Archive article - published on July 26 2021
Attending an industry event can be overwhelming. Besides all of the tactical efforts surrounding taking time out of the office (getting coverage, changing meetings, etc.), planning to maximize your time at the event requires careful planning. Event producers try to mitigate some of our hesitations and set expectations for an event by applying various nomenclature. For instance, according to this website, a trade show is primarily a venue for showcasing and demonstrating products. In contrast, an expo is defined as more of a global event geared toward educating and informing attendees.
When WALT Labs decided to exhibit at the 12th Annual Texas Technology Summit (TTS) held on July 14, 2021, at Citadel Houston, we expected that this would be another typical industry event. Having a presence was appealing because TTS was being held right in the backyard of our U.S. headquarters in Houston. We knew it would be an excellent opportunity to meet some prospective clients and do some networking, but ultimately we expected this to be business as usual. Boy, were we wrong.
A Summit Emphasizes Leadership
Unlike other events, a summit typically emphasizes a convening of leadership. We hear about world leaders coming together at summits, like the G7, all the time. In the business world, however, a summit pertains to a gathering of industry leaders. It’s here that the organizers of The Texas Technology Summit were spot on. Representatives were Leaders from dozens of companies across all verticals within the state of Texas. Their areas of specialization included networking, cloud computing, researching/learning, career advancement, and purchasing. To name a few.
Complementing the impressive leadership list was an equally impressive agenda of keynote addresses and breakout sessions. The goal for these clearly centered on providing attendees with the right tools to do their jobs and make vital connections to best prepare their organizations for the broad spectrum of ever-changing technology trends.
Insights Mesh With Google Cloud
As a leading Google Cloud partner, WALT Labs has its pulse on the technology landscape. So, it was exciting to get the perspective of industry leaders regarding some of the key trends and developments, and predictions for the future. It was also interesting to see how well offerings from Google aligned with the messages from presenters.
Security was an overarching theme for the day. The need to keep users connected and secure and ensure they have positive network experiences was mentioned by several presenters. Particularly in the post-COVID age, they promised that this diligence would boost productivity and keep employee and customer satisfaction high. Google’s Cloud AI is one way to do this by creating conversations that create happy customers. Google Workspace, with its inherent security and collaboration functionality, is another.
Another area of focus in the day’s presentations and exhibits was network architecture. Presentations covered hybrid cloud environments, edge computing, and storage. Here again, it became clear that Google was a leader. For a while now, Google has enabled companies to unlock insights from their global device network and store and analyze data at the edge and in the Cloud. Tools like BigQuery, Vertex AI, and Google Data Studio help businesses to gather real-time insights at the edge or in the Cloud.
Even When You Attend, Partner
Getting out of the office to attend an industry event from time to time is important. Meeting colleagues, hearing competitor’s messages, and listening to breakout sessions can lend fresh perspectives. The Texas Technology Summit was definitely an opportunity to reap all of those benefits. Sometimes, however, taking in all of that information can be like drinking from a fire hose. That’s where working with the right partner can help. WALT Labs has been helping businesses keep up with emerging trends and technologies for more than a decade. Contact us for a no-obligation assessment, and we’ll help ensure that you’ll get all of the industry you need to run your business successfully.
Let’s just have a chat and see where this goes.
