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PRODID:-//HDI Philly//Silkstart Technology Inc.//
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SUMMARY:HDI Philly September 2026 Chapter Meeting
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260916T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260916T150000
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DESCRIPTION: Join the HDI Philly Chapter on September 16 at Swarthmore 
 College for an interactive networking event with fellow IT professionals. 
 Connect\, collaborate\, and explore ways to elevate IT&rsquo\;s impact on 
 the business while building stronger teams. Lunch will be provided - 
 Sponsorship opportunities available! We would like to thank Swarthmore 
 College for letting us use their facility for the meeting. Meeting 
 Location: 500 College Ave Swarthmore\, PA 19081\, USA Parking - TBA. This 
 month we will be joined by two speakers: Steve Leaden and Keith Andes. 
 Steve Leaden\, President\, Leaden Associates\, Inc. Steve is Founder and 
 President of Leaden Associates\, Inc.\, an independent communications and 
 IT advisory firm with more than 30 years of helping enterprises navigate 
 complex technology decisions. For over three decades\, Steve and his team 
 have helped advise organizations architect/assess\, procure\, implement\, 
 and facilitate lifecycle optimization for mission-critical CX\, Contact 
 Center\, Agentic AI\, LLM\, Unified Communications\, VoIP\, converged 
 networks\, and cloud solutions. Steve&rsquo\;s team is independent and 
 accept only fees from the clients he and team serve\, without vendor bias 
 and with a relentless focus on measurable business outcomes and ROI. 
 Steve&rsquo\;s team focus is not simply on technology&mdash\;it is on 
 aligning communications architecture to core business strategy\, driving 
 operational efficiency\, and enhancing customer and patient experience. 
 Leaden Associates supports enterprises across healthcare\, higher 
 education\, manufacturing\, financial services\, publishing\, and 
 government\, helping leadership teams execute large-scale communications 
 and CX transformations while minimizing risk and maximizing ROI. Steve is 
 a nationally recognized industry authority and frequent speaker at 
 Enterprise Connect and other major industry conferences\, a contributor to
  No Jitter and UCStrategies\, and serves as President of the Society of 
 Communications and Technology Consultants (SCTC)\, an international 
 association of independent consultants whose membership requires strict 
 adherence to ethics\, objectivity\, and vendor neutrality. In an era 
 defined by AI acceleration and CX transformation\, Steve and team are 
 known for independent guidance that protects enterprise investments and 
 delivers tangible results. Topic: Beyond the Ticket: Elevating Customer 
 Experience in the AI-Enabled Contact Center Customer expectations are now 
 higher than ever\, and AI can help if used strategically. A Help Desk can 
 now be used with AI to improve CX and to improve ROI. In this session\, 
 you will learn What's actually driving CX outcomes today\, and where AI 
 genuinely moves the needle in the Contact Center vs. where it's still 
 marketing hype Where AI delivers proven ROI today Those best practical use
  cases for AI in a Help Desk world You&rsquo\;ll take away a better 
 understanding of leveraging the best CX experience using humans and AI and
  how best to deploy in your own organization. Keith Andes\, Head of 
 Product Marketing\, EasyVista Keith is Head of Product Marketing at 
 EasyVista and a former Gartner analyst with nearly a decade in the ITSM 
 industry. His work spans market research\, product strategy\, and industry
  analysis\, with a current focus on AI&rsquo\;s role in service 
 management. He lives and works full-time from an Airstream\, traveling the
  United States." Topic: How ITSM Buyers Misuse the Gartner Magic Quadrant 
 and How to Actually Use It The Gartner Magic Quadrant is widely used to 
 evaluate ITSM vendors\, but it is often mistaken for a product ranking. 
 Drawing on his experience as a former Gartner analyst and Magic Quadrant 
 author\, Keith Andes will explain what the research actually measures\, 
 how it fits into the broader Gartner BuySmart process\, and how to use it 
 to make a more informed ITSM purchasing decision." Save these dates in 
 2026: December 4 - Awards and Leadership Conference 
LOCATION:500 College Ave\, Swarthmore\, PA 19081\, USA
PRIORITY:5
URL:https://hdc-philly.silkstart.com:443/events/hdi-philly-september-2026
 -chapter-meeting
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