With speakers like Apple’s Eddy Cue and AT&T Mobility’s Glenn Lurie, what more could you want from a mobility conference? How about a place to sit and recharge your mobile device?
Last week’s Mobility LIVE! 2015 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta was a hit on all fronts, from the keynote speakers to AT&T’s connected car to the Attendee Lounge—our sponsorship contribution. Located just outside the main speaker hall, the lounge became the perfect place to relax, reconnect, and—of course—recharge.
Along with remarks on the keynotes, lounge discussions centered around key innovation areas such as the Internet of Things, wearables, disruptive technologies, app development, and security. We had some productive discussions highlighting our partnership with IBM MobileFirst, which we began reselling this year along with other best-in-class mobile solutions.
In addition to fast mobile app development, we found that mobile innovators are most concerned with back-end integration and security. Many people we talked to were interested in the easy support possible with a platform like MobileFirst, in contrast with one-off native apps. Several IBM executives spent time in the lounge and told me they were gratified to see the excitement around their mobile technology platform at the conference, especially coming on the heels of Gartner placing MobileFirst in the leadership category of its Magic Quadrant.
The sessions this year were outstanding, and we particularly enjoyed the TAG Mobility Society’s panel discussion led by John Trainor, CIO of Aaron’s Inc. The panel examined how mobile affects the way we vacation—everything from apps to help with a foreign language to wearables we can use to pay for cocktails. During the session, Trainor slowly shed his business attire (suit and tie) for vacation-appropriate shorts and t-shirt, much to the amusement of the audience.
A few other highlights of the show included:
- A tennis racquet with a SIM card to help gauge the accuracy of the player’s swing
- AT&T’s connected car featuring wifi for up to seven devices and a web-connected voice recognition system that lets the driver safely send text messages and even shop while driving
- Murata Electronics’ “MURATA BOY,” a robot that can ride a bicycle super-slow, and stands upright even when he comes to a complete stop. Packed with various components and technologies from Murata, he had lots of stunts to demonstrate.
- Jared Miller, CTO at AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Mercedes-Benz Stadium) participated in a roundtable on the connect fan experience showcasing Michelle McKenna Doyle, SVP, CIO at National Football League, and Mike Gomes, SVP, Fan Experience at AMB Sports and Entertainment.
We are thrilled to have been deeply involved with the planning and marketing of Mobility LIVE!, currently a leading event on this topic in North America. It was great to meet so many passionate mobile technologists, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s show!
About the author
Vice President, Enterprise Solutions
Since 2006, Randall has been helping technology executives digitally transform their business as Vice President of Pyramid Consulting Solutions. Relationships are his daily driving force and his desire to trust and serve those in his professional and personal life constantly motivate him. Atlanta is a great city for Randall, as he hates the cold and prefers warm weather near the water. His greatest pride is the partnerships with colleagues, friends, and fellow professionals he has made along the way.