RMS World 2021 - Business Operations and Technology Workshop
October 18-22, 2021
Out of consideration for the travel and financial circumstances presented by COVID-19, we have decided to host our annual workshop remotely. RMS "Virtually Out of This World" 2020 was a huge success, and we are excited to refine the experience for 2021 with what we learned. We are excited that this format makes it possible for a wide range of members of the RMS community to participate from the safety of your homes and offices.
What to expect from this year's event
The logistics have changed, but the quality of the content has not! RMS World is an outstanding opportunity for professional growth within our tight-knit client community. Interact with users from a wide array of universities, colleges, and businesses from around the world, learn from members of the RMS Support, Implementation, Development, Quality Assurance, and Leadership teams, and attend sessions designed especially for housing, accommodation, and IT staff who work with and support Mercury products.
This year's event focuses on rolling out Mercury 4 and expanding your use of Mercury to all reaches of your department. Topics include but are not limited to:
- New features - Custom Entities, Menus, and Calendars (you're going to love them!)
- Enhancements to existing features - Interfaces have moved into Mercury (wave goodbye to RMS)
- Introductions to the entirely new Mercury Conference product
- Resources available to you - Mercury Complete Care, Mercury Minutes, and more!
Registration
This year we are offering registration per client site, rather than to individual attendees. Each site registration allows as many members of your team as desired to attend the sessions that relate to their interests and job functions.
Registration fees cover expenses related to the workshop. COVID-19 has presented a series of unprecedented financial challenges for colleges, universities, and related industries, and we are sensitive that it may be difficult to find funds. Please contact us if finances are an issue preventing your site from attending.
Registration is $350 per client site and can be paid by credit card or through a purchase order. We will contact you after receipt of your registration form to collect payment to ensure only one registration fee is collected per site.
Registration is available through October 1. Register now!
Who should attend?
One of the silver linings of this situation is that any member of your team with a relationship to Mercury and an interest to learn more can attend sessions. While the majority of sessions will continue to be geared at your primary Mercury users and administrators, some session content will be designed for the more casual user who wants to learn more. An initial list of session topics is listed below. View the full session list from 2020 to get a sense of the offerings.
Similarly, if your site has not previously participated in this event, this is a great year to give the workshop a chance and see what it can do for your team and your students. Members of our User Executive Board are available to talk if you'd like to better understand the benefits of attending. Their contact information is available here.
Attendee Feedback from Previous RMS Worlds
Need help justifying registering for the workshop? Check out the quotes below and use our justification letter as a basis for your request.
"RMS 'Virtually out of this' World exceeded all of my expectations for a virtual conference. The session content was delivered to the same effect that it would have been delivered in person. The virtual format of the conference allowed for more of our staff to attend and I loved having the session recordings available shortly after each session so I could share the information with others right away."
- Allison, Missouri State University
"Not only are you learning from RMS staff with years of experience, but you have access to different client site representatives who may share similar demographics and issues as your campus. Interactions with other users are just as valuable as interactions with RMS staff."
- Carson, The University of Southern Mississippi
"As a 10+ year client, there is still always something new to learn from a session or another client. At RMS World you build bonds with the RMS staff and other clients that make the conference a unique experience."
- Christina, Morgan State University
"Attending RMS World enhances the end users knowledge, confidence and creative ability. Additionally attendees not only learn best practices for use of the software, they learn how other university are dealing with processing request for special housing request such as gender inclusion, animals in residence halls etc., Staying current is of primary importance to housing professionals. We have shared experience that are not always covered at other conferences."
- Gwen, Southeast Missouri State University
First-Time Attendees
We are very excited to host first-time attendees at RMS World! A member of the User Executive Board will reach out to first-time participants to ensure you are aware of your resources. We are planning to host an orientation session early in the week. During this session we will introduce RMS Staff and the User Executive Board, review the event schedule, and discuss how to get the most out of your RMS World experience. Please contact us if you have any questions leading up to the event!
Plan Your Trip
Just kidding! No travel needed. But you might want to plan out a quiet location for when you're attending. Feedback from 2020 was pretty clear that coworkers in the office and "co-workers" at home are both pretty big distractions!
Share Your Examples
We'd love to incorporate your real life examples into our presentations. Submit examples of how you do things and be entered to win a free registration for RMS World 2022. You don't even have to attend this year's event to participate!
Schedule of Events and Session Listing
The 2021 schedule will be posted over the summer. Stay tuned! We are planning for three sessions per day, from 1030am-230pm EDT, with some social sessions outside those hours.
All times are US Eastern Time.
Items below are from 2020, as an example of what to expect.
- Content sessions will be the standard 45 minutes, a few will run the full hour. View the Session Schedule for the details of each content session.
- Social events (green) are scheduled for 1230-130pm and 3pm-430pm.
- Trivia - join us for a trivia...night? Afternoon? and spend some time with your peers and the RMS team.
- Participate in the Regional Lunch and meet your neighbors!
- Attend the User Caucus Lunch and learn more about the User Exec Board and what they can do for you.
- An international-focused session is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, 9am-1030am. This session replaces the visit we traditionally make in November to the UK. We encourage all international clients to attend this session, as well as content and social sessions that interest you.
- Additional "Visit with the Team" sessions (both morning and afternoon) are highlighted in peach. Members of the RMS Team are waiting for you to say hi! Stop by, check-in, get a question answered. We'll see you then!
A list of session topics includes but is not limited to:
- State of the Company and upcoming development items
- Using Custom Entities to track...everything
- Improving the Student Experience with Conditional Functionality
- Mercury Calendars and how they will change your life
- Moving Time Slots and the new normal
- InstaGrids Everywhere! As Row Actions, as Lists, as Tokens, and more
- Systems Integrations Review - are API's right for you?
View the Session Schedule (sign-ups for individual sessions are coming soon!)
Cancellations
Due to nature of this year's event, registrations are for the entire site, not per person. As with previous events, cancellations are not available. If you have questions, please contact us.
Photos
We will be taking photos via screengrab during the event. Please note that by registering you are agreeing that RMS can use photos of you for marketing purposes, including this group photo.
Sponsorship Opportunities
Information about sponsorship opportunities will be posted shortly. We do anticipate that vendors will have the opportunity to participate and sponsor portions of this event and appreciate your patience as we identify sponsorship opportunities.