What an incredible experience to host the first-ever Mitel User Group (MUG) event in Omaha—right here in my hometown! As MUG President, it was an honor to welcome so many engaged Mitel customers, partners, and experts for a full day of collaboration, learning, and, of course, legendary Olsen doughnuts to kick things off right.
A huge thank you to Kidwell for their generous hospitality in making this event possible. And, of course, a big shoutout to the Mitel team for bringing their expertise, insights, and passion for customer success to the table. This event was all about connecting customers with customers, sparking great conversations, and getting real-world insights on Mitel solutions that power businesses every day.
Event Highlights
✅ Expert-Led Sessions – We had Dan Nemechek, Eric Knudson, and Derek Curry from Mitel leading engaging product discussions, covering everything from AI and CX innovations to the Mitel – Zoom hybrid offering, how to work with Microsoft Teams, and integrating with MiCollab.
✅ Interactive “Show & Tell” Demos – Seeing Mitel’s solutions in action gave attendees a real feel for how these tools can enhance business operations.
✅ Consultant Insights Over Lunch – A power-packed session featuring Mitel’s Dave Clardy and Melissa Swartz of Swartz Consulting on how and why to engage with industry consultants.
✅ Open Forum & Q&A – No question was off-limits as our experts tackled real-world challenges and solutions in an engaging, collaborative discussion.
✅ Casual Fun & Networking – After a productive day, we wrapped things up at SMASH PARK, where attendees enjoyed duckpin bowling, axe throwing, and cornhole, strengthening connections over great food and friendly competition!
What the Feedback Survey Tells Us
One of the best parts of MUG is hearing directly from our community, and the post-event survey showed how valuable these gatherings are:
- 81% of attendees said they learned something new about Mitel at the event, showing that the content delivered fresh insights and meaningful updates even for those already familiar with the solutions.
- Strong post-event interest: 75% of attendees rated their likelihood to explore the solutions further as 9 or 10 out of 10, reflecting high engagement and strong alignment between the event content and customer priorities.
- Top areas of interest: Attendees expressed the most interest in AI-powered analytics, followed closely by Hybrid Unified Communications and Contact Center Solutions, indicating a strong appetite for intelligent, flexible solutions that support evolving communication strategies. Security and compliance features and cloud migration strategies also surfaced as key focus areas for deeper exploration.
100% of attendees said they would attend another MUG event, highlighting the value, relevance, and strong sense of community these gatherings provide.
- Key takeaways that stood out to attendees included Mitel Revolution, Zoom and Microsoft Teams integrations, Brightmetrics, and AI capabilities—with many noting the potential for these solutions to solve real organizational challenges. Several attendees highlighted new discoveries, like the Mitel User Group itself, time-saving features, and low-code/no-code tools like Workflow Studio, as especially impactful for driving future engagement and operational efficiency.
These insights will help shape future MUG events, ensuring even more value and engagement for the Mitel community.
Why These Events Matter
“It’s incredible to see the reach and representation at the MUG Omaha event — with attendees from Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Iowa, California, Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. The level of proactive engagement, commitment, and collaboration was outstanding. Every seat was filled, and the conversations throughout the day reflected a strong, unified focus on delivering value to our customers through cohesive communications planning moving forward.”
— Dan Nemechek, VP, Sales Engineering, Americas, Mitel
"At Kidwell, we believe that strong technology partnerships start with strong relationships—and that’s exactly what the Mitel User Group represents. Hosting this event at our Omaha headquarters was a proud moment for us. It gave us the opportunity to be the hub that helped connect the dots—bringing together voices from across the country to share ideas, tackle challenges, and align on future goals. This kind of collaboration drives innovation and ensures we’re all focused on delivering the best outcomes for our customers."
— Rebecca Carlson, Senior VoIP Engineer/ Team Lead Kidwell
"Customer-to-customer engagements like the Mitel User Group are invaluable. They create a space where real-world experiences and best practices can be shared openly—something you can’t get from a brochure or product sheet. As consultants, we play a unique role in bridging the gap between vendors and customers, helping map out the entire UC value chain. When done right, that alignment leads to smarter decisions, stronger implementations, and ultimately, better ROI for everyone involved."
— Melissa Swartz, Swartz Consulting
And as Virve Virtanen, Mitel – MUG liaison and a MUG Board Member, put it:
"Mitel User Group thrives on these engagements, where customers connect with each other, share insights, and influence Mitel’s direction. The collaboration we saw in Omaha is exactly why MUG is so valuable—it’s about customers helping customers, with Mitel actively involved in the conversation."
This is what makes MUG special—a strong, engaged customer community that drives real impact.
A Special Thank You to Kidwell & Mitel!
A huge thank you again to Kidwell for hosting this event and to the entire Mitel team for their time, energy, and commitment to supporting the MUG community. Events like this are just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish together next!
If you missed this one, don’t worry—MUG is always planning something exciting. Stay tuned for future events, and let’s keep building this thriving Mitel community!
