This week, we took the opportunity to attend Collision 2019, right here in our hometown of Toronto! Collision is the fastest-growing tech conference in North America, with 25,000 of the best and brightest minds in tech in attendance. Whether you’re a buyer or seller, or you’re simply fascinated by the latest developments in the industry, we highly recommend heading along to the 2020 event.
Collision 2019 was held at the Enercare Centre in Toronto, and from Day 1 the venue was buzzing with energy. After a quick and easy registration, we headed in to soak up the atmosphere, chat with some of our fellow tech-heads, peruse the booths and listen to talks on a huge variety of subjects and industries.
Our Highlights from Collision 2019
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to attend every single one of the fantastic talks, roundtables, and workshops available at Collision, so we’ve rounded up a few of our highlights from the three days.
Collision 2019 Day 1 – Content Marketing and More
Creativity and technology – Centre Stage
Actor and tech start-up founder Joseph Gordon Levitt kicked things off on Centre Stage to talk about what’s next for the community based on collaborative creativity as opposed to merely engaging in self-promotion; HITRECORD. We really enjoyed his insightful commentary on the pros and cons of social media as collaborative platforms.
We Are WW – PandaConf + Content Marketers
Weight Watchers CEO Mindy Grossman gave us a fascinating insight into the rebranding of an iconic company and community. Navigating change isn’t easy for any company, but Mindy’s insightful take on moving with the times and growing with your audience was refreshing.
From typing to talking: How voice is changing search – PandaConf + Content Marketers
Speech has become an increasingly important aspect of tech development in recent years – we’re now speaking to Alexa in our kitchens, Siri while we’re on the go, and using dictation straight to our phones to search and send messages. Sarah Bird, CEO at Moz, gave us some excellent guidance on how this technology is impacting SERP results and how marketers can leverage these changes for SEO.
Data garbage and data gold – Centre Stage
Data – it’s everywhere and highly valuable when used correctly, or at least, some of it is. In this talk, Jaya Kolhatkar, Chief Data Officer at Hulu, took us through turning data about what customers are doing into the “why” and “how” behind these behaviors, and how these insights can inform strategic direction.
Collision 2019 Day 2 – Cognota Exhibit at Collision
Day 2 at Collision marked our favourite day of the conference. We had the opportunity to exhibit and speak with attendees at our Cognota booth!
From messing around with our Cognota beach balls to giving demos on our Learning Design System, we had a blast. Speaking with others in the tech industry provides a wealth of insight and camaraderie, regardless of positions or sectors, and we’re so glad to have spoken with so many creative innovators.
Collision 2019 Day 3 – That’s a Wrap
Still riding off the high of manning our booth the day before, the final day of Collision wrapped up with more fantastic talks and networking. Here are our highlights!
A Future Powered by Games – Centre Stage
If you’re in learning and development, you’ll know how important gamification has become for corporate training and all kinds of learning in recent years. In this talk, Chief Studios Officer at Electronic Arts, Laura Miele, discussed the future of gaming and its progression in collaborative problem-solving. While not explicitly centred around learning, the talk gave us pause for thought about how gaming and collaborative learning might continue to influence learning and development.
Future of Work – SaaSMonster
Having a vision for a company is important, but you need to hire the right team to get you there, and it’s an area many software companies struggle with, particularly early on as a start-up. CEOs, presidents, and founders of a variety of companies gave us some tangible information and tips on structuring a company and navigating the hiring process.
Wokplace, sweet workplace: building an inclusive company – Startup University
As a tech start-up, diversity is an issue that is close to our hearts and one we tackle head-on in both our hiring and our policies. The hiring part is more straightforward, but continuing to build an inclusive community amongst all employees in a company can be slightly trickier, especially as a company grows. This talk offered some insight and actionable advice on creating and maintaining inclusivity in the workplace – we loved it!
As Collision came to a close, we reflected on what a rich and rewarding experience it had been for all of us, both as tech employees and within our own professional roles. We enjoyed every minute and if you didn’t catch us this time, we’ll see you there next year!
