Recently a colleague and friend TT Jaiganesh reminded me of the days when we attended the SMACC (Social Media & Critical Care) conferences. It has been my long-standing ambition to attend SMACC as I was familiar with many of the presenters from the new online Medical education community and quite a few were Emergency/Critical Care heroes of mine.
It was only during SMACC's European tour that I managed to attend my first one held in Dublin (SMACC DUB). From the first one I was hooked and subsequently caught the next ones in Berlin and Sydney.
Unlike other conferences, SMACC was characterized by amazing, entertaining thought-provoking speakers who mixed their captivating presenting skills while providing a full audio-visual experience, not unlike a theatre performance. The SMACC concept resonated with me as the presenters were often brashly honest in expressing their ideas and thoughts. Not unsurprisingly in our exceedingly 'politically correct' world, the organization ran afoul of critics who in the end sadly had the upper hand.
One thing I did learn from SMACC was that the seemingly spontaneous presentation that captivated an audience had to be rehearsed and practiced incessantly, something that is often lacking among presenters at conferences I attend. Most of these conference have just a handful of memorable talks.
Reading the article below about Steven Jobs and how his keynotes could spark a surge in Apple's stock reminded me of the SMACC days. The ESEM (Emirates Society of Emergency Medicine fulcrum's are however a refreshing breath of fresh air in the stale world of conference speakers and therefore unsurprisingly one of the highlights of this UAE conference.
"It’s time for software companies to make this future a reality and protect Americans by building security into their products from the start."
Preventing Ransomware Attacks at Scale
hbr.org
Director @ Smart Build Commissioning Management Services Ltd | All things BOS / SMART / IB | Former Services Project Lead @ ISG Ltd | Former Senior Technical Services Manager |
1moAnd let’s not forget raising a glass to those who cannot be with us this Christmas…. 🥂 Merry Christmas Team Grattes