The A-Z of the 2023 Outsell Signature Event
There could only be one topic for this year’s event, co-produced once more with our friends at JEGI CLARITY: the advances in AI and what we need to do to prepare for and navigate “The Journey to Intelligent Work.” Tucked away in the beautiful English countryside, our speakers and panelists mapped out the journey, with enthusiastic and insightful contributions from an engaged and excited audience.
Here’s a rundown of the event, literally from A-Z.
A is for…“AI Everywhere, All at Once,” Outsell’s Meta-Theme for 2024.
B is for…Boston, the venue for the 2024 Outsell Signature Event on October 9–10. Mark your calendars and don’t miss it!
C is for…Cold War: how Sir Nigel Sheinwald of Chatham House described the contest between the US and China, potentially as dangerous as the post-WWII version.
D is for…“Do We Have what it Takes?” The urgent question in Juliette Powell’s closing keynote.
E is for…Energy: palpable among those attending, both inside and outside the conference room.
F is for…Future: our conference theme last year was “The Future is Now.” It certainly was, and definitely still is.
G is for…Generative: the branch of AI that’s rapidly becoming ubiquitous (but was not used for this blog post!).
H is for…High: where Chris Giles of The Financial Times told us interest rates would remain for a good while to come.
I is for…Intellectual Property: AI is challenging traditional notions of IP and copyright. Don’t expect lawmakers, regulators, or the courts to sort this out any time soon.
J is for…“Journey to Intelligent Work,” the conference theme and a roadmap for where we have to go with AI.
K is for…Know your customers: Find out what they will need as AI transforms their industries and solve for that, not just what they need today.
L is for…Large Language Models: How many people were talking about LLMs last year? Everyone is now.
M is for…M&A: a difficult year, said Wilma Jordan of JEGI CLARITY, but deals are still getting done for good businesses performing strongly.
N is for…Networking: a constant buzz of conversation at the event between old friends and new acquaintances.
O is for…Overhaul: Increased automation will transform businesses. So, as panelist Vipul Nakum suggested, ask how your organization would look if you were starting out today.
P is for…People: We need to build trust within our organizations during change, said Stephanie Gustafsson of Bath University, caring for people’s rational and emotional needs.
Q is for…Questions: so many great contributions and challenging questions from the audience.
R is for…Rail strike: a real nuisance, but great to see members helping each other out with their travel arrangements.
S is for…Sustainability: Not at the forefront of discussions this year but still very much on the minds of CEOs and the people they lead.
T is for…Talent. Do we have the people with the right AI skills to take us where we need to go? Our panel told us what to look out for.
U is for…Uncertainty: plenty of political and economic risk factors facing us but no reason for deep gloom or unbridled optimism.
V is for…Views from the Top: CEOs Frank Vrancken Peeters (Springer Nature) and Mark Brinin (Wood Mackenzie) on the increasing importance of technology in their businesses.
W is for…Workshops: great to see attendees plunging into discussions at their tables and feeding their ideas back to the wider audience.
X is for…X-Factor: a quality hard to define, but much in evidence among attendees and speakers alike.
Y is for…You: your ideas, your participation, and your contributions made our event. And if you weren’t there, be sure to join us in Boston next year.
Z is for…Zeitgeist: No doubt that AI is at the heart of it right now. The topic will gradually drop out of the headlines, but the technology will continue to shape how we work and live.
