Sometimes it can be a challenge to figure out where your career’s going and what you want to achieve in the future. A great way to get inspiration and direction is to learn from industry leaders and connect with like-minded peers.
That’s where the Turing Fest comes in. As a cross-functional conference for a diverse and passionate audience, it enables you to meet professionals from start-ups, corporate teams, entrepreneurs, and non-profits.
The event also invites high-profile speakers from across the tech industry to talk about the latest developments and trends across a spectrum of topics such as AI, product engineering, start-up lifecycles, ethics, customer-led strategies or leadership.
Let’s look at how TF (as we like to call it!) can enhance your knowledge, skills, and career.
What will you learn to enhance your career?
There are three tracks at the conference: BUILD, GROW, and LEAD. The Build track will help you to BUILD great products. The Grow track focuses on GROWING revenue while the Lead track helps you to LEAD empowered people.
These distinct tracks feature speakers that are experts in each of these areas and attract attendees from tech startups, scale-ups, product teams, revenue teams, leaders, builders, thinkers, and innovators. But let’s look at what you can learn.
“Every single track brings the same level of excitement, enthusiasm, education, and insight into each of those,” Hana Abaza, Global Head of Revenue, Shopify
1) Make meaningful connections
In-person events were a key part of the calendar for many professionals wanting to learn and connect. Then Covid-19 happened and the world shut down. But events are coming back with a bang and people now realise just how valuable they are to professional and personal development.
If you work in the tech industry whether it’s at a junior, senior, or C-suite level, it’s always beneficial to make connections. At Turing Fest, you’ll rub shoulders with people from a range of backgrounds with a variety of skills and know-how.
Rather than relying on webinars or Zoom meetings, you can talk one-to-one with someone and put a face to a name, so the next time you connect, you’ll be remembered.
“Turing Fest is a special tech conference. This is where you’re seeing the community and catching up with what people are really doing,” Ed Fry, Head of Growth, Mutiny
2) Deepen your knowledge of a range of topics
No matter what industry you work in, there’s always more to learn. The tech sector moves fast with new developments and trends coming down the line all the time. This presents huge opportunities but can also be a challenge as it’s impossible to be everywhere all the time!
Conferences are a great way to cover a lot of bases or topics at once. You can learn from leaders and experts through talks and ask the questions you want answered in the end Q&A. But there’s also a lot of learning in meeting people from other disciplines and sectors.
Turing Fest attracts founders and leaders along with product and marketing teams so it has a broad audience with varied skills and knowledge. It’s through conversations that you learn new things that can enhance your role or further your career.
3) Promote yourself (and your product or service)
The great thing about an in-person event like the Turing Festival is that there are other people there! That means you’ll bump into people you know (online or otherwise) and also meet new ones.
Being in the same place means you have an interest in learning so it’s natural and expected to talk about your role and/or company. This gives you an opportunity to introduce people to your idea, aspiration, or brand.
Let’s say you have a new product ready for market but are unsure of the best way to promote it in the public arena. An event allows you to find speakers or attendees with experience in marketing, advertising, or content creation that can give you advice or tips.
Be willing to seek out people with the information you need. But remember, to be open to discussions with anyone – you never know where inspiration will come from.
“There’s no better way to reconnect with your own career and your own intentions and with all of the people around you in every space you can imagine,” Ari Plaut, Product Marketing Manager HubSpot
4) Become more customer-centric
It’s a customer-led world and the adage ‘the customer’s always right’ is an ethos that a lot of tech companies embrace today. It’s not just a focus on engaging with your customer, it’s about creating a personalized journey that makes each one feel special and valued.
At Turing Fest, customer experience is at the heart of many talks and Q&A sessions. You just need to look at past talks such as ‘How Customer Success Can Help You Win: Four Lessons From Startup To IPO’ or ‘Misunderstanding Your Customers: The Most Expensive Mistake Your Company is Making’ to see what we mean!
By hearing from experts and talking to others in the tech world, you can learn what tools, strategies, and channels were effective in not only attracting and converting prospects but nurturing them to become loyal customers and brand advocates.
5) Think like an entrepreneur
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. You’ll come across a lot of obstacles and there will be times when projects fail. However, there are great rewards in the long run. You get to be your own boss, choose who you hire, and see the results of your dedication and hard work.
While everyone’s journey may be different, being able to learn from someone else’s successes and mistakes as an entrepreneur can help you to make informed decisions in your career.
Even if you don’t have ambitions to run your own company, you can learn from an entrepreneur’s mindset and ethos. The traits of a great entrepreneur are:
- Patience
- Dedication
- Out-of-the-box thinking
- Leadership
- Innovation
- Self-motivated
- A competitive spirit
- Relatable
Or as early-stage investor, Eamonn Carey says, a good entrepreneur should be able to “Communicate succinctly. Build relationships. Be open. Read widely. And don’t be an asshole!”
Check out: ’Why Launches Fail’ by SparkToro’s Founder, Rand Fishkin.
6) Learn how to lead and manage a team
The LEAD track at Turing Fest is focused on helping people understand how to lead a team.
Great teamwork is the secret to the success of many start-ups and companies. It’s about having the right people in place that can work together toward a shared goal – growth.
It’s also about having the right culture in place that encourages communication and collaboration. From the seeds of building your first team to maintaining the velocity of a hard-working one, getting insights from peers and experts can help you become a good or better leader if that’s your career goal.
Turing Fest 2023 – The place to be!
In 2023, in-person events are back and it’s easy to see why. Whether you’re starting your career or are a seasoned professional, it’s important to keep learning and building connections.
This will not only help boost your knowledge but also bring new energy to your day-to-day role or if you’re lucky make changes that can impact your organization. That could be making a culture shift, using a new technique to reach customers, or finding out how to use AI to drive automation in your business.
“The most practical, useful and fun conference. I always come away brimming with new ideas.” – Gillian, Digital Marketing Manager Hymans
Whatever you need, we’re here. Come and join us in person 😉
