Conference News: Two New Events, WT2 CFP, Interview with CTO Connection

Games go Green: UK games trade body, Ukie, will be hosting its inaugural Green Games Summit next week, in collaboration with ISFE and UN Environment Programme’s Playing for the Planet Alliance. The virtual event, taking place on 20 – 21 October (UK time), will focus on the industry’s approach to the climate crisis and sustainability ahead of this year’s COP26. Topics will include the environmental effects of information technology; helping developers be more sustainable, how games can tackle climate change, and more.

National Inspiration: Inspire CIO Leadership Network, which is self-described as the preeminent executive peer leadership network of CIOs, has announced that in addition to its regional Orbie Award breakfasts honoring CIOs of the year, they will host an national meeting in 2022 for the first time ever! This inaugural national conference, dubbed Converge, will be held in Atlanta from 26 – 28 July. They are still early in the planning process, but will continue to share updates here.  

Speaking Opportunity: The Women Transforming Technology (WT2) is a consortium of companies and organizations in industry, academia, and non-profit sectors committed to building a community and tackling issues that are top of mind for women in technology. Their annual event, which is scheduled to be held virtually from 9 – 10 May 2022 will bring together approximately 5000 attendees online from industry, academia, and non-profit sectors and a variety of career levels. The conference is now seeking speaker proposals that map back to the 2022 theme “Elevate Joy.” If you have a topic that focuses on: “New technologies that are creating the greatest positive impact and excitement in the world today” or “Ways we are overcoming challenges and creating greater positive  opportunities and experiences for ourselves and our communities, both personally and professionally,” submit your speaking proposal via their online form before the 4 November deadline.

Conference Manager Q&A: Peter Bell, Founder & CTO, CTO Connection has started to plan several in-person conferences in 2022. His organization, which was created to allow engineering leaders to share tips, tricks and career advice in an intimate environment hosts gatherings in various locations around the country.

Speaker Strategies: What is the most important trait of a good speaker?

If I had to pick just one trait, it’d be energy and enthusiasm. There is nothing in a 20 minute talk that couldn’t be read in 5-8 minutes on medium (unless it’s truly interactive). So a speaker’s job is to entertain people. Attendees don’t necessarily come to conferences to learn the details of a subject, but rather to be motivated to learn more. It’s not about covering all the details – it’s about helping the audience to understand why they need to get curious, interested, and excited about what the speaker is sharing. If I got to name a bonus second trait, it’d be precision, clarity and novelty of thought. You only get so many words in a talk. Speakers should edit ruthlessly until they only have the ones that’ll transform the way the audience perceives the subject.

Speaker Strategies: Do you solicit attendee feedback after a conference?

We have tried. Our audience is CTOs and getting their feedback after an event has proven difficult. Now we’re starting to build authentic, year-round online communities so we can continue to build personal relationships with the audience and get feedback in a more organic manner.

Coming Up Next Week: The goal of the Milken Institute Global Conference is advancing collaborative solutions that widen access to capital, create jobs, and improve health. The 2021 edition (17- 20 October; Los Angeles) will center on the theme “Charting a New Course.” More than 6,000 participants are expected to attend HLTH when it’s held 17 – 20 October in Boston to learn where disruptions to incumbent models, roles, and technologies are reshaping the entire spectrum of health. The Economist Innovation@Work US Summit kicks off 18 October as a virtual event, featuring corporate case studies on leadership, collaboration, and productivity. The Wall Street Journal gets creative with a multi-platform twist when its signature WSJ Tech Live event runs 18-20 October. Attendees there will hear from founders, investors, and other disruptors broadcasting from three stages across NYC, LA & SF. In line with NYC’s city-wide safety efforts, Advertising Week NYC (18 – 21 October) requires vaccination at most events, which include the Leadership Breakfast Series, Future is Female Reception, and Evening at the Apollo. Finally, PRSA presents its annual conference as an all-virtual ICON, which began earlier this month and offers programming through 20 October, showcasing the resilience, agility, and responsiveness of professional communicators.