Conference News: What I learned this week – April 21
Changes at IOT West: IOT West made two announcements last week. First, its 2017 theme will be Low Power Networking, due to the tremendous amount of discussions their attendees have had around low powered wireless networking driving connectivity in the IoT and the lack of coverage on this topic at industry events. IOT West hopes to help “bring together thought leaders in this area to share ideas and help grow exposure for the advancements happening in that sector.” The conference also announced that it will be relocating from Last Vegas to Denver where there are fewer IOT events. The hope is that this will attract a new group of attendees to the event.
Bloomberg 50: This December, Bloomberg unveils a list and event “like none other” – The Bloomberg 50. This “exclusive accounting of the 50 people who changed the landscape of global business in 2017 will cover “finance to fashion, media to manufacturing, banking to biotech, politics to philanthropy, entertainment to energy, and almost everything in between.” According to the Bloomberg, the difference between the Bloomberg 50 and traditional power lists, is that the organization will be utilizing its worldwide resources, from 2,400 journalists to unique, proprietary data and analytics, to determine the 50 people who changed the equation in 2017 in measurable, quantifiable ways. The Bloomberg 50 will be recognized in a special issue of Bloomberg Businessweek and at a New York red-carpet gala in December.
Speaking Opportunity: After several successful conferences in San Francisco, MarTech will be heading east this fall. From 2 – 4 October, MarTech East will bring hundreds of senior-level marketing leaders to Boston to hear “vendor-agnostic, graduate-level marketing, technology and management” best practices to them succeed in this software-powered marketing world. If you have a topic idea that would fit well into the 20-minute TED-style talk format of the conference programme, complete the online CFP form by 13 May.
Lunchtime Learning: Last year’s inaugural Shift Forum brought together a unique group of leaders from NewCos (startups) and BigCos (Fortune 500s), government and even sports and entertainment to discuss “how today’s business leaders can navigate the unstable landscape of rapid technological change and regulatory uncertainty.” Watch Golden State Warriors Point Guard Stephen Curry talk about teamwork, Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich discuss saving capitalism and several tech leaders examine the industry’s future under President Trump.
Coming up Next: The illustrious TED Conference will return to Vancouver next week under the theme: The Future of You. Participants will “explore the most pressing questions of our time and to imagine what our shared future might look like.” Meanwhile in Sofia, Bulgaria, the WEBIT.Festival Europe will bring together digital and tech leaders, innovators, policy makers, investors, founders and media to promote innovation through collaboration between enterprise companies and startups. Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Summit, self-described as the premier word of mouth and social media conference, will take place in New York. The agenda will cover topics such as Integrating employee advocacy into the marketing mix and perception vs reality in influencer selection.