Conference News: SALT Block(chain); SXSW London CFP; Several Events Next Week
CFO’s Get Their Own Event: Since 2014 the Operators Guild has gathered a community of finance and operations professionals who help each other navigate the issues involved in scaling companies and develop professional networks. For the past four years, the OG has hosted a two-day annual summit for all of its members, but in 2025 they will hold an event exclusive to those in finance roles. The conference will be held on 19 March in San Francisco and limited to approximately 100 attendees. More info and website to come!
Blockchain’s Getting SALTy: SALT is partnering with Kraken, a leading cryptocurrency exchange, and the University of Wyoming Center for Blockchain and Digital Innovation to launch a new digital finance conference. The Wyoming Blockchain Symposium will take place from 18 – 21 August at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole. The conference will aim to drive greater institutional understanding and adoption of blockchain infrastructure and catalyze more forward-thinking digital assets regulation. Registration is currently open but it will be a curated audience of “250 leading investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers in the digital assets ecosystem.”
Submission Opportunity: Announced earlier this year, the inaugural SXSW London Conference (2-7 June 2025) is accepting speaker proposals through its Programme Picker process. Like the trademarked PanelPicker® used to select sessions for the Austin festival, the Programme Picker allows interested speakers to submit an idea for a presentation, panel, fireside chat, or other session format now through midnight UK time on Friday 29 November. (Those in the Americas, take note: That means 3pm PST on the day after the US Thanksgiving holiday.) Beginning 9 December, the organizers will open up community voting, which accounts for 40% of the selection weight in determining who will get to speak in June. As in Austin, SXSW London will offer music and film programming alongside a conference covering tracks like AI/robotics/automation, connected mobility, fintech, healthtech, planet/energy, and marketing.
Lunchtime Learning: Late last month, Bloomberg held its Future Investor: Innovation-Powered Portfolios, afternoon program at the Langham Hotel in Boston that asked the question: How can big data and AI be used to spur financial innovations and steer crucial business decisions? Senior leadership from Xerox, Akamai, HubSpot, MassMutual, and Hyatt joined a panel, recorded and available to view here, to share how they are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and analytics to drive competitiveness. (Note you will need to fast forward to about 12:30 for the start of the discussion.)
Coming Up Next Week: Global tech conference heavyweight Web Summit kicks off 11 November in Lisbon, gathering policymakers, founders, business leaders, and the broader tech ecosystem to ask the question: “Where to next?” In NYC from 11-12 November, the by-invite-only Fortune Global Forum boasts a speaker lineup of CEOs from companies like Target, AT&T, PayPal, Novartis, Siemens, and Dow to explore the disruptive forces of AI, climate change, and geopolitical risks. Reuters Strategic Marketing Forum East will run 12-13 November at the Hilton Miami Downtown to help marketing leaders align wider business goals, elevate brand loyalty, and overcome data siloes and outdated technology. The Milken Institute Future of Health Summit (13-14 November; Washington, DC) sets out to “confront the toughest challenges in health by matching human, financial, and scientific resources with the most innovative, inclusive, and impactful ideas to drive better health outcomes for all.” And at the Path to Purchase Institute’s P2P Live, which gathers commerce marketing community from 12-14 November in Chicago, attendees can expect to hear sessions on best practices and recent research in the “rapidly evolving landscape of omnicommerce.”