Author Archives: Kerry Rea President of GovEvents

About Kerry Rea President of GovEvents

Twitter: @Kerry_Rea | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kerryrea/ I am a business and marketing professional with an extensive background in company start-ups. I have 20+ years direct experience in the information technology, government, franchise, and construction industries. Having a passion for business, I love brainstorming, collaborating and strategizing on the best ways to achieve our clients' and partners' business objectives.

Three New DC Metro Meeting Options

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With springtime upon us and the rebirth it brings (even as wet as it has been in DC), we've been inspired to look at some new options for meeting spaces in the DC metro area. We looked at the latest openings and decided to highlight the following three locations as they all provided a bit of a break from the norm.[Tweet "3 DC meeting locations that provide a break from the norm. #GovEventsBlog"]

  1. Pennsylvania 6 - this new restaurant opened in the fall and features multiple private dining rooms. Its location near the convention center makes it a great option for break-out sessions and post-event gatherings timed with events and activities at the convention complex. The thoughtfully decorated private rooms provide a change of pace from the austere surroundings of large meeting venues.
  2. Spartan Training and Development Center - this facility specifically designed for meetings and collaboration provides another option for large groups in the popular National Harbor complex. The center has five spacious training rooms, a full range of training and audiovisual equipment, the latest computer equipment and software, wireless technology, and a full kitchen and break area. It is a great set-up for training classes, meetings, workshops, seminars, small conferences, and presentations. The facility was designed with floor to ceiling windows to take advantage of the Potomac River views.
  3. Refraction - this space in Reston is just one example of how co-working spaces are catering to event planners. Refraction and other co-working spaces throughout the metro area are designed to enable collaboration and inspire innovation. Why not harness that spirit for events? Refraction offers dedicated event space and 25 private meeting rooms with the amenities of Reston Town Center right outside the front door.[Tweet "These locations only scratch the surface of what's new to DC-area meeting planners. #GovEventsBlog"]

These locations only scratch the surface of what's new and available to DC-area meeting planners. We'd love to hear your thoughts on newer spots that have captured your interest. Let us know in the comments.

Behind the Curtain: AWS Public Sector Summit

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AWS_Web Ads_Summit_320x250For this "Behind the Curtain" post we're taking a look at the seventh annual Amazon Web Services (AWS) Public Sector Summit. This complimentary event takes place June 20-21 in Washington, DC and brings together developers, IT, and line-of-business leaders to address current best practices and trends in cloud computing.[Tweet "Behind the Curtain: The 7th Annual AWS Public Sector Summit. #GovEventsBlog"]

The AWS Public Sector Summit is one of the largest cloud-focused events specifically designed for public sector. AWS focuses this event on the customer voice with many opportunities for attendees to learn from their peers. 4000+ government IT and business leaders from around the world will share their successes, challenges, and lessons learned along the way in their journey to the cloud.[Tweet "AWS Public Sector Summit: cloud-focused event specifically for the public sector. #GovEventsBlog"]

While this event is focused on the public sector, AWS is able to pull from their large commercial base to include stories and best practices from the private sector that directly apply to government missions and challenges. This year's event will feature AWS CEO, Andy Jassy, as a keynote, marking the first time he has spoken to such a large public sector-focused audience. In addition to Jassy and other AWS speakers, the event features customers and partners sharing their insights and demos. Continue reading →

Navigating the World With Drones

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Five years ago, drones patrolling the air and delivering packages seemed like something that lived only in reruns of the Jetsons. But in a short time, drones have become a reality in our modern world with commercial models retailing for as little as $44. With this technology's fast rise, the government is working hard to determine the best way to maintain public safety while preserving the rights of people to operate drones safely.[Tweet "5 years ago, drones patrolling the air/delivering packages seemed like something from the Jetsons. #GovEventsBlog"]

Issue one is the infringement on airspace. In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported that the number of annual drone sightings by commercial pilots had quadrupled to 650, just by August of that year. The FAA has been looking for ways to integrate drones into the tracking of our national airspace to ensure the safety of everyone in the sky.[Tweet "The FAA has been looking for ways to integrate drones safely into our national airspace. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Be the Tortoise and Embrace Slower Meetings

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As spring comes into full bloom and the first days of summer are peeking around the corner, many of us are reminded to stop and smell the roses. What if we applied this slow concept to the way we conduct our meetings and events?

At most events you hear people describe how busy they were, making it to all of the sessions, meeting with colleagues, walking the show floor. You hear laments about aching feet and backs from all the rushing around. But what if this "pack it all in while we're here" mentality is not the best way to get the most value out of events? There is a movement in the industry called "slow meetings" that is looking to change the way we approach our days at in-person events.[Tweet "There is a movement in the industry called 'slow meetings'. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →

Behind the Curtain: 2016 Federal Forum

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FedForumFor this edition of "Behind the Curtain" we're taking a look at the 2016 Federal Forum taking place on June 14 in Washington, D.C. The Federal Forum, sponsored by Brocade and produced by FedScoop, is in its fifth year and provides a unique platform for government and industry to discuss network modernization. The network infrastructure is 20 years old and today's environment demands that data be available anywhere anytime. The network must be able to reach the efficiency and speed needed to support mobility as well as cloud.

This event is focused on defining and discussing the New IP Network that begins with infrastructure upgrades to fabric-based physical networks and evolves to software defined virtual services and advanced methods of control and orchestration.  This network evolution can deliver the rich performance and experience that federal end users, citizens, and war fighters demand.[Tweet "The 2016 Federal Forum is focused on IP network evolutions for #Fed users and beyond. #GovEventsBlog"]

The 1,000 attendees include a mix of government and industry but they all share a focus on the network. Outside of the three government keynotes and a special presentation on Machine Learning, the event is divided into a general session track with numerous government/industry panels and a technical track giving attendees the depth of discussion that applies to their position.

We spoke with Ginger Kessler, Federal Marketing for Brocade, to get a sense of what we can expect from this year's event and see what goes into planning this network-focused event.[Tweet "Brocade's Ginger Kessler provides a look inside the 5th Federal Forum. #GovEventsBlog"] Continue reading →