HOW THE SUMMIT STARTED – 1994 – Gatlinburg, TN
Mark Paradies organized the first Summit (held in 1994) because, after attending, and even helping organize, many conferences between 1983 and 1994, he saw a need for a conference with a focus on performance improvement, human error, incident investigation, and the latest improvement technology. The conference that was NOT oriented toward research and PhD discussions (although this is valuable). The first meeting was oriented toward practical applications that could be implemented at industrial facilities and in service organizations.
The other purpose of that first Summit was sharing information and ideas across industry and organizational boundaries. This couldn’t be done by one professional organization (with a safety, quality, or equipment focus) or by an industry oriented trade group (nuclear, refining, healthcare, aviation, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, utilities, mining, shipping, oil exploration, …).
And even for that first Summit, we wanted to have international participants.
What a challenge. We didn’t have a society to organize, publicize, and pay for a meeting. But people needed the knowledge, the best practices, the learning, …
So the first Summit was organized and held in nearby Gatlinburg, TN (with 33 participants).
It was before digital photos and videos so we don’t have a visible record of the lessons that were learned. But after it was over … we knew that we had to do it again.
1995 – Orlando – 72 participants.
Disney was a great place to hold the Summit. And with more than twice as many people attending, we started to invent ways to maximize the networking.
Orlando was also the first Summit to include a pre-Summit TapRooT® Course (our standard 2-Day).
1996 – Nashville – 85 participants.
Our social activity? The Grand Ole Opry.
More people … more benchmarking. Also, this was the first Summit with a session dedicated to medical errors at hospitals (an idea ahead of its time).
1997 – San Antonio – 105 participants and growing strong.
The first Texas Summit. It included more, better networking, some great speakers, and our first reception/party.
This was also the start of “special” pre-Summit courses (additional topics beyond our 2-Day TapRooT® Course).
1998 – Dallas – 119 participants.
The Southfork Ranch hosted the 1998 Summit. A JR look alike attended the Summit party where everyone had a great time.
This Summit was also the start of TapRooT® Users presenting their Success Stories. A great way to share best practices.
Because we hold the Summit every 14-16 months, after the Summit in the Autumn of 1998, we skipped 1999 Summit and held one in the Spring of 2000.
2000 – Gatlinburg – 125 participants.
A Shuttle Astronaut Mike Mullane explained the first Shuttle disaster and what Summit attendees had to do to achieve excellence.
The great speakers and breakout sessions gave attendees lots to talk about.
2001 – Galveston – 133 participants.
Two days before the Summit, a Tropical Storm dropped 2 feet of rain! Lesson learned: Don’t hold the Summit on the Gulf coast in late June!
Once again, we had several great keynote speakers.
Plus there were 11 pre-Summit courses to choose from. These pre-Summit Courses give professional accident investigators a way to learn new skills and refresh skills that they don’t get to use very often.
(Band at the reception.)
2002 – Gatlinburg – 140 participants.
(Mark at opening talk.)
Participants enjoyed the great speakers …
Great best practice sharing …
Participants said it couldn’t get any better. But it did.
2003 – Dallas – 155 participants.
Back to the Southfork Ranch,
This was the Summit with the first TapRooT® Cup Golf Tournament – something that has become a fixture of Friday afternoon at the Summit and a part of the great networking that every Summit includes.
We also had the first TapRooT® Advisory Board Dinner.
And we had a great reception/party!
On the serious side, we had excellent sharing of knowledge and best practices…
2005 – San Antonio – 169 participants.
Back to San Antonio again.
Wow! What amazing Keynote Speakers, networking, and best practice sharing. The Summit that couldn’t get better hit a new high. (Don’t tell Mark Paradies that it can’t be done.)
Above is a picture of the participants listening to the start of Scott Waddle’s talk. He was the CO of the submarine USS Greeneville when it collided with the Emime Maru (a Japanese fishing vessel). Most of the audience was in tears by the end of his talk. Wow! Powerful!
The Advisory Board went on a Riverwalk cruise (we are doing it again this year).
And our golf tournament was held at The Quarry Golf Club (where we are holding this year’s tournament). Half of the course plays around the outside of an old stone quarry. The other half is down in the quarry. A very interesting course to play!
2006 – Gatlinburg – 175 participants.
Back to Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains – this time in the early spring (the leaves were just starting to bud).
The best Summit so far. Each year we build upon the successes of the past while adding new ideas to improve the best practice sharing and networking.
(Panel Discussion Debate)
Look at the networking and best practice sharing …
And this was the first Summit Golf Tournament that the Canadian Team was not victorious. Instead, Ken Turnbull’s team had the lowest score.
2007 – San Antonio – 224 participants.
We’ve found that San Antonio is a great place to hold the Summit. So we are back again in 2007.
Once again, great speakers, networking, best practice sharing, and fun!
The Summit is a well-oiled networking/benchmarking/best practice sharing machine!
And again, we had a great reception!
And how about the golf?
The Canadians won again …
2008 – Las Vegas – 259 participants.
The 20th Anniversary of System Improvements …
The first Summit we’ve ever held in Las Vegas was a real winner!
First there was touches of Vegas with Elvis and showgirls.
But before the Summit started, there was great learning in the pre-Summit courses …
And during the Summit there was serious networking, best practice sharing, and learning from great Keynote Speakers…
Then we played golf in 100 + degree Fahrenheit heat. But the Canadian team still won!
2009 – Nashville – 221 participants.
We held the 2009 Summit in the midst of the Great Recession. Who would have guessed that it would be the third biggest Summit of all times.
We had amazing Keynote Speakers …
And the networking and benchmarking – the best ever! Maybe you can tell from these pictures …
Then there was the reception …
And the TapRooT® Advisory Board Dinner …
And the almost rained out TapRooT® Summit Charity Golf Tournament …
And Mark Paradies’ team finally won (beating the Canadians)!
And the charity golf tournament raised $2,700 for an abused women’s shelter.
2010 – San Antonio – ??? participants.
What’s in store for the 2010 Summit in San Antonio (October 27-29)?
Here’s what we know:
There will be amazing Keynote Speakers …
For the background on these Keynote Speakers, see:
http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=keynote
There will also be great knowledge sharing, networking, and best practice sharing … Picture yourself in San Antonio at the Summit talking about the biggest problems that face your site with some of the world’s best performance improvement experts and a great bunch of very smart peers. Here are some of the experts that are scheduled to participate in the best practice sessions that you could discuss your “potential improvement opportunities” with:
Dr. John Grout – Mistake Proofing Expert
Mark Paradies talking about Admiral Rickover’s culture
for process safety & excellence.
Heinz Bloch – Equipment Reliability Expert
Dan Verlinde – TapRooT® Software Program Manager
Dr. Beverly Chiodo – Behavior Change & Character Expert
Brian Crawford – Flight Safety Officer, ExpressJet Airlines
Captain Vibhas Garg – Sharing a Best Practice for Incident Investigation
Jennifer Mounce – Coaching Expert
Major General Doug Rich – Command Surgeon – Air Mobility Command
George Burk – Airplane Crash Survivor
And that’s just a sample. There are 87 best practice breakout sessions with more than one speaker/facilitator in many of the sessions. For all of the Best Practices Session leaders, see:
http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=speakers
And for the complete Summit schedule, see:
http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=schedule
There will also be a fun reception featuring exhibits, food, and entertainment!
Plus you could win an Apple iPad just by being on-time for the sessions and attending the reception (must be present to win).
For TapRooT® Advisory Board members there will be special sessions and a dinner cruise.
Also, don’t forget to sign up for one of the 12 special pre-Summit Courses. For more information, see:
http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=pre-summit
Finally, there is the TapRooT® Charity Scramble Golf Tournament being held at The Quarry Golf Club where we will see which team can claim the coveted TapRooT® Cup.
Sign up for the golf tournament here (registration is separate from the Summit registration):
https://taproot.com/summit.php?t=register-golf
Will you help create history by being at the 2010 Summit?
Will you hear best practices that can help your company improve performance?
Will you benchmark your practices against some of the best companies in the world?
Will you discover ideas that could save people’s lives and keep your company out of trouble?
This isn’t idle banter. You can and will learn lessons that could change history because the Summit is that good.
Hope to see you there.
To register, see:
https://taproot.com/summit.php?t=register
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