by Anne McCrory

IT Leadership – and networking – take center stage at FutureIT event series

Opinion
Apr 14, 20232 mins
Digital TransformationEventsIT Leadership
Credit: Kelly Alexander Photography

The room was abuzz. People were standing, talking intensely, mingling, and meeting new people. This was our first in-person conference in 2023, and it was going exactly as planned: Participants were engaged and networking. In all of our surveys, networking is always one of the top two reasons attendees come to our events (the other is the content), but often we don’t see them doing it. So we’d put a structured networking exercise on the agenda, introduced the session, and presented some sample questions they could use as conversation starters. Voila – off they went. Later, our survey results indicated it was a highlight of the event.

Welcome to FutureIT, our new event brand debuting in five cities in 2023. We’ve focused on leveraging what’s special and important about meeting in person again, with keen attention paid to creating the best – and a memorable — attendee experience. A fresh take on content, networking and experiences means it’s not your father’s IT event – as one attendee enthusiastically told us.

That’s right. Our focus covers three areas: leadership, technology and personal development. The program starts with a workshop to heed the call of deeper learning, networking and personal growth;  features an inspirational, non-endemic keynote, followed by interviews with and panels of exceptional CIOs; and includes not just the aforementioned structured networking but active discussion groups led by our sponsors.

The program also features content aimed at attendees’ careers, by looking at the latest job requirements for senior IT and security executives. This session includes information that will help managers recruit for open positions – a big pain point across so many and IT security teams – as well.

As such, the agenda checks all the boxes regarding what recruiters and our research indicate are the most crucial skills for success in today’s volatile business environment. Sound exciting? We have programs coming up in Washington, D.C.; Toronto; Chicago; New York; and Southern California. Join us.