For quite some time attending tech conferences was part of an annual ritual for me. Through the years I have met some amazing people from around the world, many who I remain in contact with. These conferences always seemed to be filled with an energy which would always leave me feeling fueled, inspired, and motivated.
It had been many years since I last attended one of these conferences, but when I saw the Alexa Conference, in Chattanooga Tennessee, I thought it might be a good time to return. Working as a on-person shop, I have had very few opportunities for face-to-face discussions with other Voice First professionals. The thought of a participating in a multi-day event surrounded by others working in the field sounded great
Upon arrival, I knew that this was going to be different than I had expected. The majority of conferences I have attended in the past had several thousand attendees, the majority being young developers. This conference was much smaller, consisting of several hundred attendees and made up of professionals from all aspects of the Voice industry..
I quickly learned that the Voice community was welcoming and open. There is a sense that we are all in this together, as the field Voice First tech is still in its infancy and everyone is in the same boat of trying to figure out where it is going and how. I met a lot of people doing a lot of very interesting things and was exposed to many ideas and business ventures I was completely unfamiliar with.
Some memorable nuggets of I picked up
2021 75% of households will have voice device
The Smart Speaker is the fastest growing tech of all time
The Voice market is expected to grow 200% in next 5 years
50% of owners use smart speakers every day
