What can I say? Some of us in the workers' compensation industry are just “givers”. We commit to the greater good. We sacrifice. We forgo basic comfort and safety for the greater benefit of the collective. There is no need to thank us. It is just what we do.
Such will be the case this coming January, when Safety National's Mark Walls and I, through tremendous personal effort and sacrifice, will be trekking to Las Vegas to attend the massive annual International Consumer Electronics Show®.
For those unaware, the International CES (Consumer Electronics Show®) is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. According to their website, “It’s where business gets done: on the show floor, in and around our conference program, in impromptu connections and in planned meetings and special events. Experience the mind-blowing technology and awe-inducing innovations with us at #CES2016.” The show attracts more than 150,000 people in the electronics and retail industries from all over the world.
Both Walls, founder of the LinkedIn Work Comp Analysis Group, and I have been granted press passes for the event. Our intent is to learn all we can about upcoming technologies that will affect and impact the workers' compensation industry.
At least that is the excuse I gave my wife.
In all seriousness, I intend to learn whatever I can regarding the newest mobile and wearable technologies, particularly that related to improving medical processes for the workers' comp industry. There are tremendous changes afoot in our very near future, and I expect what we see in Las Vegas will be a significant part of the medical revolution looming before us. Of course, technology and automation will be impacting all sectors of the workers' compensation industry, and I expect the week to be an eye opener.
The show runs from January 5th through the 9th, and it occupies exhibition and conference halls at about 6 major hotels, in addition to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
I will be bringing to the event an insatiable curiosity and love for technology. Walls will be bringing 4 empty suitcases, in the hopes of heading home with some truly premium tchotchke. Regardless, this intense personal sacrifice is something we are committed to doing for the betterment of all mankind. Well, the betterment of all mankind currently toiling in workers' comp. We are, after all, an industry that went “paperless” by distributing electronic documents with the intent that we all print them individually, and who just recently discovered that the internet is on the computer now. We clearly have our work cut out for us.
So, next month please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. It is potentially with great personal peril that we embark on this mission. We don't want to go the CES in Las Vegas; we have to go. Duty calls. We are taking one for the team.
There is no need to thank us. It is just what we do.
Now would one of you call my wife to convince her of that?