Benelux User Group?

[csteinke]

Anyone already involved in a Benelux user group? I haven't heard of one already...

Please respond if you would be interested in joining such a group. It would most likely include monthly or bi monthly meetings where we can:
- compare notes on current setups
- discuss new ways of working with SC
- maybe bring in a vendor once in a while to demonstrate new interfaces or products
- keep abreast of new issues

[Maggie]

Hi Chris,

Nice to see a familiar flag here! ;-)


> removed a part of my text here... told Tommy to be less negative, and here I went doing the same thing... not a good example, so removed it :wink: <


I am not sure though about your idea, also because there was no other Benelux respond here. And maybe something like it already excists...
But please respond here, email or PM me, if you would like to discuss things!

[tommy]

Remember if anybody want to start this I can provide a private forum for it.

[Maggie]

Tommy,

thanks, wondered about it, but what good would that do? We all speak english and have nothing to hide, even better, we are probably a minority here, so should take advantadge of the rest of Europe/World/Universe!?

No need for something private, I quess... but, yes, everything seems to be happening on the other side of the ocean... (or here;-)

Maggie

[tommy]

Have a look at the statistics page.

Now I am not quite sure which countries are considered part of Benelux but here goes.

There are

83 registered users from Germany
28 registered users from The Netherlands
25 registered users from Belgium

Germany is the second largest country represented here.

So that would be 136 potential users. Thats not a minority :wink:

[Maggie]

how many of them active???


and Benelux stands for BElgie, NEderland, LUXemburg... no offence to Germany, love their beers, but.... benelux leaves 53 users now?

[tommy]

Ok as I said.... Geography have never been a strong side.

I don't have a number for how many of them are active. They could be just reading and not wanting to post.

[Maggie]

No problem... I know there are some countries up there... and one of them is Denmark;-)

[csteinke]

Whether you like one finger of foam or two, everyone likes to sit on the plein and drink beers on a sunny day. How about if some of us SC people in the area just start by getting some informal beers?

[Marcade]

This forum is sufficient, for a kind of ServiceCenter community to form?

And why does one feel the urge to want to drink beer with people who also know ServiceCenter? :-? Last thing I want to do outside working hours, is remotely think about Peregrine or ServiceCenter.

[csteinke]

I started working with Service Center in the Washington DC area and there they have a very active group called Mid-PUG (midatlantic peregrine users group).

Meetings were great! You'd hear all about new technologies and challenges, not from salesmen but from the people who were trying to get stuff done. You'd hear about different ways to solve common problems. New software issues/bugs would be brought up, Peregrine support would be critiqued as we compared response and sometimes a Peregrine rep would come to brief us on the latest news.

I think that is the most important bit, comparing notes. With Service Center it is really easy to get in a little box, where your knowledge is totally dependent on how it is implemented at your site. A user group creates that peer evaluation, people who understand the context of a Service Center discussion. Its a perfect vehicle to (in a more detailed, Q&A type way than is possible in an internet forum) stay current and learn new things.

I just suggested the beer as a way to get the ball rolling informally. I know that at the very least Shell, KLM and ABN-AMRO all use SC. I bet if we get a group actually going, they would sponsor events at their sites.

[Maggie]

Well, i think i would like something like that!
I would like to discuss things in my own language because i noticed a lot my time is going to translating and thinking about that, forgetting about the issue itself!

So I don't want to rule out other people, but could use some Dutch once in a while.. t would be nice to meet some dutch SC-users as well...the subject doesn't have to be SC, or the weather! :wink:

So if the 'plein' mentioned is in Amsterdam, let's do it or be my quest!
Dutch or Benelux people, let me know!

(anyone else being around as a tourist, also welcome !)

[Maggie]

Hi all,

A Benelux usergroup is being organised right this moment. I was told oktober 15th there will be a kick off... I don't have details, but heard Peregrine in Holland is working on it.

Since first reactions from Benelux users were not too enthoustiastic here, (or they did not reply at all), here's another try.... I know former discussions on this ended up like jokes, but now it seems things are happening.

Chris, back me up here and respond;-) Kees Schenk maybe?

Others (like the Belgium guys amongst us...), if you did not respond before please do it now, and let us know how you feel about it! And even better, what do you expect from it!??

Let us know,

Maggie

[fid509]

Hi Maggie,

I suppose this event will take place in Amsterdam (nice) or at the Peregrine homebase at Woerden (Oh my God!). Maybe I'll take a day off to attend this. I still got some holidays (>25 days) left .

[Maggie]

Maarssen actually! ;-)

[fid509]

And that is close to ... the middle of nowhere ?

[Maggie]

Near Utrecht I believe. (and now don't anwer 'That what i said...the middle of Nowhere!;-)

I was told tomorrow I receive an official invitation and agenda.
Also I asked if it was only for Dutch customers or not, because i am not really sure on that now...

Will let you know if I get an answer!

[Maggie]

Well, turned out to be a 'tiny bit' different than we expected, but here's the url to 'focus2003' for Dutch customers:

http://www.peregrinefocus2003.com/hollande

For the Belgian people there is a simular thing on the 14th, have no idea if you guys are invited.
And for the French people it looks there is something on september 30th...

Have a look at http://www.peregrinefocus2003.com

good news: you don't have to come all the way to Maarssen, you get your own Peregrine-show!;-)

[csteinke]

If it wasn't for your posting of the link and information, I would not even know this was going on. I assumed that since I was emailing directly with Kees Schenk, and I started this whole thread, I would receive an invite. I guess I was mistaken.

Regardless, I am making arrangements to attend. Perhaps in the meantime we can start our own mailing list. If you wish to be kept informed of the N(ederlands) PUG, please private message me your information and I will keep you informed.

[tommy]

You already have a sort of simple mailing list here. Just indicate when posting here You want an email when new posts are made. Of course this means that the users need to make a post here. But at least this is avaiable here and now.

Just a tip.

[Maggie]

Tommy, thanks.

Chris, well, If you are not invited and I am, it makes you wonder if they realise who they invited anyway...

Mark (Netherlands), have you been invited?
Geert and others from Belgium, for the 14th?

I am thinking of attending the afternoon, but first I wait to see if others at my company are interested also (don't know yet which of my colleques have been invited, so I forwarded my invitation and asked them to look at it and think about it ).

[Maggie]

Here's the material:

http://www.peregrine.com/fr/Company/...003Holland.htm

[PieterVanPetegem]

Geert and myself have been invited while some of our other collegues didn't receive an invitation. They also subscribed and went anyway. This wasn't a problem.

[RalphReijs]

Last thing I want to do outside working hours, is remotely think about Peregrine or ServiceCenter.

lol have there been any NPUGs since 2003? Or if not NL, for BeNeLux maybe?