ICYMI Meetup 2018: An Atmosphere Unlike Anything Else
That’s a wrap! Meetup 2018 has come and gone, but with new connections made, ideas shared with the community of leaders, and thought-provoking discussions had, the conversation is far from over. And we owe this feeling and a great experience to all our energetic attendees, knowledgeable speakers, and engaged sponsors.
The 2018 iQmetrix Meetup was an industry event focusing on creating solutions in wireless and repair for pain points big and small. In case you missed the excitement at this event a couple of weeks ago, I’m here to give you all the highlights.
I don’t remember the last time I went to an event and was this excited to see the content on stage. I’ve never seen an atmosphere like this before. It’s very cool to see how everyone mingles together and [gets] to know each other. Paired with extremely good content on stage, it’s really different from what we’re used to and it’s going to be very important for Repair to latch on to.
Michael Oberdick – Owner, iOutlet
Product Announcements
The event agenda was kicked off Monday morning with our Product Announcement keynote. But, before our product experts took to the stage to share what we’ve been working on and what can be expected in 2019, an employee leaked some top-secret information. Take a look!
In all seriousness though, our team was so excited to announce new products, share enhancements, and talk about our direction for 2019. With all the information offered in this keynote, attendees couldn’t wait to learn more on how this will affect their businesses and kept staff busy for the remainder of the show asking follow-up questions.
Keynote Speakers
Our first keynote, Shelly Palmer, blew the crowd away with his take on the future of retail. Shelly explained that machines aren’t thinking like us, they’re computing how we think – that’s why machines are able to adapt, learn, and win. Machine learning and data can transform, learn, and predict to simulate the future and optimize the present. We can use these predictions to generate theses and ask ourselves, “if these were true, how would we react? How would our competitors react?” then adapt and win.
We welcomed our second keynote speaker to the Meetup stage on day two; the incredible Reshma Saujani. Passionate about ensuring girls have the same opportunities and are set up for success the same as boys, she talked about how we teach boys to run and get dirty but teach girls to take it slow, be careful, and never make a mistake. “With boys, we’re trying to teach them to be men — they’re comfortable with rejection. Women don’t know what it’s like to have fear, take risks, or to fail. When our kids go swimming, we tell girls they don’t need to get their faces wet while we throw our boys right into the deep end.” Reshma argues this will ultimately affect themselves, the situations they choose to face, and opportunities they have in life.
Reshma, joined by other industry leaders, also sat on our Women in Tech panel. Reflecting on their personal experiences, panelists talked about hiring best practices and what to focus on to encourage diversity and equality within tech.
Breakout Sessions
When it comes to knowledgeable takeaways, the keynotes were just the start! Monday and Tuesday were complete with back-to-back breakout sessions focusing on the problems retailers are currently facing and what they desire to achieve in 2019. With multiple sessions at one time, attendees could choose what made the most sense for them and their business. Many teams with more than one attendee present were able to divide and concur to make the most of Meetup.
A few highlights from these presentations include the following:
- Geared towards looking to the future of wireless retail, three brilliant presenters touched on the changes to come for retail and how businesses can act to stay upstream of the flood of new trends stating “The new golden rule for retail? Not just transact but interact.”
- The Payments Panel experts answered questions about payment system best practices, future trends, and industry myths from a very engaged audience, asking the tough questions about PCI compliance.
- In Embracing the Future of iQ Data, the Product Manager of Back-Office at iQmetrix covered not only the current state and focus on our reporting functionality but also our vision for the future of data, analytics, and insights to allow retailers to make decisions with ease.
- Understanding and enhancing the customer journey, the root of the retail experience, was covered from both viewpoints of wireless and repair.
I’ve been using iQmetrix for a very long time and there is always something I can learn. The Meetup is such a great opportunity to talk to other vendors and dealers and see what it is they are doing or putting in their ‘secret sauce’. I’m happy to network, meet new people, and of course, the content is great.
Wes Filson – Sales Manager, Jump.ca
Networking & Fun
So, the keynotes and breakout sessions were great, but what is an iQmetrix event without a little (or a lot) of fun? After a long day of idea sharing and learning, our attendees were ready to kick up their boots; we did just that at the Meetup Country Jamboree. And, to round off our event and wish farewell to new and old friends, we made time for one last cocktail Tuesday afternoon!
Meetup 2019
That’s right, you read it here first! Planning is already underway for next year’s event and we’re thrilled to share with you Meetup 2019 will be held September 3rd-5th at the amazing Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, CO. Registration is open, so act now to secure your spot at the industry event of the year!
