What is the INCOSE GLRC?

The INCOSE Great Lakes Regional Conference (GLRC) is an annual regional-level INCOSE conference that celebrated its 10th Anniversary in 2016. The GLRC has grown steadily since 2007. It has been hailed as an excellent model for INCOSE chapter co-operative conferencing efforts by INCOSE leadership at the international level. The GLRC is put on by the chapters of the Great Lakes Region of the America’s Sector of INCOSE.  One chapter serves as the host chapter. The 11 chapters are shown below.

Held in September/October each year, GLRC is strategically set in-between INCOSE’s two main international events (the International Symposium in the summer and International Workshop in the winter). Lower cost and closer to the region’s members, the GLRC is a more intimate conference than the annual INCOSE International Symposium. Traditionally, most attendees have been from the Great Lakes area. A smaller, yet significant, percentage have been from other INCOSE US regions and other countries.

The GLRC is three to four days in length, including pre- and/or post-event workshops, meetings, and activities. Core program is typically 1½ to 2 days long and tied in with the weekend. The program typically includes technical presentations, keynote speakers, INCOSE Working Group and chapter leader meetings, workshops, INCOSE Systems Engineering Professional (CSEP/ASEP) exams, sponsors, exhibitors, banquet, networking, tours, social activities, etc.

For 2017, GLRC11 will be hosted by the North Star Chapter for the first time. Minnesota is the source of countless innovations used every day (from Thermostats, to Scotch™ Tape, to Water Skis, to Rollerblades, to Supercomputers, to Post It®  Notes!). Since Lake Superior is the only Great Lake that touches Minnesota, the theme for GLRC11 builds on that: Superior System Solutions for Today’s Complex Environments. Today’s environments are getting more and more complex. Systems Engineering’s focus on holistic solutions, life cycle considerations, and balanced tradeoffs helps organizations create superior systems solutions that delight their stakeholders.