#HPMeetup16 kickoff in Beijing and Grenoble

[Debbie_L]

If you’ve been hanging out in the community, you’ll know that our HP Experts are a dedicated group of volunteers whose passion is helping our customers each and every day.  To show our appreciation for this amazing group of folks for all that they do for our community, we host meetups for them annually, where we fly them out to a destination for a few days of fun, because how cool is it to meet the folks who you’ve been chatting with on the HP Support Forum, in person?!

Following last year’s epic Global HP Experts Meetup in San Francisco, with Experts from all seven language communities attending, we decided to switch things up this year — rather than one big global meetup, this year, we’re having several regional meetups for each of our language communities.  To kick off the regional meetups for #HPMeetup16, the Chinese and Korean communities met up in Beijing this past month, and the French community met up in Grenoble!

In Beijing, Community Manager Chao hosted both the Chinese and Korean communities together.  Being that HP has a gorgeous building in the heart of Beijing, of course we had to host our Experts there!  Not only were Experts given an overview of the latest in HP Support and where we’re headed in our social customer care strategy, but they also got an inside peek at how HP is using Sina Weibo to help our customers, and an Expert even shared a technical briefing about USB Type-C, which is a common connector on HP notebooks.

 

Outside of the office, Experts got a chance to explore the Forbidden City, which not only served as the home of Chinese emperors and their households, but was also the ceremonial and political center of the Chinese government from 1420 to 1912. Experts also got to enjoy local foods around Houhai, a beautful lake, and then climbed it all off the next day at Juyong Pass at the Great Wall.

5,000 miles away, Community Manager Wendy hosted the French community in Grenoble.  To make our Experts feel like royalty, Wendy put them up in a castle — Chateau La Commaderie! 

Chateau La Commaderie and Wendy, both gorgeous!

When they weren’t lounging around at the chateau, one of the highlights of the meetup were that Experts were treated to a tour of the HP campus in Grenoble.  Experts got to enjoy product demos of innovative HP products such as the Sprout, as well as got the latest on the state of 3D printing and virtual reality.  They also had a chance to get an insider look at HP’s commercial portfolio at the HP Experience Center.

To get a taste of Grenoble, Experts braved a hike up La Bastille, a fortified mountain and landmark in the city.  After working up an appetite, Experts were treated to a gastronomical experience of authentic French cuisine at restaurant Le Fantin Latour.

La Bastille.  What a view!

These events wouldn't be without our amazing Experts, so thank you for all that you contribute to our community!

Next stop, Seattle for the English Community!  Watch out, world 😉