In October 2019, Brisbane held the ‘Something Digital’ conference and I was able to dive into the world of technology like I’d never seen it before. The event focussed on the concept: ‘Power to the People’, bringing in leaders from the AI, Innovation, Marketing, and Thought Leadership space to discuss the essential human element in digital innovation.
QUT Business School sponsored me to attend the event, where I met pioneers in the Digital/Tech space like Brisbane’s Chief Digital Officer Cat Matson, and international keynote speakers such as Christina Lee Storm from Dreamworks Animation, Berit Anderson from Scout and David Gibain from Calypso AI.
I’m extremely passionate about improving the consumer journey, so going into the future, I want to ensure people are at the heart of an organisation’s digital efforts and innovations. Through this event, I got to witness how AI and machine learning could help shape the future of P.R. research and marketing influence.
One major takeaway from the event was learning how to fly with dragons.
Sadly, not real ones.
Christina Lee Storm brought us through her project with DreamWorks animation highlighting how storytelling can be amplified with new emerging technology. She showed us her project with How to Train Your Dragon’s Virtual Reality tour in the US and how they created unique and exciting experiences with their audiences.
She explained how leveraging new technology can connect people with new worlds in immersive experiences and went on to explain how these ‘bonding adventures’ can shape the customer perceptions of your brand.
Sitting on the edge of my seat, I couldn’t believe the insight I was hearing and the real-life applications of it- most of which I’ve encountered myself! We heard representatives from Flybuys, The Iconic and Telstra Purple, all demonstrating how they use real-time analytics to make business decisions. It was incredible to see the plethora of organisations share their experiences and insight into human-centered design, machine learning, hyper-personalisation and strategies into building brand intimacy.
AI is reshaping the marketing industry, giving people tools to better understand and predict their customers and prepare for future growth. Looking towards a new technological horizon, more tasks can be automated and more consumer data can be collected to engage with customers and deliver personalised content. However, at the heart of it all, people need to be involved in every step of the process.
After networking with people from all over the world who are working towards a human-centered tech horizon, Something Digital 2019 is something I’m beyond grateful not to have missed.
