At 51 years old, I have seen and experienced a few channel programs, and having built a couple of partner program from the ground up myself, I admit that Crestron has taken the power of partnership to a new level. One can feel the energy, the passion, the knowledge in the air by attending one of Crestron’s #modernworksummit, combined with #crestronmasters. The Crestron team hosted approximately 1,000 people in Madrid for the 2023 events.
New Wave Workspace was represented by our Chief Commercial Officer, Nica Faustino, who spoke at the Digital Transformation panel, led by Andy-Clayton Smith, Executive Editor, Technology Record; and had John Hilderbrands, Eptura; Chris Merrick, FCIM, Sr Director, Global Marketing – Conferencing, Shure Inc; Sam Kennedy, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Crestron; Kai Tossing, Head of Product Management Business Communication, Sennheiser; and Jay Leedy, Head of Business Development, Technical Alliances, Sony Electronics in the panel.
The energy and power of partnership was led by one and only, Neil Fluester, who kept the #modernworksummit moving forward with his anecdotes, and impressive people knowledge. I don’t think that there were many people in the audience that Neil didn’t know on a first-name basis. That speaks to the care people at Crestron has with their partner eco-system and customers too!
My key take aways are below, and I trust they will motivate you to sign-up to future #modernworksummit events organised by Crestron.
#1 Beyond #hybridwork 1.0
Craig Durr, Analyst, Researcher, Keynote Speaker, presented his vision for #hybridwork 2.0 based on what we learned globally from #hybridwork 1.0. I really liked the simplicity and clarity that Craig presented the 3Ws (workplace, workforce, workflows), and 3Cs (communication, collaboration, culture). It was nice to catch up with Craig on the coach to an amusing happy hour at the Fincas del Negralejo.
#2 Unworking
Philip Ross, Founder/CEO of UnGroup (UnWired & UnWork) and Cordless, presented the findings, insights, and anecdotes from the book he co-authored with Jeremy Myerson, Unworking: The Reinvention of the Modern Office, which I highly recommend reading. In the book, Philip and Jeremy take you through the history of the work at the office, its mutations, value-propositions, and then share their vision for the #futureofwork. I found myself circling a few sections over the whole book and was keen to share with Philip what we are building with New Wave Workspace, flexible workspace platform, that is closely aligned with his views.
#3 Hybrid Working: The Human Factor
Simply loved the human angle brought to the panel where Bart Colls, Digital Transformation & Change Management at Flexso for People, and Brecht Buysschaert, workplace health & well-being expert and keynote speaker at Springbok health coaching at work, brought their insights, relaxation and breathing techniques, and got my brain truly working on the value of technology for humans. It is very common to be talking to technologists in our industry who love tech for the love of tech and end up forgetting the purpose of technology – to enhance humans’ lives! I believe Bart, Brecht and the entire panel made that crystal clear to everyone in the audience. At New Wave Workspace, we love starting discussions with the User Story, and once we identify what is in it for the users, we discuss what can be done to make humans happier through their #hybridwork 2.0 journey.
#4 Networking, Knowledge Sharing, and Having Fun
It is amasing how easy going and welcoming the Crestron family is with its partners and customers. I don’t recall seeing a single person on their own – unless they were behind their laptops on a video call. The knowledge is in the air. You can hear life stories, entrepreneurs sharing war and peace stories, and their journey through the #crestronmasters where there is a natural competition to be the best one can be; including 52 certifications in 52 weeks by a certain Chris. I truly enjoyed hanging out with Serena Cuna, Manager, Training Operations, her crew, and the folks from Samsung, 2N, Korbyt, and Jabra for a night out of Flamenco at the Tablao Flamenco 1911, and Dancing and drinks at the Club Kapital. Happy birthday Serena!
#5 Crestron new product launch!
Crestron’s commitment to quality is second to none in the PRO AV market and it shows when you get close to their new products. Besides the great value it brings to customers, Crestron aesthetics are simple, practical, and functional. The Crestron Desk Q and Desk Touch are close to our hearts at New Wave Workspace (desk booking, QR Codes, analytics, space utilisation), and I focused in with great interest to bring our platform to those products soon. The Crestron Flex Pods - table meeting room speaker, the Crestron Videobar 70 - 4x 4k cameras sound bar, solidifies Crestron’s position as the one-stop-shop for the serious Enterprises readying for Hybrid Work
I fully enjoyed both days of the #modernworksummit, and simply don’t have enough space in this quick article to thank ALL speakers, Crestron folks for such a lovely time, knowledge, and insights shared. Thanks Naomi Sakamoto, AIA, Senior Associate, Studio Director; Antonio Cruz-Cruz Conde (“HR comes to meetings with opinions”); Denis Pozigun, Executive Director of Global AV/UC; Ilya Bukshteyn, VP, Microsoft Teams Calling and Devices; Patricia Ardinger Purcell, Director, Engineering at Comcast, and so many others.
My final thanks go to a good bunch of Crestron folks, in no particular order…
Bob Bavolacco, Director Technology and Alliances Partner; Rita Himid, EMEA Marketing Manager; Jason Moulden, Global Alliances Technical Lead | Workplace Technology Expert; Carina Prueckel, Office Manager, Ana Rodríguez Fierro, Order and Customer Support Administration; Philip Pfisterer, Group Product Manager; Laura Simmen, Director of Commercial Product Marketing; Brad Hintze, Executive Vice President, Marketing; Philip Sempels, Senior Marketing Director EMEA; Sam Kennedy, Senior Director, Product Marketing, and so many others who made this event a great success!
Read more here . See you at #InfoCommShow 2023 in Orlando, FL.
Safe travels…
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