A love letter to TPAC (and Vancouver)

Tue, 04 Oct 2022

With memories of TPAC 2022 still fresh, we look back at an event and host city that are very special to Orchid.

TPAC (Third Party Advantage Conference, for the uninitiated), has a well-earned reputation as the preeminent global event for showcasing 3rd Party products related to Sage 300.

It also has a special place in the hearts of Orchid Systems. Our very first Sage 300 add-on, RMA, made its debut at the inaugural TPAC event in 2003. Since then we are proud to have joined the very exclusive group to have attended and exhibited at all 19 iterations of TPAC.

Vancouver…missing you already!

Vancouver - the first, usual, and most recent venue for TPAC - quickly won us over back in 2003. The coastal harbour setting and cosmopolitan vibe make it seem comfortingly familiar to Sydneysiders like us, while also feeling exotic. The superb setting, wedged between Vancouver Island and the Canadian Rockies, also makes it an ideal jumping-off spot for holidays.

First impressions are important, and I guess we were lucky to have blue skies and bright sunshine on our first visit. Many locals made a point of telling us it’s not always like that!

We haven’t needed any encouragement to make return visits, and it has almost become a second home for some of the Orchid team. (I’m tempted to share the identity of our favourite Japanese restaurant, but am reluctant to make it even harder to get a table.)

Looking back at TPAC 2022

TPAC made its comeback last month, with Orchid well represented by Anne, Nathalie, and Steve. Some of our highlights were:

Two days of well-attended pre-conference training. This also gave us a good excuse to arrive early and reacquaint ourselves with Vancouver!
The COVID-enforced 20-month break since TPAC 2020 made this year’s event something of a reunion. It was great to catch up with many of the business partners and fellow exhibitors whom we have come to regard as friends after all these years of meet-ups.
The chance to resurrect our tradition of presenting Orchid’s annual North American Business Partner awards.
Robert Lavery’s “Current State of Sage 300” address, in which he reported back on his pulse-check of resellers. The prognosis: Sage 300 is not just alive, but kicking, with very encouraging reports of strong growth.
Having representatives of Net@Work and Genatec take the stage at our breakout session on Orchid Extender. They shared inspiring examples of how they are creating and building custom, Extender-based solutions for their clients.
Finding out more about one Orchid ‘Super User’, a Vancouver-based firm that is integrating almost every one of Orchid’s Sage 300 modules into their operations.