Future of Work Expo Recap - Photos and Media Coverage

I’ve been Chair of the Future of Work Expo for eight years now, and as technology evolves, the future of work is always interesting. Last week’s 2025 edition went to plan, and we had a solid roster of speakers, a timely mix of topics, and an attentive audience.

During the event, I posted photos and commentary regularly on LinkedIn, so you’ll have to check out my feed to pick up on that. At this point, I’m not going to write anything more, and instead will share some photo highlights, along with media coverage in the form of articles about specific sessions, covered by Future of Work News.

First, here are the writeups from FOW News:

• Cybersecurity and Privacy panel session

• Review of Jabra’s solo presentation - Great Expect AI tions - Welcome to Work in the Age of AI

• Role of UCaaS in Shaping the Future of Work

Now for the photos.

There are too many speakers from the panels to cite here, but you can find them all on the Agenda page. Unfortunately, Squarespace isn’t letting me insert a hyperlink now, so here’s the URL - www.futureofworkexpo.com/agenda.aspx.

Below - I, Robot - the future of work? Very cute! Next - Day 1 program, and me with Mr. TMC, Rich Tehrani.

My opening keynote, joined by special guest, Jeff Pulver.

Glenn Goldberg moderating the panel on AI Business Transformation, and John Stafford with the panel on the Changing Role of IT with FOW. Thanks guys!

With Hardy Myers of Cognigy; thumbs way up with Justin Robbins of Metric Sherpa; Khurum Shafi of Twilio, with his souped-up BlackBerry (yup!) to record the session on the evolving role of the contact center.

Moderating panels on the evolving role of contact centers with FOW, and how UCaaS is driving the FOW.

Nice roundup representing SCTC attendees - Vern Fernandez of Jabra, myself, Tom Brannen of OnConvergence, Bill Magnuson of NexusBlue, and Dave Clardy of Mitel. Next - from my UCaaS panel, with Leo Boulton of Zoom, and Luiz Domingos of Mitel.

With Jeff Pulver; Harry Chapin and his classic hit, Taxi. Sorry folks, but you had to be at my keynote to get what this has to do with the future of work.

Panel of AI Innovation and FOW Skills Gaps; and Employee Engagement session.

With Brett Shockley of Journey; reprising my keynote talk in the Solutions Theater on the showfloor; speaking during opening session.

Thanks to those who took many of these photos - too many to credit here. Also, still to come - some video clips of me being interviewed by Rich Tehrani, by Tom Brannen, and a clip from my keynote talk.

Finally, if you like what you see, I’d love to tell you more about the event. It’s never too early for me to start planning for 2026, so if you want to speak, moderate, sponsor or exhibit - or just share your thoughts about the future of work - I’m not hard to find!

New Month - Time for New Watch This Space Podcast and Newsletter

The February editions of my podcast and newsletter were published yesterday, and I hope you check them out. If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

The current episode is an excess review of all the excess around AI at the moment. Inspired by DeepSeek’s entry into the fray, we started there, then moved on to various forms of deepfakes that pose all kinds of risk to just about everything we do.

As always, we framed this through our analog lens, a perspective that digital natives lack, and we feel provides some levity to all this. Chris and I didn’t stop there, and to get the whole story, you can listen to the February episode here.

January Writing Roundup

Very disjointed month, as I was in Israel for two weeks, then flattened with a cold the entire week after getting back. Totally good now, though, and thankfully I got all my latest work done ahead of all this, so I do have some writing to share from January.

The Channel Partner Opportunity to Deploy UCaaS, CCaaS Together, Channel Futures, Jan. 28

How Call Testing and Monitoring Enhances Telephony and CX for Brands, No Jitter, Jan. 10

Getting Past the AI Hype, Contact Center Pipeline, January edition

New Month, New Year, New Newsletter and Podcast

I’ve definitely hit the ground running for 2025, and being the first full week of the month, the latest editions of my podcast and newsletter were published yesterday.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

This marks the start of Season 8 for my podcast, and as you can see below, it’s got a new look. I hope you like it, and same for the episode itself, which you can listen to right here.

Finally, a quick heads-up - soon, you’ll be seeing an animated version of the WTS banner. It’s kinda fun, and better reflects the vibe we’re after. Watch for it on LinkedIn and on my website.

Future of Work Expo Updates - My Q&A with FOW News

Lots in play for the Future of Work Expo, and time for some quick updates. If you don’t know, I’m the event Chair, and this is our seventh year as a sub-event with TMCnet’s ITExpo. The spot is Ft. Lauderdale, and things run from February 11-13 - not that far away.

Things are in continuous motion now, filling out the speaker roster for my panels, and lining up sponsors to support the event. You can check all of that out on the event website, along with details to register as an attendee.

Update 1 - I was recently featured in Future of Work News, doing a Q&A with Greg Tavarez about what I’m seeing in this space, and what to expect at FOW Expo. The article was published this week, and I hope you give it a read here.

Update 2 - I’m doing a series of video interviews to support the event, and these are being posted to TMC’s YouTube video channel. The most recent one is with TMC’s Erik Linask, and you can check that out here. I’ve also done interviews with my podcast partner, Chris Fine, and Jabra’s Vern Fernandez - and I’ll be sharing those as they get posted.

Update 3 - here’s the latest e-blast from TMC for FOW Expo - good messaging there about what we’re doing, and why you should attend.

Tech Adoption Challenges for SMBs - My Latest for No Jitter

My writing cycle is in high gear again, and I have a number of articles and papers coming to market soon. As part of the BCStrategies team, we have a regular rotation of articles for No Jitter, and my latest is out now.

The focus is a big topic that is easily overlooked - adoption of new technology for SMBs. While many cloud communications vendors strive to move upmarket, this sector is too big to ignore, but it’s a different sell than for large enterprises. One reason is a variety of challenges SMBs face to stay current with technology, and that’s the focus of my writeup.

You can read the article here, and if you like it, I’d love to hear from you!

December Editions of Newsletter and Podcast Out Now

It’s a new month, and time for the last editions of both my newsletter and podcast for 2024 - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, finishing up its 7th season.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

This month’s episode is a first for us, with a review of a sci-fi classic novelette, With Folded Hands. If you’re wondering where things are heading with AI, this will be time well-spent, along with our review of recent events and 2024 highlights - you can check out the December podcast here.

November Writing Roundup

Am a bit behind on things, being away most all last week for Thanksgiving, and how month-end fell on the calendar for November. Did a lot more video than writing last month, but here’s the roundup of public posts.

Talkdesk Analyst Summit - my takeaways, on LinkedIn, Nov. 25

Pros and Cons of a Hybrid Contact Center Architecture, TechTarget, Nov. 14

NICE Analyst Summit Takeaways (ICYMI, being month-end), No Jitter, Oct. 29

Epica Awards 2024 - Am Judging Again

This is a bit out of the norm, but very fun. Am back for a third year as a jury member to judge the 2024 Epica Awards. The program is Paris-based, so the range of entries is very global - a much different look and feel from a US-based awards program.

There is a wide range of categories for all the entries, with a healthy mix of consumer and B2B brands. As a marketing guy at heart - and a creative person - I really enjoy reviewing these entries, and while most of this is outside my everyday analyst focus, I take inspiration for how many of these brands take a fresh, out-of-the-box approach to get their message across. Not just for consumer brands, btw, but also for some of the tougher issues, like education, climate change, and societal inclusion.

Nothing here about CX, meetings or Gen AI, but a lot of clever use of technology to create images and video that grabs your attention. Another thing that I love is how most entries are very grounded in digital technologies, and the really good ones have figured out ways to break through the clutter we all have with advertisers trying to get our attention. One way or another, I’ll find ways to apply this to my work and it helps bring fresh thinking to my clients.

New Month - Time for November Newsletter and Podcast

It’s a new month, and the latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

This month’s episode is mainly a recap of current industry events Chris and I have attended or were about to - namely Verint, British Telecom, UC Expo, NICE, Cisco WebexOne, Zoomtopia, VON/vCon and WorkTech. It’s a busy time, and lots to talk about - you can check out the November podcast here.

Future of Work Expo Updates - Feb. 11-13, 2025

I’m overdue for an update on the 2025 edition of Future of Work Expo, so here’s the news.

If the event is new to you, this is my 7th year as Chair, and my main role is to develop the program and roster of speakers for the sessions. You also need to know that Future of Work Expo is co-located - along with other speciality events - with ITExpo, TMC’s long-running communications show in Ft. Lauderdale. So, aside from getting a deep dive on FOW topics, attendees also get the broader ITExpo experience, which draws over 8,000 people, along with a show floor with hundreds of vendors.

I’ve got two updates to share, and I hope this tweaks your interest to attend, as well as speak or even sponsor. First is the website for the event, where you can review things in detail, including the Agenda, which just went live yesterday. Next is the latest e-newsletter blurb, which TMC sends out to its email list, and gives a nice overview of the event experience.

• Future of Work Expo website

• E-newsletter for the event

Finally, my Watch This Space podcast has a strong focus on future of work topics, so it’s quite complementary to the event. To reinforce that, TMC is now a media partner, and giving the podcast broader exposure on their various websites. If you don’t follow my podcast, it’s another way to stay current with the event, along with other topics we explore on a monthly basis. Hope to see you there!

Roundtable in NYC About Sales Automation, Oct. 10 - Interested?

I’m going to be in NYC next week with Vidyard, a company I’ve been working with recently. We’re doing a roundtable session that I’m moderating on the topic of using AI and automation to make the sales process more effective. There is no shortage of challenges for a set of needs that all businesses struggle with, and in response, there are new solutions that need consideration.

The panel is largely in place, but we do have room for a couple more attendees. If you happen to be in NYC next Thursday - or really, really want to get there on your own to join us, here’s the link to register. For anyone who plans to come, we’ll see you there!

October - New Leaf, New Podcast and Newsletter

It’s a new month - the latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

October starts the busy season for industry events, so Chris and I covered where our travels have been - and will be - taking us. Lots to discuss, but we also covered the usual gamut of interesting things like why 8-Track was a superior technology in its day, why mandating return-to-office is risky business, and reviewing our latest updates for the podcast. Hope you check it out, and subscribe to my newsletter.

Glenn Goldberg's Parallel Universe Podcast - My Guest Spot

You know it’s going to be a fun podcast when I get to quote one of my favorite lines from Seinfeld - “It’s not a lie… if you believe it.” As Homer would say, it’s funny because it’s true. If that’s your vibe, then I think you’ll really enjoy this podcast - my first guest spot on Glenn Goldberg’s Parallel Universe podcast.

We could go on all day long about tech, sports, music and all kinds of other things. Maybe we’ll go further on those threads next time, but right now, you should just check it out. Here’s the link for viewing it on Telecom Reseller, inclulding the transcript, or you can watch it here on YouTube.

September Writing Roundup

Lots in play during September, and almost all of it was doing podcast and video spots. For the bigger picture, all of this is covered in my newsletter, but in short, there was just one public writeup for September, and it was on my blog. More to come this month, though!

Verint Engage 2024 - Quick Pix and Top Takeaways, my blog, Sept. 27

Next Stop - London, for BT Analyst Event and UC Expo

I don’t travel overseas much, but on Monday I’m flying to London for two events. First is Focus 2024, British Telecom’s analyst event, then back again for UC Expo at the Excel Center. Will definitely be a full week, and I’ll share updates on LinkedIn as time allows.

For UC Expo, I’ll be speaking on three sessions - one is invite-only, and links are here for the other two:

Thursday at 1pm - a fireside chat on tech-driven inclusivity in the workplace

Thursday at 1:35 - Ask the Analyst panel session

If you’re attending, and want to meet up, please drop me a line. Also, the event hashtag is #UCX24.

Expanded Reach for Watch This Space Podcast - now on EM360

I’ve been a long-time contributor to UK-based EM360, and you can see more about that here on my profile page. While you’re there, I encourage you to explore their website, which has just gone through a big refresh.

My followers will know about my Watch This Space podcast, which can be picked up here on my website, along with a dedicated WTS website. While my reach is mainly North America, I now have more exposure for the EU market via EM360. Last week marked the start of them now carrying WTS on their site, and I have two links to share for that:

• First - here’s a direct link to the September episode.

• Second - link to the home page for Watch This Space on the EM360 website - once there, you’ll see an archive as well for the 10 most recent episodes.

Finally, to help promote this update to EM360 followers, Watch This Space was featured in the current issue of their LinkedIn-based newsletter, Contributors Corner. That would be Edition 15 from September 6, and here’s the link. If you check this out, you’ll see that two forms of my work have been featured here; the other being a re-posting of a guest post I recently wrote for a client’s blog.

September - Time for New Podcast and Newsletter

The latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

This month, Chris and I reviewed how streaming has really come into its own with the Olympics, and similarly how event platforms are finding broader use cases, both in the public and private sectors. I also provided a recap of the NCEC Technologies Conference that I spoke at last month, around how conversational AI is helping utilities improve customer service.

New Webinar with Zoom - The AI-Driven Workplace

I recently recorded another on-demand webinar for VentureBeat, this time in conversation with Gary Sorrentino from Zoom. Moderated by Thom Langford, we discussed how today’s “workplace” has been evolving, and the impact AI is having both for workers and organizations in general. AI is more than just technology, and we touched on related issues such as generational change, hybrid work models, and what constitutes productivity in today’s workplace.

The webinar has been posted now by VentureBeat, and here’s the registration link. I hope you give it a listen, and happy to hear your thoughts as well.

August Editions Out Now - my Newsletter and Podcast

The latest editions of both my newsletter and podcast are out now - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review, and my Watch This Space podcast, now in its 7th season.

If you’re not a subscriber, signing up to my newsletter is easy - JAA’s Communications and Collaboration Review - the signup page is here.

For my Watch This Space podcast, you can subscribe on all the major platforms, or listen to any episode directly here on my website, or here on the dedicated WTS website.

This month, Chris and I further explored the topic of “workplace strategy”, which draws from my recent No Jitter article (both newsletter and podcast include the link), and why I see this as an opportunity for both UCaaS and CCaaS vendors.

We also talked about how recent missteps from CrowdStrike, Patagonia and Ticketmaster reflect concerns about Big Tech that we regularly voice on Watch This Space. To give it a listen, here’s the link, and would love your feedback any time.