Convention attendees wowed by labs, DaVinci
Rick Grant, Public Relations, a la mode , inc.
I'm invited to a number of users conferences each year, mostly because I have written about the real estate financing business for over a decade now. I enjoy getting to meet the technologists behind the company's innovations as well as visiting with actual users. In most cases, I walk away with a better understanding of the company, its position in the industry and its potential for the future. I came away with all that and more after attending a la mode 's third Annual Convention in Las Vegas.
a la mode estimates that over 1,000 appraisers and partners were in attendance, which they say is about typical for this event. I can tell you that there were more people in the audience for the opening session that I've seen at some of the industry conferences sponsored by the major trade groups. Part of the reason for that had to be that George Wills was the keynote speaker.
A Pulitzer Prize–winning author, commentator and political thinker who referred to himself as a reformed political philosophy professor, Will highlighted the need for dynamism and innovation in all aspects of the American economy. Given the announcements a la mode would make at the show and the reaction its customers would have to its new initiatives, he was a perfect choice for keynote speaker.
But I think the high level of attendance early in the morning on the first day of this convention also had a lot to do with the question and answer sessions that launched each day's sessions.
DaVinci unveiled
Naturally, many of the questions during the first day's Q&A had to do with the strange CDs each attendee found in the conference bag. The only markings on the discs were the words "Area 51," the codename a la mode has assigned to this secret project. Company founder and owner Dave Biggers took his time getting to the details, which had the effect of moving people right to the edge of their seats.
"You stay with us because we show technology leadership," he told the audience. But he admitted that innovation can often seem at odds with perfecting existing tools. Appraisers have always depended upon good formfilling software and in years past attendees at the company's annual Convention have called upon the company to devote its attention completely to Aurora.
"You wanted us to get Aurora stable," Biggers said. "We have worked our butts off to get that done. The apologies are over."
Then he mentioned the labs initiative. Truthfully, this was why I attended the Convention. I knew a la mode was launching a new technology development initiative because company executives had clued me in earlier in the spring. What I didn't know was that the a la mode lab Research Fellows were already evaluating new software as part of the Area 51 project.
Finally, Biggers held up the Area 51 disc and announced to the audience that a la mode was now in the sketching business. The crowd was silent. At the time, I could only imagine what was going through their minds, but afterward, when I had a chance to visit with some customers and listen in on a few conversations, it became clear.
Appraisers count on a la mode software to complete the forms lenders require in order to finish their work and get paid. They need a solid platform for this. The company was working diligently to cross software bugs off the problem list, but it was also promoting its Appraiser XSites and this new lab customers kept hearing rumors about. Besides, wasn't there already sketching software on the market? There were a number of vendors promoting those products on the exhibit hall floor just outside the main conference room.
Demonstration prompts applause
I wasn't sure how this was going to work out when Chris Low took over the podium to give attendees a look at the new DaVinci software, codenamed Area 51. When he put the electronic pen to tablet and sketched out a ground–floor plan in less than 30 seconds, complete with dimensions that could be adjusted just by scribbling the new number on the vector, the crowd actually erupted into applause.
Clearly, this is something appraisers feel they could use in the field. In fact, Biggers told the audience that "this product is designed so you can enter data the way you inspect a property."
Low went on to show how scribbles on the TabletPC would automatically load data — sketches, but all other inspection data, too, DaVinci being designed as the next generation of Pocket TOTAL — into the formfilling software the appraisers are already using. In effect, the notes the appraiser makes in the field will become the new way they fill the forms. a la mode is offering DaVinci free to everyone for six months, which should get folks to adopt.
But the new field data software was only half of the story. The platform DaVinci is built upon is shared by the company's other new software product, codenamed Armstrong.
Armstrong: WinTOTAL version 6
Those of you who love jazz music may recall that much of the music Louis Armstrong recorded was played in the key of C–Sharp. That's also the name of a programming language (C#) that is being used to write software applications that take full advantage of Microsoft's .NET technology. Since a la mode 's next version of WinTOTAL is being built on this platform, the company chose the codename Armstrong.
Biggers was careful to point out that while the company was excited about the new version of WinTOTAL, it would not stop supporting Aurora anytime soon. In fact, the time horizon for Armstrong is long.
While programming in C# will help a la mode move its formfilling software from its old DOS roots into the cutting edge, it's not enough to guarantee success. WinTOTAL has been in use 22 years now, and is considered an industry leading development tool. Reinventing an application from the ground up, as a la mode is doing here, is never an easy task. To keep its clients informed and to allow for thorough testing as the product is developed, a la mode will leverage its new labs.
I had the pleasure of recording podcasts with all four members of the first group of a la mode labs Research Fellows while attending the show. All four of the Research Fellows provided a labs mission statement that jibed perfectly with what Biggers said he wanted to build into the project. The Fellows are not scientists or engineers (with the possible exception of Jeff Jones, who runs an IT outsourcing company that supports the industry), and yet they are now in a position to help direct the new product development efforts of the company.
They've already had their hands in both DaVinci and Armstrong and dubbed them ready to demonstrate hands–on to the audience at this year's Convention, even though both are still under development.
More than labs, introductions
But it wasn't all new products and future innovation at this year's convention. The bulk of the attendees' time was taken up in training programs, providing everything from an introduction to a la mode and its product offerings to advanced techniques for power users.
After three days of announcements, training and parties in Las Vegas, a la mode 's Annual Convention was judged a success by everyone I spoke to. Many were pleased with the wide variety of classes, others were impressed with DaVinci and the a la mode labs.
I was most impressed with the flow of the event. From the quick trip through registration to the opening event through the many classes and exhibits to the free luncheon panels (one of which I was pleased to moderate), everything flowed very smoothly. That could be because there were a la mode employees everywhere you looked, their crisp polo shirts sporting the company logo. But part of it must be because the company really wanted to provide some value to its customers. I think a la mode got that job done.
