A Meeting of the Minds
Editorial
Years ago, the annual business trade show was a big deal.
It was a time to see the latest technology, find out what was new, discover what was trending, make some connections, and let people know your business could provide valuable products or services.
Well, times have changed somewhat — you don’t need us to tell you that — but the business show can still be a big deal, and this year’s edition of the Western Mass. Business Expo certainly fits that description.
It will enable exhibitors and attendees to see the very latest technology — from robots to virtual reality to drones used in marketing; to find out what’s trending in everything from employment law to motivating Millennials to closing the dreaded skills gap; to make introductions; and to create some of those all-important connections.
And it’s this desire to generate connections that prompted BusinessWest to inject new energy and life into the Springfield Chamber’s annual business-to-business show, give it a new focus, and take it to a much higher level.
Indeed, while there are many networking opportunities on the calendar each year, none approaches the Expo in terms of both the size of the room and the depth of the opportunities.
Getting back to those connections, they are still needed in the business world today, but real, face-to-face connections are fast becoming as ‘old’ as the fax machine.
It seems that people communicate by e-mail and text these days, using the phone when something a little more personal than those options is required. Seeing people and shaking their hand … well, not so much. People rarely even go out to lunch anymore, preferring their desk or the conference-room table and solitude.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
But to do business and understand what’s happening in the business community, people need to get out more. And because there isn’t much time, they need to maximize their opportunities when they do get out. That’s not the official motivation behind the Expo, but it might as well be.
This year, attendees can go back to their offices better informed about:
• Innovation districts and efforts to create them;
• Millennials — what drives them, what motivates them, what keeps them at your company instead of looking for opportunities elsewhere, and much more;
• The skills gap and the many initiatives being undertaken to close it, including ongoing work to inspire young people to pursue STEM careers by conceptualizing, designing, building, and then competing with robots;
• Virtual reality and how to generate and then realize opportunities to seize the tremendous potential of what is being described as disruptive technology;
• Inspiration and perseverance, such as that displayed by a Boston Marathon bombing survivor who found the courage and determination not to let horrible injuries get in the way of her life and her dreams;
• Stories of entrepreneurship talking place across the region, through both a pitch competition and a ‘Where are They Now?’ program created to showcase the progress made by several startups;
• Marketing strategies, why they work, and why they might not; and
• Big Data, the cloud, drones, SEO (search-engine optimization), computer security, and many of the other high-tech developments and trends shaping business today.
Add it all up, and it yields one giant opportunity — to see, be seen, learn, become inspired, and inspire others.
In short, it’s an opportunity not to be missed.
