Digital Signage Solutions

I meant to get to this post much sooner but work got in the way. Connect '11 was promoted as the first corporate communication conference of its kind. And it turned out to be very, very true. It was billed as a unique event dedicated to helping communicators connect to the digitally disconnected worker. 

Now the term "disconnected" can be viewed in many ways and many of the speakers focused on that. And though not every speaker kept with the "digitally disconnected" theme, all of the lessons learned were extremely valuable. 

And kudos to the MSL Atlanta staff and PRSA for pulling together what I shared as the most organized and comfortable conference I've ever attended. We've all been at events where little annoyances can ruin the overall experience. But this was not the case with Connect '11. 

Attendees stayed in the same room all day (one track) but there was no fighting for the golden seat by the power outlet. The room was set up lecture style, stadium seating, with several power outlets at every seat. And I have to mention the ice cream sandwiches throughout the day. You can never go wrong there. 

But the ultimate strength of the conference was the variety of speakers. Large companies, small companies. Some names you've heard of, some you haven't. But all of them were well-prepared and well-spoken. 

I also did something different at this event than previous employee communication conferences I've been at. Rather than just take notes, I blogged my thoughts. Below you can read the key takeaways from each of the sessions. 

• Guenther Scherelis and Tommi Paris, Volkswagen Group of America: “Building a New Plant with New People in a New Place: The Role of Internal Communications at Volkswagen Chattanooga”
• Tom Walter, Tasty Catering: "Engage or Entangle? How to Link Communications Objectives That Result in Employee Entanglement"
• Mark Mills, Nationwide Insurance: "Connecting Employees with the Brand"
• Renee Kopkowski, Mars Chocolate North America: “The Power of Intentional Conversations”
• Pete Tosches, The ServiceMaster Company: "'Who Uses That Website Anyway?' Communication Secrets from the Front Lines"
• Kim Lott and Wendy Davies-Popelka, John Deere: “Connecting with Disconnected Employees: Successfully Communicating with Staff Who Aren’t Wired"
• Carol Whitworth, Home: “A Picture Paints a Thousand Words: How to Use Visual Maps and Smart Design to Bring Business Strategy to Life”
• Sebastian White, JetBlue Airways: “How Culture Drives Business Performance”

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