BRM Council Reflects on BRMConnect Sydney
In June 2016, the Australian business relationship management community came together for the first-ever BRMConnect conference held in Sydney, Australia.
Held at the historic Quarantine Station in the original buildings dating back to the 1830s, the week kicked off with eight people seizing the opportunity to complete their BRMP® qualifications under the expert tutelage of John Krogh of Instrumental BRM. Happily, we all passed, and we were then joined by the remaining conference delegates for the conference proper.
Monica Graham and I represented the Australian chapter of the BRM Council, and we had the pleasure of opening the conference and welcoming everyone to three days of sharing stories and learnings from BRMs across the globe. The conference was organised to ensure that we had ample opportunity to connect with each other, and getting to spend time learning from experts such as Aaron Barnes, Aleksandr Zhuk, and Suresh GP was incredibly valuable.
The conference was heavily focused on sharing, and we enjoyed hearing from diverse industries such as the University of Sydney and Origin Energy, among others.
Given the grim history of our location, Wednesday evening saw (most of) the group on a ghost tour of the old infirmary, shower block, and of course, the morgue. While actual ghost sightings were low, it was terrific fun to hear about the heights of medical practice back in the early 1800s and how the old station operated. Fortunately, the tour finished at the bar, so we were able to appreciate more warming spirits.
When the conference inevitably wound to a close, it was sad to say goodbye to newfound friends, which is what set the conference apart from other trade conferences. The small group, intimate setting, and lots of open sharing meant that we really connected and bonded with one another—a strong kernel from which a broad and healthy Australian BRM community will grow.
The small group, intimate setting, and lots of open sharing meant that we really connected and bonded with one another——a strong kernel from which a broad and healthy Australian BRM community will grow.
Our heartfelt thanks to all those who participated and made the week such a success. Now, the goal is to maintain the momentum and stay in contact—I hope to see everyone again at BRMConnect 2017!
Lindsay MacDonald is an experienced portfolio and business relationship manager who specialises in improving technology adoption and increasing business benefits. By using scaled Lean-Agile principles, he unlocks business potential, motivates teams, and improves value delivery, and he applies BRM disciplines to build trust through understanding business goals and what represents business value.
Lindsay has over 17 years’ experience in the education sector, improving business value realisation through successful adoption of the appropriate technology. He has an acute understanding how teams and organisations respond to change and what it takes to achieve large scale transformational change.
