future proofing your career: staying relevant in the age of automation

Future Proofing Your Career:Staying Relevant in the

Age of AutomationPresented by:

Dan BergerFounder, CEO Social Tables

Presenter-Audience Contract

You can share everything you see (#PCMA) & ask me questions (@danberger) on Twitter

No need to take notes! I can send you the

deck if you email me [email protected].

Your time is valuable so feel free to leave at any

time.

I am a participant.

I am a planner.

I am a supplier.

100 employees

Raised $22 million

Founded in 2011

Social Tables is a turnkey event sales and services platform

Event Sales Solutions

Diagramming

Seating

Attendee Management

Event Services Solutions

Lead Capture

RFP Management

Sales Enablement

Out Now: Free Tools for Planners

● Free diagramming, seating, and check-in tools for planners

● Free search & discovery platform with access to thousands of floor plans at search.socialtables.com

4,800 customers creating

2+ million events with

300+ million participants

I am a participant.

I am a planner.

I am a believer.

I am a supplier.

Sample of the 50+ awards Social Tables and its leadership have received.

We envision a world where every face-to-face event achieves great things.

AUDIENCE QUESTION

Why did you choose to come to this session?

1. Understand the way technology has impacted our careers

2. Discover opportunities to advance our professional development

3. Examine strategies to manage these changes

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Learning Objectives




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Learning Objective #1

P2P DISCUSSION

How has meeting planning changed over the past two decades?

Information Symmetry

Planners rely on their networks and online

research to learn about destinations

before speaking to sales reps.

Information Asymmetry

Planners used to rely on hotel sales

professionals for research and

information.

Pre-Event: Destination Sourcing

Pre-Event: Event Marketing

Permission Marketing

Marketers deliver anticipated, personal,

and relevant messages to people who

actually want to get them thanks to new

advertising technology.

Traditional Marketing

Marketers used to buy email lists, mail

invitations, and add everyone to their

newsletters.

Pre-Event: Networking

Online

Participants have access to fellow

attendees and technology matches

people thanks to algorithms.

On Site

People let serendipity and networking

sessions do all of the work.

An Afterthought

There was no real software built for

planners or event goers.

Integrated

Planners think about what objectives they

are trying to achieve and use the

technology that fits best.

Pre-Event: Technology

Online Collaboration

Information is centralized online for

efficient stakeholder communication.

Offline Redundancy

Back-and-forth calls, emails, and faxes to

coordinate events and communicate

changes.

Pre-Event: Working Together

During-Event: Educating Attendees

Participants

Speakers have a dialogue with

participants. They use technology to

engage them and apply adult learning

best practices.

Attendees

Presenters spoke at attendees.

During-Event: Physically Attending

Attending in the Flesh

The only way to attend an event

was to physically be there.

Virtual Attendance

Live-streaming is free and is used to build

future attendance.

During-Event: Disseminating Information

The Mobile App

Real-time information is distributed

digitally through an app, social, and email.

The Event Guide

Information, including the schedule

and attendee list, was distributed

through physical collateral.

Continuous and Regular Feedback

Attendees provide feedback real-time

through social media channels/surveys

and planners react accordingly.

One-time Evaluations

Attendees would complete a survey

at the end of a meeting.

During-Event: Feedback

Post-Event: Event Lifespan

Events were Finite

The life of an event was limited to its

allocated time.

Events are Evergreen

The lifespan of an event extends past its

allocated time. People connect and share

online afterwards.

Post-Event: Event ROI

ROI is Measurable

Events are considered a marketing

product. Their impact can be measured

thanks to software and hardware

products.

ROI was an Unknown

Event and meeting spending went

into a marketing black hole.

Post-Event: Sharing Information

Information is Shared

Content is distributed far and wide by

speakers. It is amplified by participants

through live tweeting, live streaming, and

social media posting.

Information was Withheld

Content was held closely by

speakers.




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Learning Objective #2 & 3

KEY THOUGHT

If so much has changed in the past 20 years, what are the advances that will shape the next 20 years?

Where machines could replace humans—and where they can’t (yet). McKinsey.

http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/where-machines-could-replace-humans-and-where-they-cant-yet

Internet Trends 2017 Report. Meeker, Mary.

http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends

Sapiens. Hariri, Yuval Noah.

OBSERVATION

We are becoming increasingly reliant on technology to traditional work.

KEY THOUGHT

What can we do prepare?

Step 1: Relax.

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Farmers, a Case Study● In 1900, 30 million people in the

United States were farmers.

● By 1990 that number had fallen to under 3 million even as the population more than tripled.

● 90% of American agriculture workers lost their jobs, mostly due to automation.

● Yet somehow, the 20th century was still seen as an era of unprecedented prosperity.

How to Win with Automation (Hint: It’s Not Chasing Efficiency)

https://hbr.org/2017/03/how-to-win-with-automation-hint-its-not-chasing-efficiency

Step 2: Embrace.

Automation

● Starts with a baseline of what people do in a given job and subtracts from that.

● Deploys computers to chip away at the tasks humans perform.

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Automation vs. Augmentation

Augmentation

● Starts with what humans do today and figures out how that work could be deepened rather than diminished by a greater use of machines.

Adapted from Beyond Automation, HBR, 2015

The use of automation technologies (e. g., intelligent aids, displays, warning devices) to enhance the capabilities and compensate for the limitations of human operators.

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Human-centered automation

Step 3: Reimagine.

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Redesigning Jobs

How to Win with Automation (Hint: It’s Not Chasing Efficiency)

When doctors have the world’s medical knowledge at their fingertips, they can devote more of their mental energy to understanding the patient as a person, not just a medical diagnosis.

This will help them take lifestyle, family situation and other factors into account when prescribing care. This will change how doctors will interact with patients.

https://hbr.org/2017/03/how-to-win-with-automation-hint-its-not-chasing-efficiency

AV techs Learning partners

Caterers Experience curators

Meeting planners Event strategists

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What Do Redesigned Jobs Look Like In Hospitality?

Hotel sales people Meeting consultants

The 5 Career Choices You Can Make Right Now

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Step NarrowlyFind a specialty within your profession that wouldn’t be economical to automate.

Step InMonitor and modify the work of machines.

Step ForwardTake part in constructing the next generation of computing and AI tools.

Step AsidePut your other intelligences (e.g. EQ) to work.

Step UpLet the technology do the things that are beneath you and be more strategic.

Five Options for Career Advancement

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Step UpLet the technology do the things that are beneath you and be more strategic.






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● You understand your business well.

● You are the consummate improver. You have a desire to want to see things get better.

● You don’t like redundancy or repetitive work.

● You like to learn new things.

● You are a self-starter.

Step Up - Is it for me?


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Step Up - Examples


● A meeting planner who has successfully executed and grown her annual programs.

● A hotel sales professional who wants to go beyond “churning and burning.”

● A meeting coordinator who has mastered their area of expertise and wants to conquer something new.

● A sourcing specialist that loves her job but wants to deepen her client relationships.

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Step Up - Ideal outcome


● Get additional responsibility in your current role.

● Be promoted to a new role inside your organization.

● Switch jobs

● Make more money

● Perform your current job better.

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Step Up - L&D opportunities


● Create a career path for yourself and set goals to get there.

● Build your personal board of advisors.

● Try new technology solutions and master the ones you choose.

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Step UpLet the machine do the things that are beneath you and be more strategic.






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● You are hyper focused on development and networking

● You are a risk taker

● You are creative

● You are recognized for your special skills and abilities.

Step Narrowly - Is it for me?


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● A meeting planner or supplier professional who has an industry niche (e.g. pharma or financial services)

● An event firm that has focused its value proposition on a certain persona.

● A supplier who has changed their product to resonate with a specific market

Step Narrowly - Examples


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Step Narrowly - Ideal outcome


● Be known as a subject matter expert

● Connect with people because they are drawn to you by your reputation

● Be respected for your unique expertise

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Step Narrowly - L&D opportunities


● Speak at a conference

● Get a certificate within and outside the industry (PMP, HCS)

● Understand the industry and people you serve on a deeper level

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@danberger | #PCMA

● You are analytical.

● You always ask why.

● You enjoy puzzles and problem solving.

● You love data

● You enjoy budgeting or personal finance

Step In - Is it for me?


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Step In - Examples


● A hotel sales person who likes to help with forecasting.

● A meeting planner who enjoys budgeting.

● An event coordinator who designs and studies surveys.

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Step In - Ideal outcome


● Develop a deeper understanding of why things are they way they are

● Help improve your organization and personal productivity

● Become even more technical

● Make way more money

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Step In - L&D opportunities


● Learn statistics

● Learn about information architecture and effective presentations

● Study visual communication and learn graphic design to create infographics

● Practice giving better presentations

● Join ToastMasters

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@danberger | #PCMA

● You have always been interested in computers.

● You want to understand how things work.

● You are a systems thinker.

Step Forward - Is it for me?


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Step Forward - Examples

● You are an individual contributor in the industry who sees opportunities to improve existing systems.

● You are in a tangential role to meeting planning (e.g. revenue management, analytics, or sales operations)

● You have automated parts of your job through new technology.


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Step Forward - Ideal outcome


● You’ll reach the top of your field if you can also think outside the box, perceive where today’s computers fall short, and envision tools that don’t yet exist.

● Create personal wealth (if it works out)

● Switch careers

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Step Forward - L&D opportunities


● Learn to code at codeacademy.com

● Create models in Excel

● Attend coding meetups

● Listen to technical podcasts or watch technical youtube talks

● Invest in crypto

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@danberger | #PCMA

The Value of Work

Automation Will Make Us Rethink What a “Job” Really Is

https://hbr.org/2016/10/automation-will-make-us-rethink-what-a-job-really-is

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● You are a creative person by nature

● You are a social butterfly

● You are charismatic and people are drawn to you

● You love teaching and helping others.

Step Aside - Is it for me?


@danberger | #PCMA

Step Aside - Examples


● A manager who enjoys watching people grow under them.

● A sales rep who brainstorms with her customers.

● An event manager who goes above and beyond to deliver the wow factors.

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Step Aside - Ideal outcome


● Develop the people who work for you.

● Get recognized for being an awesome boss and mentor.

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Step Aside - L&D opportunities


● Develop your soft skills

● Read the Charisma Myth, How to Win Friends and Influence People, or similar books

● Go to more networking events

● Learn more about the arts

● Get an MBA

We’re all born with a natural curiosity. We want to learn. But the demands of work and personal life often diminish our time and will to engage that natural curiosity. Developing specific learning habits can be a route to both continued professional relevance and deep personal happiness.

-- John Coleman, Passion & Purpose

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Dan BergerFounder, CEO Social Tables@[email protected]

future proofing your career: staying relevant in the age of automation

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