Annual Conference 2017: Super Mega Awesome Recap
It’s been a week.
One week since the glorious Monday beginning of our Annual Conference in Boca Raton, FL.
One week since the initial registration rush.
One week since the first Industry Group meeting of the fall.
So what all happened at the conference?
We did some daily recaps (you can check them out here and here), but for those of you opposed to multiple clicks, here’s the final rundown.
On Monday we had some great educational sessions such as the one talking about implementing industry 4.0, sponsored by our Solutions Community, and learning about the future with Brian Federal. Then Jason Schenker gave our first plenary keynote on the Economic Outlook for the material handling industry. If you missed it, don’t worry, because we host a quarterly Material Handling Economic Outlook (MHEM) webinar where he’ll update us on what’s going on. The next one is on October 13. Put it on your calendars.
Josh Linkner was our lunch keynote, and alongside a delicious, delicious lunch, we got to learn about how disruption keeps us moving forward. New and innovative technologies and processes can threaten business-as-usual complacency, but can also define new opportunities for businesses to grow and shine in ways they hadn’t previously thought of.
Monday Night was dinner and Glow Games at the Boca Beach Club. It was a little windy, but there was a kickin’ band and, of course, delicious food to make up for it. However, at our table, we did have an incident of a napkin flying in the wind and knocking over a full can of an adult beverage. A NAPKIN. All the things were flying.
Tuesday had MORE education sessions, MORE Industry Group meetings, and MORE keynotes. ‘Twas awesome.
Bill Best talked about why sustainability for businesses is important and how it can be much easier than you think – as well as being doable while still running a profitable business. David Roberts was the plenary keynote of the day. He spoke about how Millennials have a grip on what’s coming in the future, including peer-to-peer transactions, but also encouraged everyone in attendance to live the life you want to live and not the one other people expect of you.
The lunch (delicious) keynote was Susan O’Malley, the first female president of a professional sports franchise, and it was AWESOME. As someone who is savvy in both business and team culture, she spoke about leadership and creating a culture in which its participants (players in her case, coworkers in ours) can succeed. A lot of that centers on the customer service experience, because that’s how a business lives or dies.
Then Wednesday. More Industry Group meetings, packing, and Chairman’s Council. What a ride, y’all.
