Category Archives: Transhuman News

Posted: Mar. 2, 2017 11:30 am

QUINCY -- John McElligott says what he does for a living will one day be considered commonplace rather than futuristic.

McElligott is a self-described "technical futurist," someone who "reads all the different trends that are coming together" and how they apply and can help various industries.

The trends that McElligott deals with are centered on the potential impacts of "machine learning and artificial intelligence."

McElligott will deliver the keynote address for the inaugural Tri-State Manufacturing Conference for Illinois, Iowa and Missouri on March 15 at John Wood Community College.

McElligott is founder and CEO of York Exponential based in York, Pa. The company develops and leverages machine learning and artificial intelligence and produces and integrates collaborative robots designed to work alongside human workers in manufacturing.

"Embracing Disruption" will be the topic of McElligott's keynote speech, which will serve as a crash course about the opportunities to be found in emerging technologies that embrace robotics. McElligott will try to help manufacturers, related businesses and communities decipher the impact innovations will have on the future.

"All companies are soon going to have a (technical futurist), even though the position might go by another name," McElligott said.

He said emerging technology will soon be changing the face of industry by the month rather than by the year.

"Companies, even smaller ones, have to be able to understand trends and exponential growth," he said.

McElligott has worked extensively in what he calls "third-tier cities," those similar to Quincy with populations of about 40,000. He believes in the power of community networking through communication and technology and is a national speaker on exponential technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, economic development and disruption.

The conference will feature breakout sessions on supply chain/logistics, the talent pipeline, sales growth, market intelligence, technology adoption and leadership.

People attending the conference will have the opportunity to network and take part in a small-group discussion to learn how some manufacturers apply new technology in daily operations. Vendors also will display new technology and products.

The conference will take place 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at JWCC's Heath Center.

Cost for the conference is $45, including lunch. The event is open to leaders and employees from small- and large-size manufacturers, plus suppliers and related businesses in the industry. Registration details and more information are available at jwcc.edu/tristatemfg, or by contacting JWCC at 217-641-4971 or lewis@jwcc.edu.

View original post here:
'Technical futurist' will provide manufacturing conference keynote address - Herald-Whig

Individualisation is the future of marketing. I write this just after the holiday season when I have been eating too much, and not long after looking up a gym membership.

My inbox is now awash with pop-up ads sprouting weight-loss remedies. This is what I would call personalisation sending an email to a group of people (those who look for gym memberships for example) targeting similar products that might be of interest. Unfortunately, we are all becoming immune to this type of targeting.

The future of marketing, therefore, should be more about targeting on a more individual level. In the online age, many marketers seem to have forgotten about the consumer experience offline and this is what we need to focus on more in the future.

Big data is wonderful because it can tell us so much about our customers, but it is what we do with that data once we have it and how we use our creativity to bring it to life in the real world that will shape the future success of our marketing efforts.

For example, we might know that a certain guest likes a memory foam pillow, drinks espressos with soy milk, regularly orders a club sandwich and a red wine for dinner and always has a crime novel by their bedside. We could greet them with a soy milk espresso or send up a bottle of red wine to their room. This would be what you might call personalisation.

But what about if we went the next step and sent them a hand-written list of nearby wineries or the latest crime novel thats just been released. If we wanted to take it one step further, we could ask them to meet the executive chef to design their own club sandwich and add it to the menu or have their name sewn onto a memory pillow to take home with them. This is individualisation and is the perfect way to use our marketing skills to create magic for our guests.

We must all adapt our approach to individualisation. This is what todays demanding consumer expects. Millennials, especially, want to feel that you understand them and are speaking to them personally. They have a highly developed sense of self and want you to see them as an individual.

We must remember the average person receives over 5000 communication messages per day. It is increasingly difficult, then, to reach todays consumer so it is vital that you are targeting your messages to the individual and not just to a blanket group of like-minded people.

Technology allows us to drive more meaningful marketing, but it is how we use the data to target the individual that will make our marketing efforts stand out.

At AccorHotels, we use Local Measure to gain insights into their preferences and predict their future patterns. Local Measure uses local content, social media and mobile technology to provide live data to operationalise service at a local level.

This is the height of individualisation, because we can quickly learn that a certain guest is celebrating a birthday, for example, and then surprise them with a cake or gift. We can see if they are having issues with their rooms and immediately send someone to rectify them and we can start to understand the kind of activities they enjoy during their stay to individually suggest new services to them.

Again, it comes down to bringing the online data into an offline experience that is individually targeted. We also recently invested in John Paul, a concierge and CRM business, to better target our guests through individualisation.

Todays consumer demands you speak to them directly. For myself, if those companies sending me pop-up ads suggesting diets had targeted me individually, they would know I would be more interested in a triathlon in an inspiring destination than in a weight-loss solution and perhaps they would stop making me feel like I am fat! This is where individualisation will always win.

The author of the article is Michael Parsons, vice president of marketing and strategic relationships, Asia Pacific, AccorHotels.

Read more:
The Futurist: Individualisation is the future of marketing - Marketing Interactive

Demographer Bernard Salt found himself at the centre of a storm late last year when millennials failed to see the irony in his remarks about their tendency to spend money on smashed avocado instead of saving for a house.

If anything, avogate underscored his serious point about the growing chasm between the generations, and the haves and the have-nots in our society.

Here the KPMG futurist shares his thoughts on what lies ahead.

HOME OWNERSHIP & HIPSTERS

I do see a divided community those who have bought into the property market and those who havent, for whatever reason.

I dont think Melbourne is any different from Manhattan Island, London or Paris.

Not everyone working in New York under the age of 35 has an expectation that they will be able to buy an apartment on Manhattan Island.

In Tokyo, in London, you accept the fact you rent.

On one hand we proudly say Melbourne is a global city, but that means the price of property rises because you are competing with people with global incomes. That then relegates locals further out.

The goats cheese curtain is moving. Bentleigh now has one of Melbournes hippest cafes. I mean Centre Road, Bentleigh, thats like east of Brighton. It might be that by 2025 the hipster zone extends to Burwood.

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

It might be that 2017 is a year of consolidation, but it strikes me there is a mood for change, whether that is political, which would come in 2018-19, or whether it is social or generational.

The avocado row simply triggered the festering resentment in a generation. I think a large proportion of the population, baby boomers and me included, was not aware of the extent of the sentiment.

I am concerned we are creating a double society. The old way, the old regime, the old logic is not meeting expectations. That was evident in 2016 with Trumpism and in Brexit. We would be foolhardy to say it does not affect us here.

BREAK POINT

There is a break point coming, when baby boomers will cede authority to a new generation, whether it is X or Y. The oldest baby boomers were born in 1946, so this year they are 71. The midpoint of the generation is pushing into their 60s.

It is time for this generation to move on and we are seeing that in budgets, in calls for higher superannuation and houses to be included in taxable assets for pension allocation. Baby boomers have circled the wagons.

At some point they must give way, youth must win out and I think what lies beyond 2017 is an Xand Y world.

E-CHANGE

Photo: iStock

Sea change morphed into tree change and the next iteration is e-change, where you take your job from the CBD and relocate to Daylesford or Torquay and do your job from there for at least part of the week.

Location is vital; you cant e-change in Nhill or Dimboola, you need to be within a reasonable distanceof Melbourne, but not necessarily on a dailycommute.

Those cute towns in the goldfields will be talking about Melbourne e-changers into the future.

ENTREPRENEURS RULE

More people will go to regional centres and start their own businesses. One of the strongest themes of the past two years has been small business development.

Its a combination of intellectual capacity being released into the market after the mining boom, and people in their late 50s and early 60s saying they are not ready to retire, and going into business for themselves.

MY TIME NOW

Photo: iStock

Bucket list thinking is driving a group I call MYTNs My Time Now. They have paid off the mortgage, the kids have left home and they are doing Rhine River and Alaskan cruises and having their kitchens made over.

At the extreme edge of MYTN philosophy, people are re-evaluating their relationships.

I think we will see a spate of de-partnering. Increasingly that decision will be made by women who have their own superannuation and income.

It might mean travelling or bushwalking with friends, because it is more engaging than sitting at home with someone who doesnt want to do anything.

The Next Five Years with Bernard Salt premieres onSky News Business on February 2 at9pm.

ALSO SEE

Read the original post:
Trends this year & beyond with smashed avo futurist Bernard Salt - The Weekly Review