As 2016 winds down, the enterprise tech industry machine is about to rev up again with the New Year. January is traditionally a big year for tech conferences, topped by the Consumer Electronics Show, which despite the name has plenty of relevance for enterprises. Here's a look at the must-watch events in the month ahead.
CES 2017, Jan. 5-7, Las Vegas: This massive conference is known for its consumer electronics focus, but with the onset of digital transformation, the consumerization of IT and other trends, CES is set to generate plenty of enterprise news.
Conference content tracks go way beyond the latest tablets or video gaming platforms, covering IoT, 3D-printing, broadband, cybersecurity, data privacy, digital money, lifestyle technology, mobility, government tech and robotics to name just a few. There's also a dedicated brand summit for chief digital officers, an increasingly important constituency in the CxO suite.
Constellation Research analysts including founder and CEO R "Ray" Wang will be in attendance at CES 2017. Follow his live coverage on Twitter at @rwang0.
National Retail Federation's Big Show, Jan. 15-17, New York: Far from a stodgy, niche event focused on supply chain issues, point-of-sale systems and other common retail topics, the Big Show becomes more infused with technology content each year.
It's probably better to view the conference as a much broader occasion that puts the spotlight on customer experience and engagement, digital transformation, omni-channel commerce and the evolving role of social media for successful companies of all types. Keynote speakers include Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, Virgin CEO Richard Branson and Levi Strauss EVP Carrie Ask.
Constellation CEO Wang will also be in attendance, as will Constellation Research VP and principal analyst Doug Henschen (reach him and follow his event coverage at @DHenschen).
World Economic Forum, Jan. 17-20, Davos: This influential event draws thousands of the world's elite business and government figures to a Swiss resort for four days of panel discussions, meetings and keynotes on a wide range of global issues, with technology and technology policies in the forefront of discussions.
Last year's event focused on the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This year, the theme is "Responsible and Responsive Leadership," which would seem to have extra resonance coming on the heels of a historic U.S. presidential election won by billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who will be sworn into office on the conference's last day.
Constellation's well-traveled CEO will also be at Davos, and many of this year's sessions will be broadcast live at this address.
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