Conference News: Interview with Shoptalk Fall; What’s on at UNGA?; RSA CFP
ISTE + ASCD = Co-Location: Coming off the merger of their parent associations in late 2022, the International Society for Technology in Education/ISTE and ASCD will co-locate for the first time in 2025 from 29 June – 2 July in San Antonio. While the organizers promise distinct content and event branding for both ISTELive and ASCD, registration will offer delegates access to both conference programs, which will cover innovative teaching, leadership, and learning across all instructional roles. Two separate calls for speakers will also be issued, with sessions be identified in the program and onsite with unique iconography to make it easy to determine what is “ASCD content”, “ISTE content”, and “blended content” (a strand of content designed for both communities). ISTELive 2024 was held earlier this summer, and the last standalone ASCD will run 18-20 October in Nashville. The organizers explain: “This new offering promises an unparalleled learning experience where you’ll be able to connect with some of the brightest minds in education, explore how technology can spark curiosity, and explore opportunities to make learning more meaningful and engaging.”
Cypher in Santa Clara: Cypher started as a simple idea in 2015 and has grown to become India’s Largest AI Summit. The flagship conference of AIM (the media & analyst firm focused on AI), which happens in September in Bengaluru, Cypher attracts more than 2000 attendees per day. Due to the “technological progress in the space of analytics, artificial intelligence, data science & big data” and to highlight the “innovations, players, and challenges shaping the future” the conference will be holding a second edition in the US this fall. Cypher Santa Clara will be held in Santa Clara from 21 – 22 November 2024.
Submission Opportunity: RSA Conference “Where the World Talks Security” will return to San Francisco’s Moscone Center from 28 April – 1 May 2025. The conference organizers again expect 40,000+ cybersecurity professionals to descend upon the city to hear “timely insights, thoughtful interactions, and actionable intelligence… designed to help them continually strengthen their organizations and push their careers further.” If you have always wanted to take the stage at RSA Conference, now is your chance! The call for speakers is open until 27 September. As you consider what topic and format to suggest, remember to review the submission tips here. Among them, “basic sessions aren’t as well received nor are past presenters who’ve been poorly evaluated by attendees in the “avoid commercialization” category.” Also, “the session detail portion of the submission is the most important piece of the entire submission.”
Conference Manager Q&A: Joe Laszlo is the Head of Content in the US for the Shoptalk & Groceryshop events. Shoptalk Fall is launching for the first time this year in Chicago (16 – 18 October, just one week after Groceryshop concludes). We caught up with Joe to find out what he has planned for the Shoptalk Fall.
Speaker Strategies: Shoptalk Fall & Groceryshop are both coming up in October. Can you remind our readers how they differ?
Since it launched in 2018, Groceryshop has cemented its brand as THE place for leaders within the grocery and CPG industries to convene, discuss, and learn how technology and other forces are transforming the landscape. We’re expecting over 5,000 retailers, brands and technology vendors from across the globe to join us in Las Vegas to focus more specifically on the issues and trends facing international grocers and CPG brands. By comparison, Shoptalk Fall aims to foster a broader conversation about retail innovation and transformation, with attendees and speakers drawn from a wider variety of industry verticals including apparel, luxury, high-end beauty, consumer electronics, and more. While both address the ever-evolving retail industry, what sets them apart are the specific retail segments that they are tailored to.
Speaker Strategies: What excites you most about this year’s Shoptalk Fall?
What excites me most is that as a brand-new event, Shoptalk Fall gives us an opportunity to approach the agenda in a variety of new ways. From trying different session formats or track structures to diving deeper into topics that we don’t typically have the time or space to explore at our flagship Spring event (including supply chain, logistics and merchandising, for example). I can’t wait to see how Shoptalk’s trademark curiosity and optimism about the future of retail manifests in a new time and place.
Speaker Strategies: What do you love most about your job?
The thing I love most about my job are the moments of serendipity; when the things we do our best to plan for and encourage arise on their own through the magic of human interaction. Curating a panel of executives whose expertise deeply complements one another on paper, for example, and who then go on to have a great conversation on stage. Also, hearing from speakers that they made business-transforming connections by being a part of a Shoptalk or a Groceryshop conference; those are the things that make this a great role.
Coming Up Next Week: The United Nations General Assembly – better known as UNGA – continues next week in New York, where global matters of geopolitics, business, technology, health, and sustainability take center stage. While we don’t have the word count to list out all of the UNGA programming, here are a few high profile events produced by media and non-profits: NYT Climate Forward, held 25 September, will feature frank discussions about policy challenges and new technologies to help curb global warming. Across three days of Axios House programming, (22-24 September), delegates are promised newsworthy conversations with top domestic and global thought leaders who are shaping the world’s agenda and influencing climate action. Semafor gets into the action with invite-only events covering the intersection of net zero, energy, climate, and the global population. Held at the Sheraton New York Times Square, the 14th Concordia Annual Summit (23-25 September) explores the theme, “Navigating a New Era.” Clinton Global Initiative/CGI’s annual meeting runs 23-24 September, while those at home can tune into programming live on the event’s homepage. And on 25 September at City Winery on Pier 57, the 6th iteration of Techonomy Climate will galvanize leaders from diverse sectors to deploy sustainable practices that can drive significant environmental changes.