ASAE announced its annual Technology Conference & Expo, held from Dec. 14-16, 2015, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., had a total of 1,292 total participants, making it the highest attended conference in the event’s 10-year history.
During the event, participants took part in 42 high-level practical education sessions within five pathways (Disrupters; Leadership & Strategy; Learning & Technology; MarComm & Technology; and The Business of IT) and were also able to wander and set up appointments in the sold-out Expo Hall.
The final attendance breakdown for the conference is as follows: Execs (Assn Execs, Consultants, CEO/CIO Preconference Workshop) 734, Exhibitors (Exhibiting Booth Staff,) 392, and Other (Industry Partners, Press, Speakers, Staff, and Vendors) 159. Additionally, a total of 130 companies representing 174 booths exhibited in the expo hall this year, which resulted in a ratio of 57 percent buyers (association staff) to 30 percent sellers (industry partners) and 13 percent of “others.”
“We have seen this conference continue to grow each year as association leaders incorporate technology and digital evolution into their organizational strategies,” said ASAE President & CEO John H. Graham IV, FASAE, CAE. “We included new Pathways this year on Learning +Technology and Marketing + Communications that resonated with our members. The five Pathways allowed participants to be very selective in expanding their knowledge in different areas relating to technology.”
At a preconference event on Monday, December 14, a group of 60 CIOs participated in the CIO UnSummit: Managing Technology in a Disrupted World. They took part in “fishbowl” discussions on a variety of topics including: beacon technology, the future of the AMS, and balance between legacy technology and innovations
Kicking off the Technology Conference on Tuesday, December 15, was Opening General Session speaker Rick Smolan, who is CEO of Against All Odds Production, a former photographer for TIME, LIFE, and National Geographic and creator of the "Day in the Life" book series. He shared insights from his most recent research on the human face of the big data revolution—how real-time visualization of data has enabled us to sense, measure, and understand aspects of our lives we never thought possible.
ASAE’s 2016 Technology Conference & Expo will take place December 12-14, and is once again being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Md.
