2020… What a year!
We started it with hangovers (that’s not just me, right?), hope, dreams of fitness, new starts, career progression… and everything else humanly possible.
We knew about the continued rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the impact of technology… BUT we could never have expected what happened next – a series of human emergencies; the Australian wildfires, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and the Black Lives Matter movement. The world has changed. It’s never going to be “normal” again.
So you’re probably wondering: what’s next? What the heck can you expect from work and study in the next few years? What’s the future going to bring?
The Henley World of Work (WOW) team is excited to invite you to our virtual festival, WOW: What the Fringe?! on 8 – 10 September to look at just that!
We run a conference about the world of work and AI and Digital transformation every year, but this is the first time we’ve taken it online and opened it to everyone for free, and we’d love you to join us.
We like to do things a bit differently, so it’s spread over three days, with sharp bursts of fresh and innovative thinking from experts, as well as live music!
(Side note: Last year we had cupcakes designed by AI, so we’re sad we can’t have that again! The banana and bacon ones were surprisingly delicious. Wasn’t so sure on the wasabi and white chocolate ones though…)
Back to this year…
You’ll get to hear from professionals at Microsoft, Facebook, EY as well as SMEs and academics from Henley Business School about the impact COVID-19 (and 2020 in general) has had on work and how you can prepare for it. You’ll also find out more about AI and digital transformation, and how it will affect your future.
See the agenda below for more information.
Wet your whistle? View the full line-up and information about each speaker here
Why bother attending a conference?
I’d be asking this if I were you. Sure, it looks fun, but what will you get out of it? Well, how about:
- Learning about the world of work! Whether you have experience in the work place or not, this is a great insight into what it’s like, and should give you an idea about different industries and options.
- Growing your mind – you’re doing your degree to expand your knowledge, right? Well don’t let it stop there. This isn’t something you’ll normally come across in your course, so it’s something new to delve into.
- You may gain some insights that you can use to impress employers when applying for jobs.
- Hearing from experts in different companies for free… (that’s not something Netflix offers yet)
- Finding out more about AI and digital transformation
- Networking – after the conference, why not reach out to the speakers on LinkedIn to tell them what you thought of their talk? You might build a good new connection to help you in your career.
Now you know what it’s about and what you can get from it, it’s time to book your place ! You can attend one, two or three days – whatever you want to do. But make sure you sign up for the right day(s) so you can get the joining links.
We hope to see you there, it’s a once-in-a-year opportunity!
The World of Work conference is organised by Henley Careers and Professional Development.
If you have any difficulties viewing the agenda, or if you have any questions, please get in touch with us, we’d be happy to help! worldofwork@henley.ac.uk