The 2018 Emerson Global Users Exchange Americas will focus on the role of automation in driving profitability by fostering a new, deeper level of collaboration between information and operational technology professionals. With more than 100 sessions covering IT essentials including cybersecurity and networking, mobility and workforce enablement, sensing and analytics, simulation, machine learning, digital twin technology, and project management, this year’s conference will give attendees an opportunity to gain new perspectives on how to leverage innovations that enable process improvements, reduce costs and improve productivity.
The annual, user-driven conference, which will take place October 1-5 at San Antonio’s Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, will feature more than 350 sessions in total. Nearly 3,000 automation professionals who use Emerson technologies gathered last year for this community sharing event where peers can learn best practices for implementing digital transformation strategies that help their companies save millions of dollars by improving production, operational reliability, safety and energy management.
The agenda also includes immersive technical presentations, live demonstrations, industry forums, interactive workshops, technology roundtables, “Meet the Experts” sessions, exhibits and networking events including the annual Music Jam and a “Casino Night.” In addition, conference participants can register for complimentary certified training courses to earn CEU credits that would otherwise cost as much as $700 per session in separate training formats. Attendees who register by September 15 save $200 off the $1,395 regular admission price. Daily passes and guest rates for attendee’s family members are also available.
The event will kick off with keynote presentations by the newly appointed Emerson President Mike Train and Automation Solutions Executive President Lal Karsanbhai. Both will offer users a state-of-the-union address on industry successes that will inspire innovation. Renowned innovation coach and future trend expert Robert B. Tucker will teach real-world techniques for sparking innovation in organizations and individuals.
The conference offers seven category tracks including the newly formed “Electrical Systems” track for best practices in electrical transmission, distribution and generation. Other topics include cloud computing, machine learning and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications, to managing system migrations, change management, regulatory compliance and real-world case studies describing how companies have leveraged digital transformation strategies.
The Emerson Global Users Exchange is a community of process industry professionals committed to extracting the most from their automation investments and enabling companies to achieve top quartile performance in the areas of safety, reliability, production and energy management. Shaped by users, for users, the event is managed by a user-driven board of directors from a range of industries who formulate the conference content and guide the direction of the users’ group at large. The event is held in the Americas annually and biennially for the Europe, Middle East & Africa region.