JDUG 2009

New Format / New Opportunities

I am pleased to announce that the John Deere User Group (JDUG) and the EQUIP™ User Group (EUG) will join forces for a new format for the upcoming 2009 Conference February 16-18, 2009.

Over the last few years our JDUG group has had three significant issues to battle:

• Lower Attendance
• This has been caused by two factors.  As more dealers move to EQUIP, those dealers no longer attended JDUG.  Attendance has declined even for Legacy dealers as they were finding less value for the investment of time and money.
• Board Positions, Chairs and Co-Chairs
• In the past, these positions were always filled at the end of the JDUG meeting through nominations and voting.  It has become increasingly difficult to fill open positions. Today we still have positions that have not been filled on the Executive Board along with open Chair and Co-Chair positions.
• Deere Involvement
• Deere & Company, like the John Deere dealerships, has a limited amount of resources to manage for the many dealer meetings every year. To split these resources among multiple events drove division business participation down.
• By combining the two events, it will enable some significant steps forward to bring better value to all dealerships attending. The new format brings back the “business” focus that was at the heart of JDUG's original mission when it was created. The training will now be focused on John Deere business systems and the supporting Agricultural Equipment, Commercial & Consumer Equipment, and Construction & Forestry Equipment applications that all John Deere dealers use in their daily operations. It is not about technology, but rather how the better use of key technologies will enable the business drivers of the dealership and the company.

The format will include the following:

• Business Focus towards core enabling technology to enable Dealer improvement
• Process Improvement
• Usage Improvement
• Product Improvement
• Integration Improvement
• Enable dealer growth through better training of process and technology
• Increase division participation in training and discussion
• Steering Committees to drive session content
• EQUIP Dealer Advisory Group (EDAG)- EQUIP Topics
• JDUG Chairs and Co-chairs - JDUG / Legacy Topics
• Division reps - Division topics with input from JDUG / EDAG / JDIS
• JDIS will manage meeting logistics, fees, billing, and administrative duties
• JDIS will assemble schedule with content from Steering Committees
• JDUG Board will manage Vendors

The new format has been endorsed by all of the divisions, and they have pledged their support during the conference to assist in the training. This single event will make it easier for the divisions to deploy more resources than they have been able to in the past.

Vendors aligned with the core John Deere business system strategies will still be invited to the upcoming conference. The vendors in attendance will be utilized to help support the meeting agenda and provide business-specific products.

All attendees will have reduced fees from what we have had in past JDUG meetings. By combining what were formerly two separate events, this new single event will allow for major cost reductions with the elimination of many of the overhead costs incurred during previous conferences.

We are excited as we step into a new era for JDUG and EUG. Details for the meeting agenda and registration will be forthcoming. Mark your calendars for February 16-18, 2009 in Austin, Texas.

Aaron Lee
President, JDUG