The line between business and technology leaders has all but disappeared as technology decision makers play an increasingly important role in developing corporate strategy – and their business counterparts have ever more input into technology choices. Thus, it makes sense for today’s IT executives to venture beyond the typical trade conferences to explore mainstream business events (where, not surprisingly, technology often takes center stage).
We’ve rounded up five business conferences that could be valuable for technologists seeking to expand their event horizons.
Digital Strategy Innovation Summit
When: February 27–28
Where: New York, NY
Why You Should Be There: Organized by Innovation Enterprise, this event features limited attendance, a focused agenda with around 25 speakers, and a promised 80:20 ratio of industry leaders to vendors. The structure of this two-day affair, designed for senior-level digital professionals, encourages peer-to-peer interaction and limits sales pitches. Presentations will include Comcast’s director of digital transformation and strategy on empowering customers and employees, NASDAQ’s vice president of global digital revenue on driving a digital strategy, InBev’s global director of technology on M&A data integration at speed and scale, Citi’s senior vice president of global digital strategy on developing a robust analytics plan, and The Weather Company’s global head of digital video on embracing emerging platforms.
[ Put yourself out there. Read How allowing myself to be vulnerable made me a better leader. ]
The Economist Events' Innovation Summit 2018 America
When: March 22, 2018
Where: Chicago, IL
Why you should be there: Organized and hosted by editors at The Economist magazine for C-level and senior executives, this year’s summit brings together established business leaders, policymakers, academic thought leaders, and disruptive entrepreneurs to share ideas on specific topic: building the intelligent company. Artificial intelligence is one of the hottest topics in business, from the boardroom to the front lines, and this event will include information on every aspect of it, from economics to existential threats. Speakers include Google Cloud AI’s chief scientist Dr. Fei-Fei Li, Walmart executive vice president and CTO Jeremy King, Monsanto CIO (and Enterpriser) Jim Swanson, director of MIT Media Lab’s ethics initiative Tenzin Priyadarshi, and PARC CEO Tolga Kurtoglu. Time is set aside during the day for “brain dates” (aka networking).
[ Read our recent article, Why hybrid cloud is the best of both worlds, by Monsanto CIO Jim Swanson. ]
Collision
When: April 30-May 3, 2018
Where: New Orleans, LA.
Why you should be there: Collision, nestled in the Crescent City, has emerged as a viable alternative to mammoth events like Austin’s SXSW Interactive. Previous attendees noted that it hit the sweet spot between small and massive tech-driven business events, although organizers expect as many as 25,000 attendees this year (some 70 percent in senior management). The lineup includes insight from leaders at Facebook, Wikipedia, Unilever, and Conde Nast, alongside talks by entertainer Damon Wayans Jr. and actress and activist Sophia Bush of Time’s Up. Wedged between the two weekends of one of New Orleans’ most vaunted cultural events, this conference holds extra appeal for live music lovers, and organizers have now trademarked the slogan, “Come for Collision, Stay for Jazz Fest.”
Fortune Brainstorm Tech
When: July 16-18, 2018
Where: Aspen, CO
Why you should be there: Presented in association with the Aspen Institute, this is Fortune’s “summer retreat” for the triumvirate of the digital economy: Fortune 500 leaders, emerging tech entrepreneurs, and the investors who finance them. At a time when the rallying cry is “disrupt or be disrupted,” this three-day event is for business leaders seeking to stay ahead of fast-breaking trends. The 2017 agenda included Nest Labs’ CTO Yoky Matsuoka on the rise of robots, Michael Dell on the future of cloud, Amazon’s Worldwide Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke talking shop, and Mattel CEO Margo Georgiadis on the highest-tech toys. Topics extend beyond digital business, with retired General Stanley McChrystal weighing in on the political climate and modern leadership and former CIA director John O. Brennan discussing Trump, Russia, and safeguarding society.
World Business Forum
When: May 30-31, 2018
Where: Sydney, Australia
When: Nov. 15-15, 2018
Where: New York, NY
Why you should be there: These two-day events, spanning both hemispheres, offer big-name speakers (typically a blend of CEOs, entrepreneurs, big thinkers, and high achievers) addressing aspects of a central theme. The Sydney version will focus on the “humanification” of business, with takes from Ford’s Alan Mulally, AirBnb’s Chip Conley, best-selling author Sir Ken Robinson, collaboration thought leader Rachel Botsman, and Formula One Driver Mark Webber. In New York, the emphasis will be on the exponential era, with input from marketer Seth Godin, former GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, founder of Huffington Post and Thrive Global Arianna Huffington, psychologist and emotional intelligence guru Daniel Goleman, and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.
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