By Andy Slawetsky – BOSTON, MA — The Business Technology Association (BTA) successfully concluded its National Conference held on August 30-31, showcasing the latest trends, discussions, and innovations in the industry.
The conference was ushered in on Wednesday with a breakfast, promptly followed by an invigorating keynote address, “Miracle on Ice: Insight Into Leadership & Teamwork” by Mike Eruzione, the captain of the legendary 1980 “Miracle on Ice” U.S. Olympic hockey team. Anyone my age and older probably remembers “…do you believe in miracles???” as team USA captured the gold in 1980 in possibly the greatest upset in sports history.
Post keynote, a fantastic vendor panel discussion titled, “Will Slave Labor Disrupt the Supply Chain?” was moderated by Bob Goldberg, general council for BTA. Panelists included CEOs from Konica Minolta, Sharp and Kyocera as well as industry experts Tricia Judge and Charlie Brewer.
One highlight was when Sharp’s Mike Marusic said he (Sharp) turned back a shipment of banned Ninestar products, a fact that most people are likely unaware of. See his comments here:
In another response, Konica Minolta’s Sam Errigo discusses what they’re doing to address the situation. Watch here:
While Xerox wasn’t on the panel, they were in the audience and VP Richard Schaublin added during the QA session that Xerox has also removed certain banned Ninestar products from their US skews and they’re working on eliminating them in other markets.
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The panel wasn’t the only Goldberg news on the agenda. A couple of years ago, Bob had announced his intentions to eventually retire and BTA has since been searching for his heir apparent. That morning, we were officially introduced to next BTA general council, Greg Goldberg. Greg briefly addressed the audience and reviewed his impeccable qualifications. We wish Greg well and welcome him to the BTA family!
The panel was followed by breakout sessions which included insights from industry experts such as Bob Palmer from IDC discussing the future of office print, and Rick Lambert delving into strategies for prospecting success.
Jim D’Emidio ran another popular panel discussing Unified Communications.
Lunch, sponsored by Brother, provided a networking respite before attendees reconvened for an educational session, “Purpose & Culture,” by John Lowery & Casey Lowery from Applied Innovation.
The first day’s itinerary then rounded off with a dinner cruise aboard the Spirit of Boston, allowing attendees to network and relax with Boston’s skyline as the backdrop.
The following day commenced with breakfast and transitioned into an enlightening session from featured speaker SEAC John Wayne Troxell, a retired U.S. Army senior noncommissioned officer, who illuminated the ways businesses can undergo transformation. His session was complemented by more breakout sessions, including one on “LinkedIn to Win Team Road Map” led by Rick Lambert.
The conference’s educational endeavors continued with Tami Beach from HP addressing “The Impact of Megatrends on Your Dealership & Customers.” Attendees were encouraged to reflect on the larger industry shifts and prepare their businesses for future challenges and opportunities in this fascinating and in some ways terrifying look at AI and where things are going.
Finally, the event culminated with closing remarks and the exhibitor prize drawing, a fitting conclusion to an event that successfully married industry insight with networking opportunities.
BTA’s commitment to bringing the forefront of business technology to its community was palpable throughout the conference, and attendees left with a reinforced understanding of the industry’s current landscape and the direction it’s headed.
SOURCE Industry Analysts Inc.
