Conference News: WSJ Sustainability Event; Interview with Web Summit; ContentTECH CFP
New Sustainability Forum: After a successful launch of the WSJ Pro Sustainable newsletter and membership, the WSJ has decided to continue the conversation with a live event. The Sustainability Forum will be held on 17 November between 10:30 am – 3:00 pm ET and focus on the topics that they typically cover in its weekly insight, data and business analysis: environment, operations, human capital and governance. In the short time it has been around, the WSJ pro Sustainable Business has become a great resource for corporate decision-makers responsible for this rapidly evolving business pillar.
FS-ISAC heads North: The Canadian Cyber Security Event is one of the leading events in Canada for senior practitioners in information and cyber security from the financial services sector. Formerly hosted by the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), next year’s gathering will be debuting as a FS-ISAC event when it comes to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Wednesday, 27 April 2022. The conference organizers are anticipating over 1000 cyber and information security practitioners from the Canadian financial sector to attend (COVID regulations permitting). The audience typically includes C-suite executives, senior and mid-level management and technical specialists.
Speaking Opportunity: ContentTECH conference offers advice from practitioners and experts in content technology and marketing strategy. When the event returns to San Diego on 22 – 23 March, it will again gather “trailblazing pioneers who have set the bar for epic content marketing through technology.” If you are interested in suggesting a speaker for next year’s event, submit via their online form by 18 October. And a few tips offered by the conference team… Sessions must be an original presentation (not publicly presented before). They want real-world stories of great content technology, strategy and processes with measurable results, innovative ideas and takeaways for enterprise marketers. They love agencies and consultants, but co-presenting with a client gives you a much better chance of being selected. They are looking for diverse topics and speakers for the agenda so be sure to submit your most unique ideas.
Conference Manager Q&A: Brian Curran, Speaker Director of Web Summit, agreed to answer a few of our questions this week. He is getting ready for this year’s Summit, which will take place from 1 – 4 November in Lisbon.
Speaker Strategies: What are you doing to keep attendees safe at the event?
Brian: Returning to a physical space poses challenges but we’re nearly two years on from the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and we’ve learned a lot about minimizing risk. We’re working closely with the Portuguese government and local health officials to create a safe space for our guests and our staff. We’re also receiving guidance from the World Health Organisation.
Speaker Strategies: How do you determine when/where to host your conference?
Brian: Our events take on the flavour of whichever city they’re based in, so we look at a lot of factors when choosing a location. Some of these factors can be measured, like square footage, transport links or seating, but others can’t. The life in a city, the culture, the attitudes of the local people, we take all of these into account.
Speaker Strategies: What is the most important trait of a good speaker?
Brian: The ability to be a storyteller. It’s the best way to connect with an audience. If you can tell a story with your presentation it connects on a human level.
Coming Up Next Week: Gear up for one of the busiest weeks in events all year! Convening preeminent women in business, and leaders in government, philanthropy, education and the arts, the Fortune Most Powerful Women/MPW Summit will run 11-13 October in Washington, DC. Silicon Slopes Summit was created by the Salt Lake City startup community in 2017 and will run this 13-14 October as a hybrid event. Since its beginnings, Silicon Slopes has grown to feature some of tech’s highest profile leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, who keynotes this year. Kicking off 11 October in Atlanta, the invitation-only Best of Breed (BoB) Conference brings together some of the of the IT channel’s largest and most progressive organizations for briefings and peer networking. SIBOS will run 11-14 October as an online event, examining the theme “Recharging Global Finance” through digital acceleration, technological innovation, risk management, and greater diversity & sustainability. PRWeek’s annual conference, the fully virtual PRDecoded is scheduled for 12-14 October. Organizers promise a PRDecoded speaker line up that is “moving the needle forward on racial equity, sustainability, financial commitment behind purpose and building trust as brand communicators in the wake of Covid-19.” Google Cloud NEXT will run as a global digital experience 12-14 October, covering breakout sessions, educational demos, and real-life applications of the latest cloud technology out of Google. Last up is CNBC @Work, which will run on 13 October and explores how leaders are finding and keeping the best workers, upending traditional roles, and developing creative solutions to shape the work of tomorrow.