Conference News: CX & EX Thrive in Atlanta; MWC’s Insights on its Evolution
CX Marks the Spot: From 3-5 December 2023 Simpler Media will debut a new event called THRIVE Leadership Summit, exploring the intersection of the Employee & Customer Experience. The event will be held at the Georgia Tech Hotel in Atlanta and focus on CX and EX best practices and the dynamic relationship between the two. Some early confirmed speakers include the Chief Customer Experience Officer of The Coca Cola Company; the Head of Client Experience Measurement & Analytics, Charles Schwab; Global Head, Tech Learning & Workforce Transformation, Airbnb; Head of Digital Workplace Experience, PG&E; and the Global Head of Workplace Strategy, Northern Trust. More information may be found here.
Celebrating Tech in Africa: EQL:HER connects founders from underrepresented backgrounds who struggle to access funding, and investors looking to shrink disparities in diversity of portfolio companies. Now EQL:HER is expanding its programming globally, including a larger co-located event as part of Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town 13-16 November. New in 2024, EQL:HER will offer panel discussions and fireside chats featuring Africa’s greatest leaders and technology pioneers, as well as a dedicated lounge space and the InspiringFifty, which recognizes women making significant strides in tech careers across the African continent (and is accepting nominations until 22 September.)
Submission Opportunity: Organizers of Continuity Insights Management Conference are now seeking presentation suggestions around business continuity and operational resilience for their 2024 flagship event, which runs 6-8 May in Charlotte, NC. Want to be considered to speak next May? Know that most sessions run one-hour and that the event will steer clear of any proposals that are thinly veiled vendor pitches or product demos. For the best chance of success, focus on a topic such as continuity’s relationship to AI, professional development, operational resilience, or emerging technologies.
Conference Manager Q&A: As Director of Conference for Mobile World Congress/MWC’s Barcelona, Shanghai, and Las Vegas events, as well as the Mobile 360 Series, Mark Callender recently spoke with us about what the GSMA has in store for its next program and also MWC’s evolution from a carrier-centric event.
Speaker Strategies: What about your next event excites you the most?
MWC Las Vegas (26-28 September) is only a few weeks away and, aside from Las Vegas being an incredible destination, what is most exciting is what it represents. Las Vegas continues to evolve from a gambling hub into a global center for innovation and technology – from having the largest private 5G network in the U.S., to sports and entertainment with the arrival of the Raiders, Formula 1, and the largest LED screen in the world! In similar ways, MWC is evolving as well from a carrier-centric event to one for all industries. And that’s reflected in the lineup of speakers from companies like Schneider Electric, Hard Rock, Caesars Entertainment, Goya Foods, and the U.S. Department of Defense. We’re also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first commercial cell call at Soldier Field, so keep an eye out for that at one of our keynotes.
Speaker Strategies: Are you doing anything new at the Las Vegas event this year?
We have introduced a new stage called the Debate Stage where we want to get people engaged in big questions, particularly as the emergence of generative AI and extended reality means there are a lot of major topics that could have big repercussions for our industry. We may not have answers for them yet, but we want to engage the community now and to invite new voices to join the conversation. Our sessions on the Debate Stage will be shorter in length but will run more regularly, which means plenty of insights across a broad range of topics.
Speaker Strategies: What is the most important trait of a good speaker?
Diversity is a top priority of ours. Industries are expanding and converging with others, meaning there is an ever-bigger pool of hugely talented and engaging experts for whom we want to provide a platform. Female leadership in tech is currently down from last year, and we want to correct that. But it’s also the ability to say something new that can often be overlooked.
Speaker Strategies: What do you love most about your job?
What I love most is the fact you’re constantly learning. The telecom industry is continually growing through its technology, and I’m extremely fortunate to get to speak to people are helping to drive its growth daily. Safe to say, you’re never bored!
Coming Up Next Week: One of the world’s biggest media, entertainment, and technology shows runs 15-18 September when International Broadcasting Convention/IBC gets underway in Amsterdam. Fast Company Innovation Festival (18-21 September; New York) began in 2015 to celebrate the magazine’s 20th anniversary and continues as a way to connect makers and innovators from across the globe. Just down the road in NYC, Clinton Global Initiative/CGI reconvenes its annual meeting 18-19 September and challenges participants to find solutions for addressing global food insecurity, adapting to climate change, balancing the benefits and risks of AI, and other pressing issues facing us all today. Sibos runs 18-21 September in Toronto, exploring collaborative finance and fintech innovations in a fragmented world. GroceryShop (19-21 September; Las Vegas) is designed for retailers, consumer brands, and innovators who are disrupting the grocery and CPG industry. Meanwhile in San Francisco, TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco kicks off 19 September and offers an annual “in-person hub for the startup world.” Finally, Cloud Security Alliance SECtember runs 18-22 September in Seattle and gives its attendees insight and tools for managing cyber risk in the modern enterprise.