Industry Experts, Visionaries and Leading Organizations Converge at Annual User Conference to Discuss the State of Talent Management and Share Industry Best Practices; Zion’s Bancorporation, Capital One, The U.S. Department of Agriculture and The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Recognized for Talent Management Innovation as Plateau Customer Excellence Award Winners
Arlington, Va. - 18 September, 2008 – Plateau Systems, a leading provider of talent management software, services and solutions, today announced the successful conclusion of its 13th annual Insights user conference. With more than 450 attendees from 160 global customer organizations, this year’s conference - held earlier this week in Phoenix, Arizona – marked the largest user conference in Plateau’s history.
Aptly themed “Blazing the Talent Trail,” this year’s conference was hotter than ever as Plateau customers and event-goers from around the world joined with colleagues and peers to exchange best practices, share success stories and lessons learned and network with fellow Plateau users. This year’s multi-track agenda featured keynote presentations delivered by Plateau executives, customers and guest speaker Dr. Robert Ballard, customer and partner breakout sessions, an interactive Buzz Panel, hands-on learning labs and Plateau product and services tracks, providing attendees with a broad range of opportunities to learn and engage with industry experts and other Plateau users.
Customers were also invited and encouraged to schedule one-on-one meetings with Plateau experts to discuss strategies and specific best practices around deploying and leveraging Plateau’s industry-leading products and services to drive increased business performance. Additional highlights from Insights 2008 included:
- The release of Plateau Talent Management 5.8 Service Pack 5, Plateau’s flagship talent management suite that delivers powerful and flexible talent planning and succession management capabilities through the Plateau Talent Management Suite. The release arms Plateau customers with innovative ways to achieve their business goals through managing and developing talent, fostering employee growth and retention, and measuring the effectiveness of their talent management initiatives.
- Renowned ocean explorer and guest keynoter, Dr. Robert Ballard, received a standing ovation after an awe-inspiring presentation highlighting the symbiotic relationship between technology and people. During his presentation, Dr. Ballard discussed the impact technology has had on exploration, and showed how technology is bringing important discoveries to schools, desktops and living rooms around the world, enabling others to connect and learn in real time. Dr. Ballard is most famous for the discoveries of the wrecks of the RMS Titanic in 1985, the battleship Bismarck in 1989, and the wreck of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown in 1998. Most recently he discovered the wreck of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 in 2003.
- Customer keynote presentations from Mary Tilley, HR Leader, W.L. Gore and Associates and Connie Linardakis, VP and Chief Human Resource Officer, Zions Bancorporation. Mary Tilley’s presentation focused on how W.L. Gore is using Plateau to its unique organizational structure and complex processes around managing, assessing and rewarding W.L Gore associates. Connie Linardakis discussed how Zions Bancorporation’s is leveraging Plateau’s integrated platform to unify and streamline the organization’s talent management applications and processes while maintaining autonomy for multiple subsidiaries.
- Plateau’s inaugural Buzz Panel, a lively discussion about current trends and perceptions in talent management, software-as-a-service, and the economy’s impact on talent management. The panel featured well-known talent management experts and personalities including Human Resource Executive Magazine technology columnist Bill Kutik, Josh Bersin from Bersin & Associates, Accenture’s David Smith, and Nathan Swanson from ThinkPanmure.
“The record attendance at this year’s Insights conference demonstrates that talent management has become a strategic corporate imperative and competitive advantage for virtually all organizations,” said Paul Sparta, Chairman and CEO of Plateau. “By bringing our customers together at Plateau’s annual user conference, we are providing a forum where they can openly exchange information with their peers, engage with industry experts on business trends, and meet one-on-one with Plateau executives and experts to discuss strategies and best practices around using Plateau’s solutions to meet their corporate goals. This interactive dialogue inspires innovation and generates ideas that our customers can apply within their organizations, and it provides us with valuable feedback we can leverage to extend Plateau’s talent management offerings and industry leadership.”
Plateau also hosted its second annual Customer Advisory Board meeting comprised of Plateau customers representing a wide range of industries. During the meeting, members from global organizations met with Plateau executives to discuss the state of talent management and provided expert insight into how talent management is perceived within their organizations, how they are using Plateau’s solutions to drive business value within their organizations and how Plateau can continue to support their talent management initiatives.
Customer Excellence Award Recognition
Insights 2008 also served as the backdrop for Plateau’s Fifth Annual Customer Excellence Awards honoring customers who have demonstrated innovation and success in leveraging Plateau's software to meet business challenges. Conference attendees selected the final winners from a competitive field. Winners were announced at the Insights Evening Gala sponsored by Satyam. This year’s Customer Excellence Awards winners include:
- Capital One for Best Business Solution
- U.S Department of Agriculture for Best Overall Use of Product
- Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for Best Launch to an Organization Under 10,000 Employees
- Zion’s Bancorporation for Best Launch to an Organization with Over 10,000 Employees
“Our customers continue to impress us with the innovation they demonstrate and enthusiasm they exude around their talent management initiatives,” said Shelly Heiden, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Plateau. “With so many companies using our talent management solutions in ways we never imagined, it has become increasingly difficult to pick a few that stand out from the pack. This year’s winners have each demonstrated creativity and ingenuity in leveraging Plateau’s solutions to create value and achieve their corporate goals. We are pleased to recognize them as this year’s Customer Excellence Award winners.”
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About Plateau
Plateau is a leading provider of talent management software, content and services designed to increase workforce productivity and drive business success. Plateau’s award-winning software is powering talent management initiatives across some of the world’s most successful organizations, including the American Red Cross, General Electric, the Internal Revenue Service, Capital One Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Industry analysts at Bersin & Associates, Forrester Research and other leading information and technology research and advisory firms continue to recognize Plateau’s leadership in delivering best-in-class functionality, technology and customer satisfaction. Plateau is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia and has offices across the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific. For more information, please visit http://www.plateau.com/.
