Going Big

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When it comes to booking big name speakers, Strata +Hadoop World scored what was probably the biggest win of the 2015 conference year. President Obama appeared via video to talk about the critical role open data should play in innovating government service to citizens.  The President also introduced DJ Patel, the new data scientist for the federal government. This appearance underlies that data is big (not just Big Data).

New positions are being created throughout government focused solely on data. The new Federal Chief Data Scientist and Chief Data Officer roles are being created in agencies across the government. The addition of data to c-suite roles shows that data is serious business.[Tweet "The addition of data to c-suite roles shows that data is serious business. #GovEventsBlog"]

According to the President and Patel, data science is a team sport - meaning that working together is key to utilizing all of the data that the government has opened to industry and the public.[Tweet "Data science is a team sport...Working together is key #GovEventsBlog"] We are being challenged by the administration to find ways to apply this data to everyday life. How can organizations and event professionals incorporate this call for collaboration into our everyday efforts? Perhaps we can look at adding a session or even just a talking point to all of our events or gatherings where attendees can brainstorm on what data exists that could be used to meet a challenge being faced within that community. This ad hoc collaboration around data could provide a unique experience for attendees and perhaps result in the next big (data) thing.

Rethinking Sponsor Packages

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With both sponsors and attendees growing more savvy, the days of promising a logo on signage in return for event sponsorship are long gone. Companies investing in your event want a clear story around their return on investment and they know that in the age of advertising everywhere, attendees are fully able to decipher and ignore traditional brand advertising.[Tweet "Days of promising logo on signage in return for event sponsorship are long gone."]

We've come up with a couple of tips for making sponsorships stand out and provide measurable returns. Continue reading →

Predictions Check-in: Big Data

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In our predictions article, we highlighted Big Data as a hot topic for 2015. Looks like we were not the only ones pinpointing this topic as critical for the IT community. It has made a number of 2015 trends/predictions lists. One article though jumped out at us. An Information Week article looking at Big Data trends specifically called out the proliferation of education opportunities as a key trend in late 2014 and moving into 2015.[Tweet "Big Data education opportunities still a key trend"]

On our site alone we have 60+ upcoming events that are Big Data specific. As the Information Week article points out, many of these are offered by vendors looking to fill the void of big data expertise and academics. But it seems the lack of academic study of Big Data is being addressed in a number of online courses and degree programs.  Continue reading →

What happened with the GSA in Vegas stymies federal workers

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Originally posted on washingtonpost.com By Lisa Rein

When federal employees get together for training and meetings, fancy lunches aren't on the menu anymore. In fact, food of any kind -- tuna fish sandwiches, green salad, oatmeal cookies -- can no longer be served by the government. Even coffee is off-limits.

Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration and other agencies say they can no longer travel to academic conferences to present their research.

And mental-health workers at military hospitals say they are in danger of losing their licenses because they can't attend refresher courses.

Three years after the Obama administration clamped down on travel and training in response to the uproar over a Las Vegas conference where hundreds of federal workers partied for four days at taxpayer expense, the restrictions are taking an unanticipated toll. Employees at a wide range of agencies say the rules are gumming up the machinery of government. Continue reading →

5 Ways to Engage Millennials in Meetings

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From time to time GovEvents will come across information we feel our members and audience would benefit from. Here's something we wanted to share:

Originally posted on cvent.com

Loosely defined as individuals born between the 1980s and early 2000s, the oldest millennials are now in their early to mid 30s. In the largest demographic power shift to hit organizations in decades, over the next 10 years more millennials will be entering the workforce and moving into the executive suite.

Associations are also discovering this. In fact, concerned about dwindling membership in the millennial demographic, American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) released a ground-breaking report entitled Associations, Generation Y, and Millennials: What You Need to Know About Your Next Generation Members. The report had take-aways about the expectations of millennials in the arenas of: Continue reading →