Nortel’s Annual Enterprise Customer Conference

By Mark Evans | Published: June 2, 2008

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For anyone needing a hit of Nortel news, there could be some happening this week during Global Connect, an annual conference in Grapevine Gaylord, Tex. for Nortel enterprise customers hosted by the International Nortel Networks Users Association.

Keynotes will be delivered by Joel Hackney (today) and Mike Zafirovski (tomorrow). Mike Z. will talk about: “Nortel’s strategic direction” and “about his experiences at the helm of Nortel and his priorities for the company and discuss the importance of Unified Communications”.

And if that’s not exciting enough, the closing keynote will be delivered by ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach (now a real estate mogul), who will “explain how he translated his winning attitude and traits from his successful football career into a business career”.

Staubach will focus on “the daily challenges each of us faces and how we react to them. He’ll discuss how to bring a team together and utilize everyone’s abilities to make the organization stronger.

It doesn’t look like any of the keynotes will be Webcast but Nortel’s blogger-in-residence Bo Gowan plans to liveblog all three days of the conference.

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  • Been there, done that

    OMG, an aging football star turned businessman is going to give a motivational speech about technology he has no idea about. I've been to these things before and I'd put the audience on suicide watch…

  • And another thing…

    If Mike Z is going to talk about “Nortel's Strategic Direction” I am forced to wonder what's he going to talk about for the other 44 of him 45 minutes? Will Joel be giving a slapping demonstration?

  • Another Nortel Watcher

    Interesting. The external keynote speaker that Nortel chooses for a global event is a former star of a sport that is only played in America and only covered by American TV networks. Is it just me, or does that seem less than ideal?

  • Tongue.In.Cheek

    What makes you think that Nortel selected Roger Staubach for the closing speech? Isn't INNUA an independent User Association? If you look at INNUA's Board of Directors, not a single person is a Nortel employee.

  • ex-nortel^2

    “… ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach (now a real estate mogul).”

    A _real estate_ mogul?

    !

    How perfect.

    Mr. Z.
    Hat's off. You're the man.

  • puddintane

    Surely Staubach is getting paid by someone??

    I can't find “Nortel selected Roger Staubach to speak” in the text above, so i Google and::

    “Joel Hackney, President, Nortel Enterprise Solutions, will kick-off Global Connect as the opening presentation keynote speaker. Roger Staubach, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, will also be a keynote speaker in a presentation sponsored by Shared Technologies.”

    And right below it :

    “Shared Technologies is a supplier of Nortel Networks' equipment”

  • puddintane

    “In fact, as a member of Nortel's Elite Advantage Partner program, Shared Technologies is recognized as one of their premier distribution channels. These Elite Partners are carefully monitored by Nortel for maintaining a high level of certified technicians who ultimately can deliver a high degree of customer satisfaction”

  • i quit on my own

    Hackney? Is that the guy who 8itchslapped a girl on the parking lot?

  • I never worked at Nortel

    “The Staubach Company (http://www.staubach.com) is a market leading global real estate advisory firm that delivers cost-effective solutions for office, industrial and retail clients. It has extensive experience in strategic consulting, site selection, acquisition, disposition, construction consulting / project management, real estate administration, portfolio management, facility management, business and economic incentives and financing and capital solutions.”

    “1,600 people in more than 70 offices throughout North America represent Staubach’s 3,000+ clients. Staubach completed 7,280 transactions totaling $28 billion and 200 million square feet during the fiscal year ending June 2007. ”

    “Worldwide, the DTZ Staubach alliance has 12,000 professionals delivering services and solutions to multinational clients.”

    And from their history page:

    “When Roger Staubach entered the commercial real estate industry in 1977, only a handful of real estate companies were familiar with the concept of “user representation”. Roger Staubach, however, immediately saw the potential in this idea. He was committed from the outset that The Staubach Company would exclusively represent users of office, industrial and retail space.”

  • puddintane

    And yet he's shilling for Nortel. Pwned.

    Buy NT stock.Now!

  • Canary in a Coalmine

    Fact Correction: the 2008 Global Connect is held at the Gaylord Texan Resort Hotel which is Grapevine, Texas.

    Would be more interesting to see a webcast of the CIO of SSA giving a talk following MikeZ, heard that was humorous and interesting to push VOIP. Also heard the Open Session was where users asked a distinguished panel of NT Execs some tough questions was…….let's just say….. interesting at times……

  • http://none.com X Nortel by choice also

    By the sound of these comments you guys once again have no clue. Why do you all waste our time?

    Global Connect is a Nortel Users conference held every year by INNUA. INNUA is an independent Nortel users group, which consist of users that don't work for Nortel but use their products.

    Nortel has no involvement in this planning or setting up this conference except for providing demos and employees for presentations on new products and services.

    This year’s event, as stated was in Texas, so naturally it has a Texas theme. Which usually consist of Steak, Beer and the Dallas Cowboys. Heehaw!

    So when I read these statements about why would they bring Rodger Starbuck as the guest speaker I have to laugh. Do we really need to explain why a Dallas Cowboy hero would be the guest speaker at a Dallas, Texas event. Can some of you try to use your brain every once in a while before typing stupid crap. Oh wait, he also has become a successful business man since football. Would it be better to bring up O.J.

    Just so you know it was very entertaining and I hate the Cowboy’s.

    My last year at Nortel at the NORTEL GLOBAL SALES CONFERENCE they had Lance Armstrong. Does that pass your test? These comments are annoying and without proper thought or research of the facts.

    As usual!

    I don’t have a problem bashing Nortel for real reasons but this is reaching at its best.

  • ex-nortel^2

    Given the state and direction of the economy, and the industry that brought to this point so far, doesn't having a real estate “mogul” as a keynote speaker strike you as funny? Think of Nortel's role in the last recession.

    Maybe it takes a Canadian sense of humour to appreciate it.

  • many

    I received an invitation to Global Connect. In the invite it stated that tehy were trying to influence CALA customers. Ity struck me as ironic that they would choose and American football star rather than a Soccer star to give the keynote. I too do not understand the real-estate angle but I do see the irony.

  • puddintane

    Too bad a more a more neutral, non American cobwoy person, perhaps a Canadian, a Green Party member, like Canada's own GP leader Elizabeth May, wasn't given the honors to speak under a bright blue (sky, not Nortel colored) burlap tent.

    Nortel is Canadian (at least on on paper – or burlap). Just last week Nortel was touting its near-zero emissions policy.

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