Technology Revolution: The Future of Now

The Buzz: "As video adoption for content marketing continues to rise, there's no doubt that more organizations are looking to online video to improve their strategies…smartphone and tablet adoption has created a prime opportunity for more mobile video content" (www.brainshark.com). Still not convinced? "The sheer cost of video production has come down to a point where there are no barriers to entry. Buyers have devices that can play videos with them at all times" (Joe Pulizzi). "Humans are incredibly visual and powerful, moving images help us find meaning" (Dan Patterson). "More than 150 million people view videos online every year, most of them ripe to hear your business's pitch if you produce and market your video effectively" (Vern Marker). We'll ask these experts for their take: Lorraine Maurice, SAP; Richard Hegarty, Digital Marketing Institute; Barbara Giamanco, Social Centered Selling; and Marco Cai, SAP. Join us for Look Ma! I'm On Camera. The Future of B2C Video.

Today's buzz: "Auto makers look into their crystal balls – and their shops – to get an idea as to what's fueling the car of 2025. Most car makers agree: The next 10 years will see more change in the auto business than the last 20" (theglobeandmail.com). "Self-driving cars…once found only in science fiction, are about to become a reality" (Goldman Sachs, 2016). "When you think of a flying car one might think of The Jetsons. The company Terrafugia is working to get its flying car off the ground by 2025" (Business Insider, 2016). "In any major city in the world, you'll find smog…mostly from cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks…things are about to get better.…the car won't disappear, it will just be powered by different energies, and in some cases, take on new shapes" (thoughtco.com). We'll ask the experts for their take: Meg Divitto, Divitto Design Group; Mike Lackey, SAP; Marty Groover, C5MI; and Bill Newman, SAP. Join us for Fasten Your Seatbelt: Ready for Your Future Ride? – Part 2.

The buzz (according to www.impactbnd.com): "Social media is ever-changing. There's always a new crazy way people can document every aspect of their lives, but what if you're a business? With so many social media sites already out there and even more popping up each day, where do you begin? Do you create a Facebook account or do you hop on whatever "the new Pinterest" is today? Utilizing social media in your business strategy…gives you the chance to connect with fans, customers, and prospective customers on a more personal, human level." Popularity stats in terms of registered users: Facebook – 1.7B users, Twitter – 310+M, Instagram – 500M age 18–29, Flickr – 100M, Pinterest – 84M, LinkedIn – 20M, YouTube – 2B. Join us for Digital Selling Wheel of Fortune 2025: Insta, LinkedIn, iPhone, YouTube, Twitter, FB? as we ask experts Kirsten Boileau at SAP, Mark "The Sales Hunter" Hunter and Nicho Lagersten at Digiteyes for their predictions.

The Buzz [literally!]: "Drones in the sky, drones in the sea, drones on land: this is the future of human augmentation" (popularmechanics.com). "From a military innovation, to an exciting hobby, to a technology that's transforming commercial industries, the use of drones has rapidly changed over the past years — and future opportunities in the field are limitless" (calu.edu). What does this have to do with YOU? Public safety and emergency services professionals in law enforcement, fire rescue, emergency management, and the non-profit/NGO sector are already using drones aka UAS – unmanned aircraft systems – to help save lives and protect property. What does this mean to your future health and safety? We'll ask four experts: Christopher Todd, AIRT (FL); Captain Vern Salle, Chula Vista Police Department (CA); Chief Charles Werner (ret.), DRONERESPONDERS (VA); Captain Michael Leo, Fire Department of NYC (New York). Join us for What's Up? It's A Drone for Your Good!

The Buzz: "Passwords are an integral component of security hygiene, but beyond password strength requirements, it's largely a user-driven initiative" (digitalguardian.com). How is your password hygiene? Not to get personal, but passwords are our first line of protection against cyber criminals, so password health matters. Digital Guardian surveyed 1,000 people's password security habits. 44% changed passwords once a year or less, 11% never. 20% experienced online account compromise. 70% had 10+ password-protected accounts online, nearly 30% had "too many to count". In the U.S., the average email address is associated with 130 accounts. And password cracking is easy with tools like John the Ripper and social engineering that manipulates us into divulging confidential info. We'll ask four experts – Matt Beckert at NPI, Erich Kron at KnowBe4, Michael DePalma at Datto, Alex Reid at Green Cloud Technologies – for their take on Pathetic vs. Powerful Passwords: Your Hackable Future?

The Buzz: "As more and more consumers embrace CBD and its reputed benefits, companies are jumping on the CBD bandwagon. According to the Brightfield Group, a CBD and cannabis market research firm, the legal CBD market is projected to surpass $23 billion in annual U.S. sales by 2023…Recreational marijuana is legal in 11 states and medical marijuana is legal in 23 states.…The firm's 2019 report on the U.S. CBD market, From Farm to Aisle…notes that large retailers, such as CVS and Walgreens, are leading the charge in introducing the ingredient to mainstream consumers…[and] what products are growing in popularity, such as tinctures, topicals, vape oil and cartridges, and capsules" (www.americanspa.com/cbd/sweeping-nation-future-cbd). We'll ask Autumn Shelton, CFO, Autumn Brands; Tina Fanucchi-Frontado, CEO, KopSun LLC; Diana Star-Langely, Co-Founder, Infused By Epic; Leialoha Cail, Manager, The Farmacy, for their take on The Highs and The Lows: Cannabis Industry 2020 and Beyond.

Today's Buzz: "By 2030 the average person in the U.S. will have 4.5 packages a week delivered with flying drones. They will travel 40% of the time in a driverless car, use a 3D printer to print hyper-individualized meals, and will spend most of their leisure time on an activity that hasn't been invented yet … Most people will have stopped taking pills in favor of a new device that causes the body to manufacture its own cures. Space colonies, personal privacy, and flying cars will all be hot topics of discussion, but not a reality yet" (Thomas Frey, futuristspeaker.com). Wow! In 2030, will YOU be that "average person" or a different statistical notation in a rear-view-mirror blog? We'll ask futurists Michael Gale, Frank Diana, Kevin Benedict, and Gray Scott for their take on Life in 2030: How Will YOU Eat, Play, Work, Drive and Do Everything Else?

"Just about everyone involved in the show brought their A-game this year, with several major product categories seeing some truly transformative technology, namely in computing, gaming, and the smart home…the public debut of the first-ever laptop with a foldable display…the smart home is bound to get even smarter in 2020 …including smart door locks, connected toothbrushes, and the fastest beverage cooler we've ever seen…" (https://www.businessinsider.com/best-products-ces-2020) What are they talking about? CES 2020 is where the globe's technology ecosystem met to solve some of the world's most challenging issues. More than 4,500 exhibitors launched ~20k new transformative tech products including 5G connectivity, AI, AR and VR, smart cities, resilience, sports, robotics and more. We'll ask experts Lori H. Schwartz, Clint Crook and Ryan Schram for their take on CES 2020: What Can YOU Do with Robot Kitties, Smart Trash Cans & Oodles of Gadgets?

Here's today's buzz: "The one thing all small businesses have encountered…is the fact that people don't know who they are, what they do, or where they can be found. How can a business owner solve this issue? It's easy. Social media is the first step to take" (www.klusster.com/). "Social media is constantly evolving and it's exciting to think about what it will look like in just a few years' time." (blog.logograb.com) Today, we'll ask four bold FemPreneurs to predict the future of social media platforms. Who? Oh yes. Fempreneurs, aka "mumpreneurs" and aka "lipstickpreneurs", are female entrepreneurs who individually or as a group run a business enterprise. (medium.com/ent101/fempreneurs-1199a2b33810). We'll ask Tori Dunlap, Her First $100K; Alisha Kumar, The Social Project; Lorena Soriano, Every.1; and Gena Wynkoop, Seattle Refined, for their take on the future of social media in general and of their favorite platforms. Join us for Fempreneurs Speak: Social Media Coming of Age.

Today's Buzz: "If you have to tell people on your social media profiles you're an 'influencer', you are probably not. Reality check" (Rebecca Aguilar). Level set: An influencer is an individual who has the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of his/her authority, knowledge, position or relationship with his/her audience. According to InfluencerMarketingHub.com, "Influencer marketing has grown from strength to strength over the last few years. Sure it has suffered a few hiccups, thanks to fake followers, a lack of transparency in some influencer posts, and a few clueless 'influencers' without influence, but its effectiveness must surely now be beyond dispute. However, any marketplace changes over time, and influencer marketing will adapt to follow these changes." We'll ask four experts for their take: Jen Evans, Andrew Steane, Sarah Robinson and Rob Levin. Join us for The Era of Brand Influencers: Whom Do YOU Trust?