Category Archives: Event Editorials

Event Editorials on GovEvents Blog includes articles written directly pertaining to Government & Military Events.

Government Marketing University Names Finalists for 2019 GAINER Awards

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Government Marketing University(GMarkU) announced today the finalists for its 2019 GAINER Awards, the top honors for government marketing excellence across the U.S. Public Sector. Winners will be announced at GMarkU's annual GAIN Conference on November 12, 2019, at the Fairview Park Marriott, Falls Church, VA.

The GAINER Awards recognize excellence in government marketing within lead generation, social media, brand awareness, events, partner marketing and innovation. The event will also recognize a government marketing thought leader for the 2019 GAINER Lifetime Achievement Award.

Congratulations to the following stellar government marketers who are the 2019 GAINER Government Marketing Awards finalists.

  • Meredith Allen, Director, Public Sector Marketing, FireEye
  • Ariel Bradford, Marketing Manager, U.S. Public Sector and Marie Hill, Sr. Channel Marketing Manager, NetApp
  • Vanessa Bush, Marketing Manager, Public Sector, CrowdStrike
  • Ashley Cabrera, Marketing & Proposal Specialist, Preferred Systems
  • Connie Coleman, Sr. Field Marketing Manager, Federal, ServiceNow
  • Laura Curtis, Senior Marketing Campaign Leader, ViON
  • Shannon Edwards, Marketing and Communications, GovPlace
  • Leslie Griggs, Director of Marketing, Crystal Group
  • Jennifer Held, Marketing Manager, Civilian and Seabreeze Osburn, Marketing Manager, DoD, Amazon Web Services
  • Kelli Katona, Marketing Communications Specialist, Phillips Corporation
  • Tom Mahoney, Director, Demand and Marketing Operations, DLT Solutions
  • Allison Mason, Senior Director, Public Sector Marketing, Red Hat
  • Melissa McGovern, Global Lead, Industry Solutions - Public Sector, Google Cloud
  • Oliver Nutt, Head of Marketing & Communications, General Dynamics Information Technology
  • Shannon Prather, Marketing Cultivator, GISinc
  • Lisa Sion, Director, Public Sector Marketing, Cloudera
  • Andrew Scott, Social Media Manager, Micro Focus
  • Lisa Sherwin Wulf, Sr. Director of Marketing, Government & Education, SolarWinds
  • Brandon Shoup, Marketing Team Lead, Carahsoft
  • Josie Smoot, Director, Marketing Communications, IronBow
  • Milo Speranzo, Director, North American Marketing (Federal), Dell EMC
  • Laura Stzremenski, Marketing and Brand Manager, IntelliDyne

"We are thrilled to honor and celebrate these superstars in government marketing," said Lou Anne Brossman, CEO and Co-Founder of GMarkU. "The 2019 GAINER Award finalists have made significant strides in excelling at creating innovative government marketing campaigns and are at the forefront of advancing government marketing excellence. We congratulate our finalists and look forward to their continued contributions within our government marketing community."

"I was proud to be a 2018 GAINER Award recipient that showcased the talent and capabilities of our entire marketing team," said Maria Moore, Vice President, Marketing at DLT Solutions and 2018 GAINER Award winner. "I'm so proud of the work my DLT Marketing Team does every day, and to have it recognized by GMarkU and our peers highlights how effective our work is. I look forward to meeting the 2019 GAINER Award finalists and winners at GAIN 2019."

Finalists have implemented government marketing campaigns that have raised the bar within government marketing and will be recognized during the awards luncheon at the 2019 GAIN Conference on November 12, 2019, at the Fairview Park Marriott in Falls Church, VA. The event attracts over 200 government-marketing professionals, and attendees can expect deep-dive discussions on "The Customer Journey" with high-quality marketing training and content, government-marketing specific certifications, and the opportunity to network with peers, vendors and service providers.

If you're interested in attending GAIN 2019, visit: https://thegainconference.com.

To view event sponsors and inquire about available sponsorships, visit https://thegainconference.com or contact Lou Anne Brossman at lbrossman@gmarku.com or 703-408-4311.

Stay connected with Government Marketing University by following us on Twitter @GetMarkedU and LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/government-marketing-university/. For more information, visit www.gmarku.com.

About Government Marketing University

Government Marketing University is an innovative learning platform that applies a collaborative, community-based approach toward knowledge sharing and skills development in the field of public sector marketing. Experts from all corners of the U.S. public sector marketplace -- marketers, thought leaders, government, media and sales -- are contributing their knowledge to this unique, content-rich platform. Government Marketing University offers training, research, certifications, mentoring, and community resources all in one place.

View the original article on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191015006043/en/

Small Event. Big Impact

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As we begin to slide into the last quarter of the year and start planning for 2020, the human inclination is to go bigger and better next year. But, we would challenge you to look at how going smaller can actually lead to a greater impact. Smaller events can deliver the same learning as a large event, however do it in a way that enables event organizers to get closer to attendees as well as a different way for attendees to interact with the content and with each other.

For context, we would define a small event as somewhere around 20-50 people. With this size, attendees have an opportunity to get to know one another and the presenters on a deeper level. This is helpful when you're looking to build better customer intimacy or when you are looking to gather feedback. A small group allows for more interaction and questions, so organizers can take advantage of the opportunity and build in plenty of time for Q&A. Attendees can get the lecture experience at any event, so set your event apart with increased access to and interaction with speakers and thought leaders.

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Department Spotlight ~ U.S. Department of Agriculture: Harvesting Crops and Innovation

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Fall visits to the farmers market take us back to simpler times when people lived off the land. Today's farmers may provide the same "output" of food, but how they manage the growth and distribution of it has changed dramatically.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was established in 1862 and was nicknamed "The People's Department" by President Lincoln because of its mission to support the farmers that feed the nation. Today, the USDA is focused on providing "leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and related issues based on public policy, the best available science, and effective management."

In achieving this mission, the USDA has become a hub for innovation. It was chosen as the first host agency for a modernization Center of Excellence (CoE). Spearheaded by the General Services Administration (GSA), the CoE at USDA was established to accelerate IT modernization across government to improve the public experience and increase operational efficiency. The CoE centralizes top government tech talent and combines it with private sector experts and expertise to implement best practices to move processes and technologies ahead. The CoE is focused on five functional areas: Cloud Adoption, Contact Center, Customer Experience, Data Analytics, and Infrastructure Optimization.

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Growing Our Cloud Smarts

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The move to cloud computing in government has changed from a focus on Cloud First to Cloud Smart. The initial push to cloud encouraged agencies to look at cloud options when adding or updating technology but provided no direct guidance. This "Cloud First" push provided a way to educate agencies on what cloud is and why it is a viable option for deploying applications to the government workforce. This education worked, making even the most security-conscious agencies comfortable with moving data and applications to the cloud to gain new efficiencies in time and budget.

The Cloud Smart policy, a logical evolution of Cloud First, was introduced last year and provides more guidance surrounding security, procurement, and workforce skills to foster cloud adoption and implementation. While the value cloud can provide is widely accepted, procurement of cloud remains a stumbling block to wider, easier cloud adoption. The shift in spending from capital funds to operating funds and the fluidity of the fees based on need and usage require different language and structure in contracts. Security also continues to be a focus, creating new "shared responsibility" language in cloud agreements and plans.

To help you get smarter on how to be cloud smart, we've compiled a list of upcoming events that cover the areas related to a successful cloud deployment.

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Department Spotlight: Department of Education

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It's back to school time, so we thought it only fitting to take a look at the Department of Education (ED) to get a sense of what is on their "syllabus" for the next government fiscal year. The stated mission of the Department is to "promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access." It is a fairly new cabinet-level agency established in 1980. In addition to providing federal support and coordination to the states, the agency is responsible for administering loans and grants for higher education.

A current focus for the Department is modernization. A recent GAO report looked at the ten most critical updates needed in government. ED had one system on the list that was relying on COBOL programming language, a language that is not used or taught anymore, and those who do know it are retiring from the workforce.

Beyond this obvious and critical modernization need, the Department is looking at many other modernization initiatives, including updating the federal student loan process to streamline and simplify applications. Similarly, ED is actively investigating ways that modernized loan systems can reduce and even stop fraud involved in loan applications.

For people working with the Department of Education, there are several conferences and events in the coming months that address the education sector directly as well as guide modernization more generally.

  • Public Sector Innovation Summit (October 2, 2019; Arlington, VA) - This event brings together IT leaders from government and industry to discuss best practices, opportunities, and key trends in the government technology space. Additional focus areas include efficiently moving to the cloud, transforming IT to modernize government, innovating in a risk-averse culture, and much more.
  • EDUCAUSE Annual Conference (October 14-17, 2019; Chicago, IL) - Focused on the higher ed IT market, professionals and technology providers from around the world will come together to share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today's challenges. Topics include managing and reducing information technology risk, navigating change, transforming the student experience, and creating a culture of data-informed decision-making.
  • P3 Higher Education Summit (October 24-25, 2019; San Diego, CA) -- Public-private partnerships (P3s) are delivering essential infrastructure on campuses across the country. University representatives and industry leaders will discuss the latest modes of campus infrastructure delivery. The agenda will focus on P3 education, financing, procurement, policy, and networking.
  • Blockchain Expo North America (November 13-14; Santa Clara, CA) - This event will include a series of expert keynotes, interactive panel discussions and solution-based case studies exploring the key industries that are set to be disrupted the most by this new technology, including financial services, government, and education.

Let us know what other events could benefit people working at the federal level of education. Share your thoughts in the comments.