AIIM Attendees Learn More Than Just ECM Basics

(Boston) — ECM (enterprise content management) vendors, resellers, and end users descended on Boston recently to take part in the 2008 AIIM Conference & Expo, and this year I was among them. The experience was akin to going shopping on Black Friday — filled with anticipation and excitement and followed by exhaustion. Although I overheard many people saying the show seems to get smaller each year, the show floor was still packed. AIIM reports that the AIIM Conference, combined with AIIM ON DEMAND held at the same time, drew 25,000 visitors.

The educational sessions were well attended, with nearly standing room-only crowds for many of the sessions, even those that took place before the conference officially kicked off. The sessions ranged from a basic introduction to ECM to hot new topics such as BPM (business process management), BI (business intelligence), and Enterprise 2.0 strategies.

The keynote address was given by John Mancini, president of AIIM. Mancini revealed the results of AIIM's 2008 State of the Industry Survey, reporting that organizations of all sizes have "crossed the chasm" of ECM awareness. "We have moved, in just a few years, from an industry that was relevant to only a handful of users within the largest organizations, to an industry that will soon reach the desktop level," says Mancini.

The editors of Integrated Solutions and Business Solutions also held several panel discussions with industry leaders at the Channel Connection Pavilion. Some of the topics identified opportunities in imaging hardware and capture software, the implications of Microsoft SharePoint, and a discussion of what ECM end users are looking for. The Channel Connection Pavilion wrapped up with the Channel Connection and I-Cubed awards presentations.

— Vicki Amendola
Document & Content
Management Technology Editor