The 2021 Shopper Electronics Present (CES), which runs Jan. 11-14, can be fascinating this 12 months each as a showcase for the way large-scale tech conferences are completed and for the content material centered on the brand new work-from-home regular. A number of the periods subsequent week may very well be helpful for these both constructing merchandise for this pandemic current or working to finish their shift to to it.
Listed here are just a few of the periods that I’m trying to attend.
The way forward for work in 2021: Work remodeled
This session is prone to showcase what’s already modified and is working and what classes have been discovered. It ought to spotlight the gaps in present choices to assist firms plan for an prolonged WFH world. This method is especially well timed as firms come to imagine that distant work is much less transitory and extra everlasting.
The intersection of HR and tech
The businesses I work with who’ve been doing the most effective throughout COVID-19 outbreak are rethinking HR and see it as much less about compliance and extra of what it as soon as was — an worker advocate and engagement service. Issues are surrounding work/life steadiness, despair, considerations about development and job safety, and managers who simply weren’t skilled or prepared for managing between houses. This session will characteristic Jacki Black of the Shopper Expertise Affiliation and Marc Goldberg from the Society for Human Useful resource Administration.
The quickly altering cyberterrain of an interconnected world
Safety has turn out to be an enormous downside, with hostile and even pleasant states creating and deploying malware and centered assaults on newly susceptible executives and staff working from dwelling. This session has Hank Thomas from Strategic Ventures and Steve Grobman from McAfee. Granted, you might stay awake extra soundly after this session, however you’ll know extra about what’s maintaining you awake.
From faculty to work
I’m to see if anybody exhibits up, given David Alexander and Catherine Cross are presenting it out of the Division of Homeland Safety. However the subject is vital as a result of it should handle how communities can higher mitigate dangers related to pure and human disasters just like the pandemic. On the very least, it ought to present perception into how the US authorities is considering the associated issues.
The classroom of the long run
The audio system for this session are Betsy Corcoran from Edsurge, Dan Avida Engageli, and Sharon Chdradath Singh of the Minerva Venture; they may concentrate on what has been working in training. The main target ought to apply to conventional faculties and company-driven programs designed to develop or enhance staff’ expertise. We’re clearly in a interval of fast change, and each firm might want to retrain and replace staff with new or improved expertise. Studying the working finest practices may assist these trying to transition their firm to a distant future.
The subsequent massive factor: dwelling as the brand new HQ
Jennifer Kent, from Parks Associates joins my previous buddy Brian Cooley from CNET and Paul Lee from Deloitte LLP for this session, which focuses on houses turning into the middle of labor. I nonetheless assume we’re on the trail to constructing Arcologies and ponder whether these of us will agree. They’ll speak concerning the applied sciences that may improve working experiences for many who have shifted from workplaces to houses. Houses have turn out to be the place we work, study, store, are entertained, and even go to the fitness center.
The long run reimagined
Led by Danial Roth from LinkedIn, Michael Miebach from Mastercard, and Julie Candy from Accenture, this session will look forward 10 years and speak concerning the advances that can resolve our most troublesome international challenges. (I’m wanting ahead to this session as a result of it provides me hope we’ll nonetheless be round in 10 years.)
Wrapping up
As we transfer into 2021 and notice that we’ll be working from dwelling for a while, CES couldn’t be extra well timed. CES is the primary present of the 12 months that can discuss what we’ve discovered and what’s coming to deal with this new regular. Whereas there are some issues CES may do to make use of the know-how it showcases to make the present higher, I’m wanting ahead to it.
I’ll report again subsequent week and share what I’ve discovered. Till then, keep protected and properly.