Six of the IT industry’s leading companies have agreed to sponsor the inaugural HP Technology Forum 2005 event, which will be held in the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans from 12 - 15 September.
The sponsors are BEA Systems, Inc., Cisco Systems, Citrix Systems, Inc., Intel Corporation, Microsoft Corporation and Oracle Corporation. All the sponsors will be represented at the forum by key technologists, who will share their industry and technology insights with the forum attendees at specific breakout sessions.
HP also announced that former Ohio Senator and astronaut John Glenn will deliver the closing address at the event. Glenn was the first American in space in 1962 when he piloted NASA’s Mercury capsule and then became the oldest man to fly in space at age 77 in 1998.
Glenn served in the United States Senate for 24 years, focusing on issues such as arms control, nuclear proliferation and government efficiency. Keeping with the forum theme “Get Connected,” he will close the session by discussing “the impact of technology on your life.”
The HP Technology Forum will be the company’s largest technical training venue and product solution showcase in North America. Technical users will be able to network and learn about the latest HP technologies and services that can help their businesses become Adaptive Enterprises able to synchronise business and IT to capitalise on change. The event will also include content designed for small and mid-size companies and channel partners as part of the HP Smart Office programme, which aims to simplify the IT process through smart advice, smart technology and smart support.
“HP is pleased that its key partners have agreed to sponsor the forum and will share their technological insights, highlighting how HP solutions, integrated with their technologies, provide our customers with competitive advantage,” said Dan Vertrees, vice president of alliances – Americas, HP. “We are also proud to have a distinguished American like John Glenn speak about the impact technology has on our daily lives.”
The four-day event will provide innovative technical training, education and certification across the full spectrum of HP products and solutions. This forum will offer more than 400 solution- and segment-oriented technical training and breakout sessions, more than 200 hands-on workshops and a 12,000-sq. ft. demonstration area to enhance the learning experience. The programme also will allow access to HP executives, providing attendees with opportunities to ask questions, share ideas and participate in one-on-one meetings. A broad base of HP customers, partners and employees are expected to attend, including systems integrators, value-added resellers, independent software vendor partners, user groups and the HP Certified Professional community.