Presenters & Staff for 2016
Beginner Eclipse Training: Michael StarkmanIntermediate Eclipse Training: Keith Vincent
Advanced Eclipse Training: Jeremy Thorne
Realtime Coach: Marybeth Everhart
Editing Magic+Scoping: Angie Ryder
Eclipse & Passport Update: Betty Holder & Megan Seely
Punctuation Seminar(s): Margie Wakeman Wells
ESP Network Staff: Tom Banda, John & Marybeth Everhart, Karin Masci
Technical Support: Tom Banda, John Everhart, Dave Stanley
2016 Conference Wrap Up
Detailed 2016 Conference Schedule
We were so impressed with the Skyview Meeting floor at Bally's Hotel & Casino last year (for our 2014 Annual Conference) that we decided to return for this year's event; once again we couldn't have been more pleased with the meeting space and hotel staff. We consolidated our rooms this time around, so the conference was contained within a single wing of the Skyview Floor (at the top of the Indigo Tower). This meant that neither our staff nor our attendees had to race down the hall for our general sessions, much to the delight of both. Not only do each of the conference rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that provide stunning views of Las Vegas (not to mention the underappreciated beauty of natural light), the long hallway connecting all the rooms is also lined with its own floor-to-ceiling windows running the entire length of the 26th floor. It was a breathtaking reminder that there's just no substitute for open, naturally lit spaces. Although our conference this year was as smooth and successful as ever, our event was overshadowed by the sudden loss of our very dear friend, Jim Barker, who passed away unexpectedly on April 2nd, 2015. Jim was more than just a friend, vendor, or presenter; he was a member of the Eclipse Users' Group family from almost the very beginning. Jim's absence was very noticeable to all who attended, but his sudden departure has left a void that will be difficult to fill. No tribute could possibly say enough about a man who touched so many lives both personally and professionally, but we all observed a moment of silence at the same time that his memorial service was being held in Alaska.
Michael Starkman rejoined our presenter's staff this year, lending his amazing teaching talents to our Basic Eclipse Training course, as well as joining Angie Ryder for Sunday's two-part Editing Magic series. Keith Vincent and Jeremy Thorne returned once again this year and did a masterful job presenting our Intermediate and Advanced level Eclipse Training suites, respectively. In addition to their Eclipse Track Training classes, Keith and Jeremy also teamed up on Sunday to bring us an in-depth look at the audio system in Eclipse, including a full review of all the changes Jeremy added in the recently released Eclipse 7 with its new, multi-track audio capabilities. Also joining our staff this year were a few new faces from our friends at eVerbatim, including Tom Banda, Karin Masci and Jesse Henrikson. Tom Banda is a member of eVerbatim's technical support team and came to provide technical support to our attendees, as did eVerbatim intern Jesse Henrikson, who made the trip for the same reason. Karin Masci, eVerbatim's Director of Operations, also journeyed to Las Vegas this year to lend her organizational and accounting expertise. Without these three new faces our 2015 Annual Conference wouldn't have gone off as smoothly as it did, and we look forward to seeing them all again for our 2016 Annual Conference. Also returning this year was the incredible Margie Wakeman Wells, who rejoined us to present a follow-up to her wildly successful 20/20 Punctuation Seminar, presented with Jim Barker at our 2014 Annual Conference. Margie presented a wonderful seminar, which included a touching tribute to her close friend, and our departed comrade, Jim Barker. Another familiar face returning for our 2015 Annual Conference was Angie Ryder, who joined us to present Sunday's two-part seminar entitled "Editing Magic," and was assisted by Michael Starkman. This unique seminar showcased the potential of a Scopist and Reporter teaming up using Eclipse's Connection Magic and Shared Editing features, with Angie playing the part of the scopist and Michael playing the role of the reporter. Angie put on a pair of fantastic sessions this year, and we are very grateful to her for once again bringing her talents to Vegas for the benefit of our attendees.
Our Saturday evening reception and raffle drawing was a blast this year, and, as usual, LOADS of great prizes were handed out. Master of Ceremonies, Marybeth Everhart, kept everyone on their toes, and the addition of a little background music seemed to relax everyone just a bit more than usual. We moved the reception into a new space this year, and it was spectacular, with stunning views at both ends of the room, two bars, and buffet tables filled with scrumptuous appetizers. Our only regret was that there was so much food left over. It was delicious and a shame to waste. At this year's raffle we gave away almost $5,000 worth of toys and tech, including several iPads and Laptops, plus LOTS of donated items from our friends and vendors. Betty Holder and Megan Seely provided us with this year's update from Advantage Software, giving us plenty of insider information about the exciting new innovations they have planned--so a BIG thanks go out to them both for sharing with us that evening!
As always, we are infinitely grateful to have such an amazing user base and an incredible team of presenters and staff. As is the case with the evolution of the Eclipse Software we all know and love, we feel that our meetings and attendees seem to just get better every year, in no small part because we continue to listen to our audience. The lessons we learn, mistakes we make, and the comments we receive after each event are always taken seriously and help us shape everything that follows. Attendee feedback is the vital ingredient that makes our conference the premier Eclipse training event, year after year. Once again, thank you for another amazing conference and we look forward to seeing everyone again in 2016!