Earlier, we used to put together the main messages emanating from the conference and took them through our magazine, newsletters and websites to the same audience. Digital just removed those barriers. The value proposition was still the same. The efficiency was more. And based on the feedback we received, the effectiveness was more too.
If you are not already tired of listening to this, let me tell you for the nth time that the digital opportunity is not just about taking things digital as it is – with its obvious advantages and disadvantages. Like any paradigm shifts in technology, it also forces you to think of completely new possibilities, changing the fundamental nature of your products, services and processes.
We organized the 21st CIO&Leader Conference in March 2021. It was very different from our ground events, done for 20 years. Yet, somewhere, we were trying to replicate what we did on ground.
When we organized the 22nd CIO&Leader Conference – just six months later – we were sensitized to the new possibilities. For the first time in the history of the conference, we invited next-generation IT managers – tomorrow’s CIOs. And we did that without diluting the sanctity of the CIO congregation. All we did was that we short circuited the information dissemination and made it direct, real-time. Earlier, we used to put together the main messages emanating from the conference and took them through our magazine, newsletters and websites to the same audience. Digital just removed those barriers. The value proposition was still the same. The efficiency was more. And based on the feedback we received, the effectiveness was more too. And of course, it was our biggest event ever—measured across all parameters.
The theme too emerged from this new reality. On one hand, there is a need for continuous learning like never before. On the other, the ways and means of delivering those learnings from the top practitioners was no more a challenge. This helped us decide the theme – CIO Gurukul. The entire event was organized as one big gurukul, with ancient India’s guru-shishya parampara as the inspiration.
The CIO&Leader August-September 2021 issue carries detailed coverage of the event – with topics varying from data management to cloud, succession planning to leadership thinking—and team building to customer experience management.
Great new experimentations with digital and their success notwithstanding, at the end we all remain social animals. We all want to meet each other, chat face-to-face.
Hopefully, we should be able to do all that soon. We are exploring the possibilities of meeting you all face-to-face through small events, with focused topics of discussion. Of course, your safety will be the top consideration. As I said, the decision to go ahead will depend on how you feel about the proposition, how the situation on the ground unfolds and so on. You will be the first to know when we take a decision.
As we enter the festive time – from Diwali to Christmas and New Year – my best wishes to all of you.
