Roger Smith reports on the ABA Techshow
In my (albeit limited) experience, Americans do a good conference. They have the numbers; the diversity of experience; and the energy to start at a scarily early hour. The ABA Techshow in March was no exception. Day 1 began with ‘where yoga and technology meet’ at 7am and went on through sessions that included ‘lunch n’ learn’ into ‘affinity’ dinners in the evening. Three days of this must have been pretty exhausting even if you were not an effete European who had flown into Chicago only the day before the opening.
High energy
In a way, the energy of the event was its defining feature. The conference was run by the organising committee which had been taken over by a group of powerful women, led by charismatic consultant and trainer, Adriana Linares, and which included ABA president Linda Grant. They had disqualified as a potential speaker anyone who had addressed the conference in the last five years: that dealt with most of the men. An impressive
