How to Make the Most of Your 2025 POWERUp Experience
COMMON’s LeAnn Taylor shares her tips for thriving at the upcoming Power conference, covering networking, education and the importance of enjoying yourself
The IBM Power community will have its “family reunion” May 19-22 in Anaheim, California. Otherwise known as POWERUp, the conference presents the chance to rub elbows with the platform’s foremost experts, connect with peers and get the latest information on COMMON and IBM.
“If there’s one conference that you absolutely want to be at when it comes to the IBM i community and education, you want to be at POWERUp,” says LeAnn Taylor, marketing and sales manager for COMMON.
And while you’re there, you might as well squeeze as much juice from the experience as you can, and the conference’s organizers have a few tips for doing exactly that.
Approach the Presenters
A productive POWERUp experience starts with taking advantage of the sheer amount of expertise on hand. “Our experts are not untouchable, they’re not on pedestals,” Taylor says. “…They’re open, and they want to engage with the community. They want to give you knowledge.”
This year, POWERUp organizers are making those experts even more accessible by scheduling “fireside chats,” akin to a college professor’s office hours, where knowledge seekers can connect with presenters and dive deeper into their knowledge domains.
Find Like-Minded Attendees
But while this access to expert knowledge is invaluable, don’t overlook the opportunities to network with the attendees at large. And in this case, being glued to your phone doesn’t necessarily mean you aren’t being present—in fact, it’s a good way to connect on LinkedIn right then and there. “While you’re there, your phone should be out,” Taylor says.
COMMON is looking to make it easier to form those connections. And because, as Taylor says, networking is “not always just about the industry that you work in,” conference planners are exploring ways to help people form sub-communities based on the things that interest them outside of work, whether that’s LEGOs, anime, Harry Potter or 90s hip hop.
One tactic they are considering is implementing a pin program in the spirit of similar initiatives at events like Comic-Con, where attendees can collect and trade pins based on their particular fandoms. Furthering the idea of facilitating informal connections, POWERUp is offering sessions centered around activities like LEGOs, darts, BINGO and mural painting, Taylor says.
Take a Breather
Conference organizers understand that all the action at POWERUp can be exhausting, and they’re addressing this reality. “This year, we’re actually shortening up our education time, because that was something that a lot of our users brought to our attention, that we did have long education days,” Taylor says.
She hopes that offering a variety of planned diversions will provide “opportunities and pockets for you to really kind of decompress.” In that spirit, attendees might consider following up mentally taxing sessions, like in-depth coding labs, with lighter fare, like themed BINGO sessions.
Decompressing can also be as simple as going outside and remembering that you are at Disneyland. “Take a nap, give yourself a break. Go take a walk, go get fresh air. You’re not at work,” Taylor says.
Well, You’re Kind of at Work
“I still want you to understand that you still have to get your education—I know for some people, they may have to do a report or whatnot. But don’t forget that Mickey Mouse is around the corner,” Taylor says.
It’s important to remember that no POWERUp attendee will experience everything the conference has to offer. Don’t get weighed down by FOMO, Taylor advises: “Although we have so much to offer, don’t overdo it.”
Make your plans, but allow yourself to deviate from them as opportunities arise, as there are often other ways to get the information you need. “We have a crazy content library where you can continue to go over that education, and then you can still get the PowerPoints and the slides,” Taylor says.
Staying Powered Up
In addition to the networking and educational opportunities, POWERUp can also serve as a motivating force, sending attendees home re-energized and full of new ideas. There are some things people can do to maintain that feeling, including making the effort to preserve those memories. “I encourage people, while you’re there, take pictures, get videos,” Taylor says.
Keeping the POWERUp spirit alive post conference also includes honoring the commitments you made while there, she says. Get in touch with the connections you made. Sign up for the course you resolved to take. Dive into the literature that piqued your interest. “There’s so much power in the follow-through and the follow-up,” Taylor says.
That includes continuing to tap into COMMON’s network of experts. “Being a part of the community, you still have access to those people. Your experts are right on LinkedIn, and they love to talk to you,” Taylor says. “…Continue to talk to the community, and don’t be afraid.”
Make POWERUp a year-round mindset. “I want you to feel POWERUp,” Taylor says.
Long after the conference is over, she wants attendees to think, “I still got it. Everything that I took, everything that I learned, that excitement, the people that I met, it wasn’t just a one-and-done.”
And the next “family reunion,” as Taylor calls it, will be here before you know it. “Common is more than a conference,” she says. “We’re a community.”