Conference News: AI+Quantum; New (Chicago) Ideas; Infosecurity CFP

AI meets Quantum: The AI Summit Silicon Valley just concluded its first virtual show and is already making some big plans for 2021. The event, which focuses on the practical implications of AI for enterprise organizations, soft-launched a quantum event this year at the Summit. The organizers just announced that they will host a full blown co-located Quantum Computing Summit when the event returns to Santa Clara next year. The Quantum Computing Summit is designed to “provide business, technical, research, academic and innovation insight, qualified via application-based quantum experiences to showcase how quantum is delivering real business value, drive process efficiency and cost optimisation.” Both shows will run from 29 – 30 September 2021.

Rethinking their Ideas: The team behind Chicago Ideas Week announced that “the pandemic and the resulting ‘zoom overload’” have led them to reformat Chicago Ideas Week 2020.  Instead of hosting a week-long series of intensive talks, they will be creating content that is “easier to share and consume in today’s media landscape,” available year-round, including through new formats, new platforms and new outlets. That said, many of the tried-and-true sessions will remain. Look for the familiar Letters to our Future: Letters with purpose, shared with passion – some written by notable historical figures while others are written by the readers themselves; Intellectual Crush: Conversations pairing notable individuals with their ‘intellectual crush’, exploring the passion created by ideas and the energy created by those who inspire us; Words of Wisdom: First-person editorial riffs proposing ideas, approaches, and solutions in response to issues of the day; and Seven Things You Must Know: Personal reflection on ‘what matters’ from a wide range of notables – both in the City of Chicago and beyond. The organizers have also noted that the content will be offered at no cost to their Community of Curiosity. Chicago Ideas Week was initially to be held from 26-29 October 2020.

Speaking Opportunity: Infosecurity Europe is seeking speakers for its 2021 conference, scheduled to take place from 8 – 10 June in London. Contracted Infosecurity Europe 2021 exhibitors, recognized thought leaders, tech experts and end-user practitioners may make a topic/speaker suggestion before the 24 November deadline. Sessions may either be classified as Tech or Strategy talks, but both will be 25 mins in length. According to the call for speakers, delegates want to hear from “industry experts with personal experience in dealing with the challenges addressed in the presentation, who can share practical insight that delegates can apply to their organization.”

Lunchtime Learning: In June of 2019 Bloomberg presented the third annual Players Technology Summit. The gathering of world-class athletes, entrepreneurs and investors offered success stories, lessons learned and consumer technology trends to watch in an environment that promotes networking. Past attendees and speakers have included Andre Agassi, Jaylen Brown, Kimberly Bryant, Maverick Carter, Troy Carter, Stephen Curry, Baron Davis, Kevin Durant, Theresia Gouw, Kirsten Green, Andre Iguodala, Joe Montana, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Tina Sharkey and more. Little did we know that one year later sports would look so different. While there may not be fans in the stands the games go on. There are still lessons shared by last year’s speakers that resonate in our current environment.

Coming Up Next Week: MIT Technology Review EmTech (19-22 October) brings “bold thinking and innovative ideas to life as we examine the technologies and forces influencing our digital world today.” High level talks from Google, Facebook, and AWS will be offered as well as interactive sessions. At Workhuman Live Online on 22 October, attendees can tune in to a condensed version of this leading HR program. Security Education Conference (SecTor) gets underway this weekend and runs through next week. Typically held in Toronto, this year’s virtual conference will again offer the latest research and techniques involving underground threats and corporate defense. BSR (Business of Social Responsibility) Conference will commence under the theme “Meet the Moment. Build the Future” when it runs 20-23 October.  And lastly the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) Masters of Marketing kicks off 21 October, featuring examples of inventiveness and resourcefulness from marketing leaders at IBM, GM, Visa, and Dell to help peers navigate brand growth.