I’ve wondered as I’ve walked across college campuses what it would be like to travel through time and see what the future will bring. If I had stepped into a time machine while I was in college in the 1980s and dropped in on a campus today, I would have had a hard time figuring out why everyone had at least one ear plug in and why some of them seemed to be talking to themselves. I also would have been shocked at the portable computers so many students have, since computers were just moving out of the room-size models to desktop versions – and hardly anyone had one for home use yet.
Another place to look at technology transitions is in trade shows. When I started working in high tech PR 13 years ago, the big trade show was Comdex in Las Vegas. It was all things technology and filled the Las Vegas Convention Center. Since then, Comdex has disappeared. Now the technology trade show landscape is dotted with specialty shows that focus on niche markets. For example, the Blogging for Business Conference set for June 6 in Salt Lake City. (Full disclosure: My friends at Politis Communications pointed me toward this conference and asked for a mention; it still makes my point very well.) This event is targeted to marketers who want to use blogs effectively to promote their business. Who would have thought of that as recently as five years ago? Emerging technologies like blogs carry two challenges. First, to learn the technology, what it does, and how it does it. Second, to translate the capabilities into positive bottom line impact for a business. If you’re interested in this conference, click on the graphic for more info or to register.
I think you’ll see more of these new-media conferences emerging. Then 10 years from now, they’ll be commonplace. The real question is: what’s next?
