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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., April 5, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- HDI, the first membership association and certification body created for the technical support industry, will feature an unmatched schedule of keynotes and interactive sessions at its annual HDI 2017 Conference & Expo, the technical support industry's most comprehensive event. The 2,500 industry professionals will have the opportunity to learn from industry leaders and get a first-hand look at trending topics and innovative ideas that are raising the bar for the technical service and support community.

HDI 2017 will take place May 9-12, at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel & Convention Center in Washington DC. For more information about and to register, visit: hdiconference.com

The event will provide attendees with the opportunity to network with their tech support peers, connect with new contacts in the industry, and learn how to further develop their skill sets. The conference offers an in-depth educational program with eight tracks dedicated to the growth and progression of the industry. This year's tracks cover strategies, metrics, security, advances in technology, and more.

Several conference sessions will be presented by technical support professionals with decades of experience and will cover innovative industry topics. A few of this year's highly-anticipated sessions include:

• Winning at Desktop Support: Moving from Reactive to Proactive — Rob Evelyn, manager, IT Global Service Center Brown-Forman Corporation, and Trey Perkins, manager, IT Client Services, Brown-Forman Corporation, will provide real-world examples explaining how to create a proactive service desk that enriches an organization by improving efficiencies in globalization, procurement, imaging, policies and procedures.
• Finally! An Open, Modern Metrics Standard — Philip Verghis, CEO and co-founder, Klever will share details on a powerful framework that will change attendee's perspective on metrics: the first open standard for customer support leaders.
• How to Get Your Support Team Obsessed with Service — Jeff Toister, president, Toister Performance Solutions, Inc. will explain how to ignite a team's passion and develop integrated strategies within an organization through experiential activities, cutting-edge research, real-life examples and practical solutions.
• Knowledge Management and Self-Service: A Case Study from Union Pacific Railroad— Tony Welsh, senior manager, Union Pacific Railroad, will discuss Union Pacific's service desk shift-left initiative, review the processes and technologies implemented, lessons learned, and how Knowledge-Centered Support principles were applied to identify financial and service goals.

In addition to these highlighted sessions, HDI 2017 will return with a schedule of seasoned and motivating keynote speakers, including Twitter co-founder, Biz Stone. The presentations will address some of the most pressing issues facing the tech support industry as each speaker looks to inspire growth and success, both personally and professionally. This year's previously announced keynote lineup includes:

• Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter, author, filmmaker
• Ekaterina Walter, international speaker and author
• John Sileo, cyber security and identity theft expert 
• Jeff Havens, ‎corporate trainer and founder of The Jeff Havens Company

Attendees in the Executive Connections program will have exclusive access to Q&A sessions with these all-star keynote speakers. To learn more about the keynote speakers, please visit: hdiconference.com/conference/keynotesnew.aspx

"Led by fresh and compelling content from the industry's most renowned speakers, attendees will gain  knowledge on how to effectively implement technical support initiatives back at the office and establish goals specific to their organization," said Joy Sobhani, director of conferences and events, HDI. "In the past, no single event offered the depth and breadth of tech support learning opportunities all in one place or addressed the various needs of the entire support team, from seasoned directors to frontline staff, and HDI is filling that gap for this industry."

To learn more please view the full event schedule here: hdiconference.com.     

About HDI
Founded in 1989, HDI is the first membership association and certification body created for the technical support industry. Since then, HDI has remained the source for professional development by offering the resources needed to promote organization-wide success through exceptional customer service. In other words, we help professionals in service management better serve customers. We do this by facilitating collaboration and networking, hosting acclaimed conferences and events, producing renowned publications and research, certifying and training thousands of professionals each year, and connecting solution providers with practitioners. Learn more at www.ThinkHDI.com.  HDI is organized by UBM plc. UBM is the largest pure-play B2B Events organizer in the world. Our 3,750+ people, based in more than 20 countries, serve more than 50 different sectors. Our deep knowledge and passion for these sectors allow us to create valuable experiences which enable our customers to succeed. Please visit www.ubm.com for the latest news and information about UBM. 

Contact:  
Kimberly Samra
HDI PR
HDIPR@ubm.com

SOURCE HDI