My Recollections of DUC
I always look back on DUC and remember its humble beginnings in the backyard of the Deighton home. I should say that I remember certain presentations or case studies from DUCs gone by, but I would be lying. What I remember about DUC is the after-hours events behind the Deighton home. I remember the endless volleyball games that went as long as daylight would allow, the pool tournament that some girl from Regina always seemed to win, the trampoline, the karaoke king from South Dakota and of course great food and laughs under the tent.
Over the years DUC has changed venues many times. Who can forget spectacular Kananaskis or Niagara-on-the-Lake. I remember the dinner theatre show "Oh Canada Eh" in Canmore and rafting down the Kananaskis River with Peter, Alfred and some other guy. Who was that guy from Fulton Hogan that dumped me into the 4C water? I think I owe him this year. Over the years the venues and presentations have changed but the after-hours events, the relationships and networking that occurs at DUC is what I remember.
DUC provides our users with the unique opportunity to interact with colleagues who have dedicated their professional lives to infrastructure asset management. There is nothing more powerful than when this community comes together to share ideas and stories.
Companies often stage employee bonding retreats that help to motivate people to come together and work to inspire others. Deighton has DUC. The networking and motivation in case studies and after- hours events is invaluable because it brings people from all over the world together to connect, discover and inspire. Eric Thibodeau (NHDOT) said it best:
“Its great meeting the international dTIMS user. I can always go to Vermont and see what they are doing but I never know what New Zealand is doing. DUC affords me that opportunity.”
The initial Deighton User Conference was in 1988 and has been an annual tradition since. In 2019 DUC was held for the first time in the United States. What better venue than historic Boston, MA? Who will forget that keynote presentation by MIT’s Senseable City Lab or our mobile data collection workshop in the streets of downtown Boston. Better yet, what about that ball game at Fenway Park.
Fast Forward to 2020
While we can't replicate the same experience of being together in person, we will do our best to create an amazing event that will continue to move you and our community forward. We recognize that DUC is an important channel for many of you to connect with your peers—we are committed to making network opportunities available as part of the virtual event. A virtual format will open up new options to deliver content and interact, including the opportunity for organizations to have an unlimited number of attendees participate from across their agency.
The following is an outline of our current plan:
- The event will take place Aug. 17-20, 2020.
- There will be many opportunities for networking, collaboration and real-time interaction with Deighton staff
- 3 consecutive days of learning
- 2 concurrent content tracks
- Sessions run 2 times daily for multiple time zones
- Daily keynotes delivered by industry experts
- Dynamic agenda based on attendee interests
- Visit with the dTIMS Doctor
- Glimpse the latest news and demos of dTIMS
- Network in private break out rooms or chat app
- Agency passes
We are all In It Together. Let’s make DUC 2020 the best yet!