There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
Seven gathered in person earlier today in a California park to kick off 36-city Project Voice: Coast to Coast tour
Take me out tonight
Because I want to see people
And I want to see life
In a time of unending Zoom calls, and virtual events often lacking connective tissue, what is an in-person meeting worth?
Project Voice: Coast to Coast - the 36-city tour in which I will travel across the United States gathering small groups of those working with voice tech and conversational AI in person - kicked off today in San Jose, California.
Unable to meet in the originally selected restaurant - chosen for its outdoor heated seating that would enable attendees to stay safe - we met in a nearby park instead.
A founder of a brand-new startup, a CEO of a publicly-traded company, and employees of extremely large tech giants are all pictured here, gathering in Santa Clara’s Central Park.
Everyone got to meet each other, some business cards (remember those?) got exchanged, and the wide-ranging conversation spanned VocaliD’s fantastic work, Cerence’s upcoming Cerence In Motion event, Cyberpunk 2077’s incorporation of futurist voice/AI concepts, and the ability to use celebrity voices with AI assistants, among many other related topics.
Emails of those there will be exchanged, and all attendees will receive a copy of a document taken straight from my desk - 111 Voice/AI Companies To Watch.
Each of the next 35 letters from This Week In Voice VIP will report some person, company, or initiative taking place within the realm of voice technology or conversational AI that I learn about while out on the road, meeting with you.
It’s been so long since we’ve traveled for business, and met with people face-to-face, that we’ve kind of forgotten what it feels like. It has to be re-learned. And to do it, it’s going to take breaking the habits we’ve gained in the meantime - namely, how to sit at home and stare at the computer screen.
Fortunately, our need to meet with other people, and to give freely our knowledge and wisdom to each other, is the light that never goes out.
Like today’s gathering in Central Park in Santa Clara, the location of Project Voice: Coast to Coast meetings will adjust as necessary to conditions on the ground in these locations. Registered attendees will be kept notified of all changes. We’d love for you to join us.