JimCarroll

Jim Carroll iPhone App: Now available!

December 29, 2009 by JimCarroll

At 2pm yesterday, the new Jim Carroll iPhone App became available on the iTunes App store.

The app runs on any iPhone or 2nd generation iPod. It does require Wi-fi or cell connectivity for most content.

With the app, you’ll have a direct link to my Twitter feed, blog posts, Youtube videos, a group of videos embedded in the app itself, and other information pertaining to the future and trends.

It’s a 1.0 release: clearly, I’m looking for feedback and insight into what you’d like to see in the app. Future releases are likely to include a daily trends overview, weekly newsletter, and other regular updates on trends and innovation issues.

The project was pulled together by iEveryWare (http://www.ieveryware.com/), and was based on some earlier work they did for the entertainer Sonny Rollins. They’ve actually now rolled the architecture into a system that would let have your own app for $995US.

Grab the app, give it a try, put your ratings into iTunes, and send me feedback!

Jim Carroll iPhone App:

Launch iTunes and grab the app

Key trends and insight from 2009

December 21, 2009 by JimCarroll

I’ll be shutting down through the next several weeks from today; I’ll still be picking up email, but my blog posts will slow down till the New Year.

I’ll mostly be hacking away at improving my pathetic abilities as a skier. (Actually, I’m not that bad….)

It certainly was an extraordinary year; I spoke at some 75 conferences, annual meetings and executive retreats. Global powerhouses such as Rockwell Collins, General Dynamics, Burger King, Yum! Brands, Diners Club and National Australian Bank had me in for executive level global meetings.

Perhaps the most exciting news is that it seems my insight is becoming recognized as being unique ; the world’s two most prestigious speakers bureaus, the Washington Speakers Bureau and the Harry Walker Agency began to represent me this year. There are now some 40+ bureaus who actively put me out to their clients as a futurist, trends & innovation expert.

Jim’s profile at WSB
Jim’s profile at Harry Walker Agency

Looking back at this amazing year, it’s probably a good time to give a retrospective on what I think were some of the best blog posts I wrote here through the year. So here goes:

There were a whole bunch of reports on various keynotes in various industries, ranging from recreation to health care to technology. When I had the time, I’d write a little summary of the key trends that I was covering in these talks:

Innovating for growth in the restaurant industry!
It’s January 15, 2020 : Do you know where your healthcare system is?
Innovation and the future of energy
HVAC 2.0 – Thoughts on my Las Vegas keynote
Thinking big – the transformative ideas that will shape our future
The future of education
Reinventing the future with transformative technology

A key theme was “innovating during a recession” — how do you stay out in front?

10 Things You Need to Do to Innovate in a Recession
Failing at the future: 10 reasons why some companies will miss out on the economic upturn!
A conscious decision – don’t take part in this recession!

As the year progressed, my message started to change to “the new rules for the next economy.”

Insight on deep, transformation change – and the “next economy”
A conscious decision – don’t take part in this recession!

What is thrilling about this job is the feedback that you get when you change lives and outlooks. Here’s a few posts with some of the observations by some in the audience:

“Thanks for changing lives!”
“….a whirlwhind of a speech…”
“Anticipating the future”

Along the way, I kept my blog up to date with observations about innovation and other issues. Here’s some of the more notable posts:

“The hollowing out of corporate R&D”
Being innovative – it depends on the company you keep!
“The importance of innovation in the era of the “new normal”
“Innovation and the concept of “chameleon revenue”
Trend – The Emergence of the Chief Momentum Officer

2010 looks to be just as interesting; I’ve alerady got a solid list of events booked and confirmed. Stay tuned!

High Velocity Change & Increasing Business Intensity

December 16, 2009 by JimCarroll

A huge number of global organiztions have me in to challenge their team to think about how to deal with the increasing speed of change in the world of business.

Here’s a clip from a Las Vegas keynote, in which I speak to the topic of business velocity. A greater number of organizations will need to deal with ever increasing rates of change!

Location intelligence and the conference industry

December 15, 2009 by JimCarroll

Convene Magazine is the official publication of the Professional Convention Management Association.

In their December 2009 issue, they have part 2 of their annual technology forecast : how will technology continue to shake up the meetings and convention industry.

My prediction focuses on the impact of location intelligence on the industry; here’s what I wrote:

With the meeting and convention industry still all abuzz about the impact of Twitter, a far more dramatic and far-reaching trend is soon upon us, with the impact of what has come to be known as location intelligence

Let’s put it this way: in the next several years, many of the things that surround us in our daily lives will become linked into the ever pervasive network. I often joke on stage that one day I’ll get on my weigh scale, and it will proceed to send an email to my fridge if I happen to skew in terms of weight gain.

This trend is unfolding now: in my home and ski chalet, I have thermostats that have their own Web page and Internet connectivity. Link that trend to mobile applications, and we’re not too far away from a day when my iPhone might sense that I’m getting close to home, and will turn the heat on automatically.

What does this have to do with the future of meetings? We’re entering an era where delegates cell phones will sense when friends are nearby, and will spontaneously organize a social get-together. Planners will use applications which will pull together spur-of-the-moment topic sessions when a certain number of attendees fitting a profile approach a particular room. We’ll have automatic, interactive maps that will help us track the flow of folks through a trade show floor, giving us the opportunity to dynamically adjust the layout to better steer the crowd toward a key sponsors booth.

Location intelligence is likely the biggest of the many waves that are already impacting the industry — and it will be here sooner than you think.

It’s a timely topic. I’ll be the keynote speaker for the International Association of Conference Centers annual conference in March 2010, speaking to the trends that will impact this all-important industry.

Convene Magazine technology predictions
IACC 2010″ with a keynote by Jim Carroll

The New Workforce!

December 14, 2009 by JimCarroll

A brief video clip on just how different our workforce is set to become ; from a keynote in Salt Lake City in the autumn.

I’ve been speaking about the new challenges of the new workforce for some time; some previous blog posts and articles are below.

Blog post: Here We are Now, Entertain Us
Related article: Don’t Mess with My Powder, Dude!
Keynote topic: What’s Happening with Our Workforce: Achieving Competitive Advantage Through Skills Agility
Critical Trends Analysis: 10 Unique Characteristics of 21st Century Skills

Article: “Anticipating the Future”

December 8, 2009 by JimCarroll

The feedback on my Salt Lake City keynote for the National Recreation and Parks Association continues; earlier in this story, I had a blog entry from a message from someone at the event thanking me for “changing lives.”

The Past President of the NRPA has weighed in with an editorial in Perspectives, the NRPA’s national magazine. Headlined “Anticipating the Future,” Jodie Adams has this to say (excerpted).

Last month I saw the future, and it was exciting. Granted, it was one person’s version of what parks and recreation may look like a decade from now, but the view is compelling. At NRPA’s Congress last month in Salt Lake City, renowned futurist Jim Carroll outlined key areas where professionals and citizen advocates can expect to see major changes in the field. We chose Carroll as keynote speaker for our opening session as a way to crystallize the conference theme, “Prepare for the Future Today.” Virtually each of his points held importance for our field. Even the best speakers quote others, and Carroll’s quote by media magnate Rupert Murdoch spoke volumes about how we pursue our mission.

“The future will not be about big beating small, but fast beating slow.”

And nowhere is this message more applicable than to the young people entering our field. Considering that they are in large part a product of the Internet Age- infinite choices at lightning speed in interconnected ways- it’s no wonder they view work differently today. Carroll’s statistics point this out- 65 percent of preschoolers today will pursue careers that do not exist today. For those entering the held today, two to five years is a long-term career. When you’re interviewing them today, realize that they are looking right through you. two thirds of them say they are actually thinking about their next job and not the one for which you are interviewing them.

Because young professionals are increasingly more demanding in terms of flexibility, recognition, and loyalty, senior administrators must also think in these terms. It’s a sure bet they reflect the views and values of the citizens they will eventually be serving. As Carroll pointed out, we can expect entirely new sports and activities to come at us faster and faster, while “old” sports will evolve in similar ways. Characteristic of a generation fully wired with itself, Carroll only half kiddingly pictured snowboards with embedded chips and webcams that communicate a good run down a mountain to the friends and family of its user.

As Carroll explained, if you are not preparing for the “next economy,” you’re way too late.

Video: Location intelligence and the future of recreation
Blog entry “Thanks for changing lives! A note from the NRPA Congress…” by Jim Carroll
Blog entry The future of snowboarding and skiing by Jim Carroll

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THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO ARE FAST features the best of the insight from Jim Carroll’s blog, in which he covers issues related to creativity, innovation and future trends.

THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO ARE FAST features the best of the insight from Jim Carroll’s blog, in which he
covers issues related to creativity, innovation and future trends.