What Do Decisionmakers Want From Intelligence? (Global Intelligence Forum)

globalintelligenceforum.com

One of the most important questions any intelligence professional can ask is "What do the decisionmakers I support want from me?"  Historically, it is also one of the most difficult questions to answer.

That is the reason why the faculty at Mercyhurst nominated Intelligence and the Decisionmaker as the theme for this year's Global Intelligence Forum in Dungarvan, Ireland (July 11-13, 2011).

Looking at the line-up of speakers -- GEN Mike Hayden, Charlie Allen, Hayden Peake from the US, Kathleen O'Toole from Ireland, Anthony Campbell from Canada, Niki Ekman from Sweden, Cees Wiebes from the Netherlands, etc. etc. -- and it easy to see why I think we are going to make some progress on this question.

Two other things make this conference one of a kind.  The first is the attendees.  This conference draws people from all three major sub-disciplines of intelligence:  National security, law enforcement and business.  Not only does it draw people from all areas of intelligence, it also draws people from all over the world.  

So you are going to see guys like Tom Carr, the executive director of the Washington Baltimore High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program rubbing shoulders with Liam Fahey, founder and executive director of the Intelligence Leadership Forum, the organization for senior corporate intelligence professionals.  

There is simply no other conference that brings together this kind of mix of professionals for this kind of conference.  Everyone I spoke with last year took as much away from the interaction between the participants as they did from the speakers.

Which is a nice segue to the second big advantage:  Dungarvan.  What a beautiful place!  Located on the southern Irish coast in the midst of one of the prettiest parts of Ireland, Dungarvan is a perfect place for mixing, making new personal and professional relationships and carving out some time to think about some of the important questions facing the profession.  Extraordinary hospitality, simple pleasures and (my personal favorite) an outstanding local beer make this event both physically relaxing and intellectually energizing. 

We had to turn away people last year so this year we found a larger space and have expanded to 200 (and only 200) attendees.  

Registration and more info about the conference is available online here.  We are also offering two, one day workshops to round out the week. More information on the workshops here.

Questions regarding sponsorship opportunities for your company or organization should be directed to Bob Heibel, Executive Director of the Mercyhurst College Institute For Intelligence Studies at rheibel at mercyhurst dot edu.

Why I Am Not Writing About Dungarvan... (Liveblogging The Global Intelligence Forum)

Image by cole007 via Flickr

First, let me say unequivocally that is not because I don't want to write about it.  It was an amazing conference.

The problem is that Murphy is Irish and he had somehow found his way into my computer and anything associated with it.  I knew that my liveblogging days were short-lived when my not-so-universal electrical socket adapter could not be configured to an Irish socket. 

Without electricity, my attempts to keep up with the pace of this conference were doomed.  

My intent now is to wait until we can get the slides uploaded to our website sometime next week and then add my notes along with some links to anything else that seems relevant.

If you are starved for feedback in the meantime, you can see Meghan Corbin's updates on Facebook.

I Am Off To The Global Intelligence Forum... (Liveblogging Dungarvan)

...in Dungarvan, Ireland!

I am very much looking forward to this, not only becasue it is in Ireland but also because it represents a kind of re-start on one of my favorite conferences of all times -- the annual Mercyhurst Colloquium.  

Anyone who ever went to one of the old Colloquia knows they were great conferences.  With much less focus on presentation after mind-numbing presentation and much more emphasis on educated discussion and networking over...ahem..."libations" of one sort or another, it was the perfect conference to not only relax but also to think and talk about intelligence in new ways with interesting people.  

Mercyhurst put the colloquium on hiatus for a few years to help IAFIE get up and running but with that organization moving forward on its own with a healthy head of steam, and with Mercyhurst starting to hold classes in Dungarvan, it seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up (By the way, the very generous sponsors who helped make it all happen seemed to think so too...)

So, I am pretty pumped!  I am told by everyone who had an hand in the preparation that the Irish have pulled out all the stops and some of our students, who spent the last term studying over there, say the absolute best things about the people of Dungarvan.  

While I am sure the hospitality will be great, the company I'll be keeping will be even better.  If you have not had the chance, check out the speaker list.  I will try to blog some of the events from over there but a more complete report may have to wait until I get back.

If you are not going to be able to go, besides this blog, you can also follow some of the action on Facebook or on the Mercyhurst website (where they are posting the news coverage of the event).

And if you are one of the lucky ones that get to go?  Look for me at Downey's on Main St.  I'll be the big Yank in the back enjoying Dungarvan Brewing Company's exceptionally fine red ale!