Hosted by Chandra Wobschall and Paul Houtkooper

Hey JDE Connection listeners, Chandra and Paul here! In this episode, we do two things. First, we correct a mistake from Episode 100 and take a moment to thank the people behind the scenes who helped us get to our first 100 episodes. And second, we jump into a preview of BLUEPRINT4D 2026 walking through the conference day by day and calling out some of the sessions, meetups, and moments we think listeners should have on their radar.

Because let’s be honest: when the agenda gets packed, it helps to have a few highlights in mind before you ever step foot in Dallas.

A Quick Thank You Before We Dive In

Before we got into the conference rundown, we wanted to make sure we properly recognized the people who helped make The JDE Connection possible. From Quest leadership taking a chance on the idea, to early guests willing to join us while we were still figuring this whole podcast thing out, to the behind-the-scenes team helping with editing, scheduling, promotion, blogs, social, booth setup, and conference logistics – this episode starts with gratitude.

It felt important to pause and say that out loud.

Sunday and Monday: Getting Started Strong

We walk through the event beginning with early registration and the Sunday happy hour, then move into Monday’s kickoff with coffee, connection, and the JD Edwards keynote. From there, we highlight the sessions and SIG meetings that open the week, along with the larger BLUEPRINT4D keynote and the Executive Forum for those attending that program.

Monday afternoon is loaded with roadmap content, including the digital platform, system administration, and several customer and SIG sessions. We also call out the welcome reception and, of course, where to find us at the podcast booth.

Tuesday: Product, Community, and the Live Podcast

Tuesday keeps the pace moving with a mix of roadmap sessions, product updates, customer stories, SIG meetings, and topic-specific breakouts. We touch on sessions around applications, sustainability, CAM, financials, and enterprise pages, along with the BA SIG and other meetups across the day.

And yes, we make sure to remind everyone that the live JDE Connection podcast recording is happening Tuesday afternoon. We may not have fully settled on the topic while recording this episode, but we do know it’ll be worth showing up for.

Wednesday: AI, Digital Platform, and a Few Sessions We’d Circle

Wednesday’s agenda is stacked. We highlight Chris Laping’s session on Unignorable, sessions on AI and taking JD Edwards AI solutions from proof of concept to production, digital platform product updates, process modeler, enterprise automation, security, AP automation, and even a session on when not to use logic extensions.

There’s also the re-energize session in the middle of the day, which, if you’ve ever hit that conference wall by Wednesday afternoon, probably sounds pretty appealing.

Thursday: One Last Push

Thursday closes things out with more product and technical content, including sessions on retrofitting customizations with logic extensions, CNC and security roundtables, tax reform updates, procure-to-pay automation, BA-focused content, and Orchestrator-driven modernization stories.

It’s the kind of final day where you realize the conference isn’t slowing down, you just have to decide how much more you can0  absorb before heading home.

Midwesternism of the Day

This week’s cultural detour is a good one. Apparently, when winter gets aggressive enough, some Midwesterners look at a frozen city and say, “You know what this needs? An indoor race route above street level.”

That’s right! When going outside feels like a personal attack, the solution is not to cancel the fun. The solution is to move the fun into a maze of enclosed walkways and keep going anyway. Efficient, slightly absurd, and completely on brand.

Until next time, let’s keep learning, sharing, and most importantly, laughing together.

Toodles!

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