Conference News: What I learned this week – May 19
FT gets Focused: The Financial Times Live conference group provides “cutting-edge insights, unique personalities and peer audience engagement that have the power to transform finance, business, politics, society and culture.” This year, they have homed in on specific topic coverage that engages a more targeted audience. Therefore, events such as the Insurance Innovation Summit and Future of Retail Summit are taking the place of the general Marketing and Innovation summits. The strategy has resulted in an audience that remains engaged at the conference throughout the day instead of selecting a few sessions to attend. You will find a full list of the upcoming FT Live events here.
IBC(onnected)!: One hot conference trend that has become more pronounced during the past year has been to create online platforms that encourage attendees to stay connected between annual conferences. Last month, International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) launched one of these platforms with IBC365. According to the conference organization, independent research illustrated that exhibitors and attendees were interested in more IBC-generated industry insight outside of the IBC Show, and “year-round access to the wealth of knowledge held by IBC’s wide range of industry experts.”
Drafting a Blueprint: VentureBeat has created a new event, called BLUEPRINT, to “confront the economic opportunity gap in the U.S. heartland.” After the election, the event team realized that there was a message sent by the populace that a good part of the nation had been left behind. They recognized an opportunity to create a blueprint “that builds on existing success stories that have allowed high-growth tech companies to create jobs and expand the wealth beyond the coasts — and optimize profitability by relocating some of their business activities to the heartland.” Thus, the BLUEPRINT conference was born. This by-invitation-only event will take place form 18 – 20 September in Reno, NV and will gather hundreds of CEO’s, investors, entrepreneurs and senior executives from major U.S. markets, as well as national, state and local government leaders “seeking partnership and economic growth with tech companies.”
Speaking Opportunity: The American Society of Association Executive (ASAE) Great Ideas Conference is the organization’s flagship innovation conference for association executives and directors. They are now seeking proposals within the functional areas of association management, aimed at a foundational, applied, or strategic knowledge level. According to the ASAE, “proposed content should help associations become innovators and reflect the newest thinking in the field, informed by theory, research, and practice.” In order to suggest a speaker/topic, you must complete the online form by 7 June.
Lunchtime Learning: Despite being self-described as “the largest technology event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest”, the GeekWire Summit has grown over the past six years to attract attendees from across the country. When it returns to Seattle this fall (10 -11 October), the conference will gather more than 800 technology and business leaders. Watch past speakers, such as the CEO of Expedia, Microsoft’s business development chief, the head of DARPA, a former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver and the skydiver who jumped from 25,000 feet without a parachute, as they explore what’s next in tech, business, science, the economy.
Coming up Next: O’Reilly Strata Data Conference will be in London from 22 – 25 May, featuring the new Strata Business Summit, which is tailored for executives, business leaders, and strategists. Also next week, the 28th International Communications and Information Technology Conference, CommunicAsia, and co-located BroadcastAsia, will take place in Singapore. Attendees will see cutting-edge ICT innovations and gain an understanding of crucial industry-related issues affecting the APAC region. Great Place to Work Conference will be in Chicago, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 100 Best Companies to Work for® List. More than 2000 brand leaders who are “tapping environmental and social purpose to drive innovation and deliver new business and brand value” will convene in Detroit for the flagship Sustainable Brands Conference. Together, attendees will aim to “collectively Redefine the Good Life.”