Reflecting today on ending last week at one of my favorite conferences #nmhc #optech2023 . One of the reasons it is my top choice for conferences is the fact that it usually provides sessions that are new and refreshing while also allowing a great space for new vendors to get recognized.
This year plenty of new vendors were in the space, and in some ways a little overwhelming. And while some had new platforms, many are trying to create the next version of an existing one. That is a sign that some of the established vendors in our space continue to rest on their laurels. It also means as operators we continue to create noise around what our current vendors do not provide but then rarely take the leap to give a new player in the space an opportunity.
The sessions were eye opening to me, and not in a learned new things way. I heard many sessions that continued to talk about tech and automation tools that have been in the space for years. You know why? Because we as an industry are still not embracing these changes.
We all tout being a people first business but let the people word trip us up when it comes to technology. We should be embracing the platforms that allow us to be free of the ties to a desk.
We are a long way, if ever, from not having people a part of our daily operation. But we are years behind letting our people focus on people and not processes. We need to welcome the technology that affords us that opportunity.
I have a list of items I feel should be standard across our industry, which would make this post longer than it already is (and I know this one is long!) so meet me in the comments. I'll share some of mine if you share yours...and I bet we align in most. :)
