By
Tim Young
The Management World show enjoyed a change of venue, shifting from the Dallas Adam's Mark Hotel that had been its home for the past three iterations to the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando. Though the weather was unseasonably cool for Central Florida, the new location offered several perks, including enhanced scenery, improved facilities (the venue was a bit cavernous in spots, and moving from meeting to meeting often involved covering serious ground, but the venue was crisp and clean, and space was ample), and better food (which was sometimes spirited away with little warning, but was generally tasty).
Some of the keynotes and conference programming received wan reviews, but there were highlights. One keynote that received particular acclaim by several attendees to whom I spoke was The Power of Technology to Transform the Future address by Dr. Hossein Eslambolchi of Divvio, Inc. If you missed it, this and other keynote videos are available for viewing on the show website. The few conference sessions I was able to squeeze into my whirlwind Management World experience were sparsely attended, but did contain frank and earnest discussion.
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There was most definitely an elephant in the room at Management World. (Not literally. Though, with the show being in Orlando, that wouldn't have been beyond the realm of possibility...) |
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attendance and exhibition (mitigated in part by the fact that things like exhibition agreements had been in the can since the summer, when the outlook wasn't so bleak), but also permeated the wider discussion, both through keynotes and panels and through conversation.
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Show Focus
There was most definitely an elephant in the room at Management World. (Not literally. Though, with the show being in Orlando, that wouldn't have been beyond the realm of possibility...) That elephant, of course, was the state of the economy. Call it what you will: "A period of troubled economic times." "An economic rough patch." "A downturn," or even the dreaded "recession." No matter how you slice it, the impact that the economy is having on all business was being felt and addressed. It had a direct impact on show
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The mood surrounding the economy was, for many vendors, actually cautious optimism. Several folks mentioned that communications are to a point where people no longer view them as luxuries. Consumers are unlikely to give up their cell phones. TV and web access are relatively cheap entertainment (vs. travel or going out to a movie), so those are probably not going to be one of the first expenses to go. Businesses have come to rely on voice and data connectivity. Priorities may be examined and bills may be scrutinized, but service will likely be retained for the time being. Therefore, unlike the travel and leisure
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