Date: March 17, 2016 10:00 AM EDT
Ultimate Software (Nasdaq: ULTI), a leading provider of human capital management (HCM) solutions in the cloud, announced today that more than 2,000 HR and business professionals from across North America attended this year’s Connections, Ultimate’s annual customer and partner conference, held March 8–11 at the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas.
The four-day conference offered more than 60 breakout sessions and workshops aimed at “Inspiring Engagement” through the use of employee-centric solutions specifically designed to put people first, increase their effectiveness, and empower them to do their best work. With a record number of HR, payroll, and talent management professionals attending from diverse industries, Connections 2016 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.
“I am excited to be here at Ultimate Software’s Connections conference,” said Mark Gifford, director of HR technology at Concord Hospitality, an award-winning hotel development, ownership, and management company. “We appreciate the opportunity to network with other Ultimate customers and learn how to leverage UltiPro to its full extent. Because we work hard to make the most of the UltiPro solution, we calculated an approximate cost savings of $800,000 in our first three years of using UltiPro. By taking advantage of Ultimate’s functionality and services and by learning from the best practices of others, organizations can use UltiPro to have a tremendous impact on their people and their business.”
Keynote speakers for this year’s conference included Scott Scherr, Ultimate’s chief executive officer, president, and founder; Adam Rogers, Ultimate’s chief technology officer; and Martin Hartshorne, Ultimate’s vice president of products; as well as:
• Mike Rowe, host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs and CNN’s Somebody’s Gotta Do It, who spoke about shining a spotlight on the people who do the “dirty work” that keeps America functioning.
• Chester Elton, best-selling author and an expert on employee engagement, who discussed some of the innovative ways leaders can inspire their employees to achieve great success.
As part of the conference, Ultimate also presented its annual selection of Innovation Awards, recognizing customer companies that have achieved significant business results or have shown innovation with their use of UltiPro over the past year. Each category highlights a customer that has excelled in a particular area of HCM through its partnership with Ultimate.
The following Ultimate customers received 2016 Innovation Awards at Connections:
• The Phoenix Suns: Developing various People First initiatives using many components of UltiPro to deliver a better and more meaningful experience to employees at all levels of the organization. Examples include enhancing the onboarding process, encouraging employee goal-setting, implementing an all-new employee directory with photo integration, and more.
• BBCN Bank: Making its HR team more action-oriented with UltiPro’s business intelligence reporting for Achievements through Workforce Analytics, helping better prepare its employees for the future with automated reminders about enrolling in the bank’s 401(k) retirement plan.
• Conexus Credit Union: Earning the UltiPro Saves the Day award, implementing transformative talent acquisition processes that have made meaningful impressions on applicants and recruiters.
• SciQuest: Partnering to ensure a successful implementation of the Ultimate/NetSuite Integration for its HCM and ERP, and collaborating on enhancements benefiting other Ultimate and NetSuite joint customers.
This year’s conference also included the first-ever Connections Code-a-Thon event, during which attendees could observe Ultimate’s software engineers code new UltiPro features and functionality based on ideas submitted by customers.
In addition, representatives from the analyst and blogger community presented at Connections on HCM strategies and trends, and were on hand throughout the conference to interact with attendees.
“Ultimate’s focus on engagement at Connections mirrors the HR community’s interest in building a great employee experience,” said Lisa Rowan, vice president of HR and talent management services research at IDC Research. “Clearly, Ultimate’s vision is to build technology that supports organizations focused on inspiring employees and improving engagement by providing tools that minimize distractions, develop managers into stronger leaders, and help organizations achieve strategic HR and business objectives.”
As a thank you to customers for their lifelong partnership and support, Ultimate hosted a Customer Appreciation Party featuring a concert by Journey, one of the best-selling rock bands of all time.
“Connections is always our favorite event of the year,” said Scott Scherr, Ultimate’s chief executive officer. “It’s an opportunity for us to personally connect with our customers, whose feedback, collaboration, and partnership all contribute to helping us deliver the best products and service. Nothing is more meaningful to Ultimate than making our customers happy. We thank each and every one for being on this journey with us.”
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