Future Possibilities of the HDI Community

Two things have recently captured my attention.

The first item is the newly released HDI Focus Book “The Support Center in 2011: A Report on the Future Trends Facing the Support Industry”. The second item was the meeting minutes from the Feb 2008 Local Chapter Officer conference call.

How do these two items fit together? They’re both about change.

In the August 1st 2007 “The Muns Report”, Ron wrote, “We must envision the future to see new possibilities in everything that we do.” The Support Center in 2011 Focus Book is about the vision of change in our industry. When you read this Focus Book, you’ll see how it hit the mark.

The Feb 2008 Local Chapter Officer meeting was devoted to questions concerning the recent acquisition of HDI by ICMI/CMP. One of the questions asked was “what is driving the purchase?” The response identified a business focus change for ICMI/CMP. With print media showing decline, IMCI/CMP has started diversifying into membership based associations.

So what is IMCI/CMP buying when they acquire a membership based community? They’re buying you! Of course not you literally, but you as a paying member of HDI. The acquisition of HDI by ICMI/CMP is about change in the HDI community.

Existing community venues such as the HDI Annual Conference & Expo, which hosted more than 2800 participants in 2008, are growing. In addition, the Local Chapter network has increased in the opening of new chapters and interest toward starting new Local Chapters. The number of HDI Forums is now at eleven.

Several people I’ve talked with over the past couple years have expressed frustration that they live in an area that cannot support a Local Chapter. While the SPIN webinars act as a surrogate by providing outstanding content based presentations, it still doesn’t address the social interaction of networking a Local Chapter provides. Looking at the possibilities, could the HDI Blog be the start of that social network for those members living in geographically challenged locations?

What do you see as the future possibilities of the HDI community?

Ed Bano has fourteen years of IT Support experience and has been the IT Service Desk Supervisor for the past twelve years at the Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ed has been on the HDI Strategic Advisory Board since 2006 and currently serves as the Vice President of Programs for the HDI Southern Virginia Chapter.