Date: March 31, 2015 2:00 PM EDT
Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading cloud provider of human capital management solutions, announced today that more than 1,800 of its customers attended the company’s annual customer and partner conference, held March 24–27 at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
The four-day customer conference offered more than 60 sessions enabling attendees to gain a greater understanding of the new technologies and trends that can impact their work and help them increase their effectiveness. With a record number of HR, payroll, and talent management professionals attending from diverse industries, Connections 2015 featured opportunities for global customers to expand their knowledge of Ultimate’s technology and solutions, gain insight into HR and payroll issues and trends, learn from hands-on training, collaborate with other UltiPro users, and interact closely with company leadership and industry influencers.
Connections 2015 is part of Ultimate’s celebration of the 25 years it has dedicated to putting “People First” by building technology solutions that promote and celebrate the power of people. In welcoming attendees, Scott Scherr, president, CEO, and founder of Ultimate Software, stated, “We chose the theme ‘Unlock Your People Potential’ because we have known from the start that people are the most important resource in any business. By taking good care of its people, a company will inspire them to work with passion to deliver the best products and services for customers.”
Keynote speakers for this year’s conference included Ultimate’s CEO, Scott Scherr, Ultimate’s Chief Technology Officer, Adam Rogers, as well as:
- Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Jr., celebrity athlete and entrepreneur, who shared his inspirational story about how he parlayed his skills and tenacity on the court into the business world, propelling his company to the status of #1 brand in urban America.
- Simon Sinek, renowned leadership expert and best-selling author, who revealed his insights on how leaders think, act, and communicate, and the environments in which people operate at their natural best.
- Erik Wahl, groundbreaking artist, author, and expert on creativity and innovation, who amazed attendees with his on-stage painting as metaphor, encouraging organizations toward profitability through innovations and superior levels of performance.
During the opening keynote session, Ultimate and NetSuite announced a strategic alliance to integrate the UltiPro HCM solution with the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials/ERP software suite, the NetSuite ERP solution.
Ultimate also recognized some of its customers that have demonstrated extraordinary success with UltiPro within the past year. Ultimate presented its 2015 Innovation Awards to customer companies that have achieved significant business results or shown innovation with their use of UltiPro. Each category highlights a customer that has excelled in a particular area of HCM through its partnership with Ultimate.
At this year’s Connections conference, the following customers received a 2015 Innovation Award:
- Equinox Fitness: Success in Activating UltiPro/Best UltiPro Rollout to Employees
- West Virginia United Health System: Strategic Talent Management
- JM Family Enterprises, Inc.: Analytics for Measurable Returns
- OrthoCarolina, P.A.: Achievement in Technology
- UHY Advisors: Partnership
- Coastal Community Credit Union: Achievement in ROI and Cost Savings
- Armacell: Global Impact
- National Aquarium: Supporting and Meeting Major Corporate Goals
- Calgary Stampede: The Ultimate Game Changer
“We are honored to be selected as a 2015 Innovation Award winner for our rollout of UltiPro last year,” said Lou Sylaj, director of finance operations, Equinox Fitness. “As a high-end luxury and lifestyle brand with more than 13,000 employees in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., we rely on UltiPro to help us manage complex multi-national payroll processing and compliance with speed and accuracy. Ultimate has been an unbelievable partner from start to finish; we couldn’t be happier with the results we have achieved.”
“The Armacell team is proud to have been selected for an Innovation Award in the category of Global Impact,” said Keith Norwood, chief human resources officer of Armacell. “Our implementation of UltiPro into 21 locations in 14 countries and 40 languages involved a myriad of complexities. With a seamless rollout in only four months, our organization has benefited from a single global HCM system along with real-time reporting. We view Ultimate as a partner for life and are honored to be recognized for our successes.”
During the conference, Ultimate welcomed eight new UltiPro Development Network partners, including: Tax partner Walton Management; Benefits partners Businessolver, Discovery Benefits, PayFlex, and Presagia; Employment Screening partner TalentWise; Staffing partner PeopleMatter; and Employee Engagement partner Achievers.
Scherr also surprised each of Ultimate’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit customers attending the event with a $2,500 donation. “We have always believed in the importance of supporting charitable organizations and we could not have achieved this important 25-year milestone if not for our customers. We are very excited to be able to share our success with our nonprofit attendees who work so hard to improve the world we live in,” said Scherr.
As a thank-you to customers for 25 years of support, Ultimate hosted a Customer Appreciation Party featuring Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Michael Bublé.
In addition, representatives from the analyst and blogger community presented on HCM strategies and trends and were on hand to interact with attendees.
“Ultimate has done a great job establishing themselves as the ‘people company’ in the cloud HCM space. From the opening keynote to hallway conversations with customers, executives, and Ultimate employees, its focus on people is clearly a big part of the company’s long track record for success,” said Christine Dover, research director at International Data Corporation (IDC). “The Ultimate ‘People First’ culture is prevalent throughout the event, from the keynotes through the sessions and social events.”
“Spending time with our customers and partners is always energizing for us, but especially in this, our silver anniversary year,” said Scherr. “It was immensely gratifying to see such record turnout at this year’s conference as we celebrate our 25th year of putting people first and demonstrating the power of people—from Ultimate’s employees, customers, and partners, to the communities in which we live and work—in everything we do. We hope that every participant had a satisfying, rewarding, and memorable experience.”
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