just through having conversations with your peers,” she says. She’s really looking forward to meeting new partners and learning some of the cultural differences and nuances they can use to make the next event bigger and better.

Paige wants to remind everyone going to the event that they should plan their days beforehand. “Sessions can fill up quickly,” she says. “Download the app and plan your strategy before the big event.”

Paige would like to leave you with one last piece of advice to help you make the most out of IT Nation Connect in Australia. “Like any conference, you get as much as you put in. Go to as many sessions as possible, ask questions, talk to vendors, meet new people, and attend a networking session,” shares Paige.

Corie Leaman, Director, IT Nation Events

Corie Leaman, Director of The IT Nation Events, leads the team and is responsible for strategy and execution. Corie works on the events year-round, focusing on content, logistics, the expo, and overall experience for partners and guests.

She’s been working on the inaugural Australia event for about nine months and was lucky enough to visit the Gold Coast last August to scout locations. She’s been part of The IT Nation events team since 2012.

Corie truly believes that any partner who’s been to an IT Nation Connect in Orlando knows this event is unlike any other in the industry. Corie and her team strive to bring the highest caliber content, thought-leadership, and networking to all events, but what she thinks really sets them apart is their vibe, and that everyone there is open to sharing, learning, and connecting with one another. <cue warm and fuzzies>

There’s probably going to be a good amount of first-timers at this event, and Corie hopes everyone leaves inspired and with the knowledge they need to better themselves and take their business to the next level. She also wants everyone to walk away with new industry friends.

Corie loves to dance (well, who doesn’t?), and heard the band on Tuesday night is going to have everyone out on the dance floor. She can’t wait!

Her one piece of advice is to plan your day and pick your breakout sessions ahead of time so you’re fully prepared. And even if it’s out of your comfort zone, Corie encourages you to strike up conversations with as many attendees as you can. “You never know who you may meet and who can help you with something you’re working on. Sometimes those ‘hallway’ conversations are just as important as the structured content,” Corie says.