Verizon's 2007 Technology Forum Photo Gallery

A Peek Inside Verizon’s Custom Event Co-Sponsored by OSP® and Verizon

by: OSP™ Staff

OSP Magazine August 2007

With more than 700 Verizon second-level engineers and 100+ exhibitors, the 2007 VERIZON TECHNOLOGY FORUM, sponsored by OSP™ and Verizon, was an overwhelming success according to both groups of stakeholders. A post-event survey revealed the event received rave reviews in terms of quality of the overall experience.

In May 2007, Verizon and OSP™ Magazine created a two-day networking and educational event. The Technology Forum was an event immersing 700+ of Verizon’s managers from the Engineering and Technology organization in: Verizon- and Industry-led education; Industry Updates by both Verizon Executives and Industry Analysts, and Vendor Round Robin. Furthermore, Verizon managers had the opportunity to meet with more than 100 different vendors and discuss product needs and take a look at new product offerings.

It's no wonder, with the event being the brainchild of Paul Lacouture, Executive Vice President – Engineering & Technology, Verizon. From the beginning, the commitment to his engineering managers was reflected in every aspect of the event planning and execution. Lacouture's respect for his attendees' knowledge base was woven throughout the two days. A perfect example of this respect was when he spontaneously invited Mark Wegleitner, Senior Vice President – Technology, Chief Technology Officer, to accompany him on stage after his keynote presentation. Together, they spent nearly a half-hour answering attendee questions that ranged from technical to visionary.

This illustrates the hands-on support given to Verizon's small but mighty leadership team under Paul Lacouture's direction. Henry Gamsby, Director of Outside Plant Engineering, Verizon, led the Technology Forum committee; without a hitch, the team enthusiastically took the reigns and created the event in less than six months. Three committee members worked in concert with OSP™'s custom-event team directed by Mary Beth Koelling, Vice President, Operations of PCI (the parent company of OSP™ and OSP EXPO):

Michael F. Donovan, Manager Network Engineering, Engineering and Technology, Verizon Communications

Christopher S. Parker, Outside Plant Engineering Manager, Verizon Communications

Danielle McCormack, Manager, Network Engineering, Verizon Communications

Since the event was customized by Verizon's own leadership team, they knew attendees' daily challenges and tailored the content to the perfect level. Sessions included executive pre-sentations as well as expert-led seminars concentrating on topics that would help them meet their work objectives.

The leadership team left nothing to chance; they also created interactive areas that showcased the fruits of the attendees' collective labor. Fittingly, the demo areas were powered by FiOS Internet service. One demo area showcased FiOS TV functionality and quality while the second demonstration area featured Verizon's on-line gaming offerings with blazingly fast downloads.

Another high point of the event was the VP Q&A session with participation by four of Paul Lacouture's vice presidents (listed below), and moderated by Sharon Vollman, Editorial Director, OSP™:

Michael P. Daigle: Vice President – Network Planning & Advanced Data Networks

William F. Judge: Vice President, Network Engineering & Planning – North Atlantic

Lee Hicks: Vice President, Network Engineering & Planning – Coast-to-Coast

Paul Tassinari: Vice President - National Engineering

Unscripted, they sat on stage, facing a ballroom jam-packed with their managers. Candor and a bit of humor allowed the executives to field questions for over an hour. After their time in this large group format, they remained at the Forum to spend some one-on-one time with their teams and visit the exhibit hall.

Large and small educational sessions such as this allowed attendees and vendors to feel heard and enriched. Michael Jacobs, Manager OSP - Network Engineering, found the informal networking opportunities invaluable for both days of the event. Jacobs eagerly shared, "Wow! The Verizon Technology Forum 2007 was an AWESOME event. This was a great networking opportunity. I am so glad I listened when you told me to move to the front row, center aisle, first seat. It's not often I get to sit next to the Senior VPs at Verizon. Looking forward to the next Forum."

Eric Marinakis, ADC, Vice President of Sales, added, “The Verizon Technology Forum was an incredibly valuable event and one that we are tremendously excited about participating in again next year. Both the Round Robin session and the exhibit provided a unique, hands-on opportunity for us to interface with the highest level Verizon managers and decision makers from across the country to discuss product and technologies for real world applications. The event was nothing short of outstanding!”

Vendors reported that the 2007 Technology Forum was an event in which they would eagerly participate again. Bob Semet, Account Manager for Corning Cable Systems, said that without a doubt, this was the best type of event that he had attended. "The quality of the attendees was outstanding. Everyone who came by our booth was extremely interested in our product offerings and had the ability to make purchasing decisions. All the suppliers in the hall had the same motivation: to help Verizon succeed with their FTTP build! Thank you for inviting Corning Cable Systems to participate, and we look forward to future Verizon Technology Forums."

It doesn't get better than having attendees AND exhibitors rave about a custom-event such as the 2007 Verizon Technology Forum. Or does it? We'll let attendees and exhibitors decide the answer to that question at the 2008 Verizon Technology Forum, April 9-11, at the Hershey Lodge, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

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