Worldwebforum 2019: Stay relevant or be replaced
The 7th Worldwebforum at Stage One in Zurich has become a mega-event: 1,500 participants from 31 countries, a main stage, and numerous themed tracks, as well as many prominent figures, including Swiss President Ueli Maurer and rock star Bill Wyman.
Purpose - what does a company stand for? A central question at this year's Worldwebforum.
The abundance of speakers and tracks did not make it easy for participants to gain an overview and choose the right one. This also made it clear that the current format was reaching its limits. In the opening speech, Federal President Ueli Maurer spoke about Switzerland as a "blockchain nation", but did not specify what he really meant by this and where the benefits for our country could be found. Digitalization is important and everywhere, and so the magistrate stuck to platitudes that have often been heard before. Nevertheless, it is to be commended that he took the time to open this important conference.
A subsequent panel then discussed the significance of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies and the impact of these developments on institutions such as the Swiss National Bank and Six/Swiss Exchange. Andrea Maechler from the Governing Board of the Swiss National Bank came across as somewhat disconcerting here, taking a very defensive stance on the topic of cryptocurrency and blockchain and lacking a healthy openness towards new opportunities in the currency environment. Topics such as digital health, mobility, the food chain and the future of marketing were then discussed both on the main stage and in the various tracks.
With the variety and wealth of information in the presentations and panels, it was important to differentiate between short-term and long-term opportunities and effects. The impression that many relevant topics were addressed, but then remained on the surface in the concrete treatment, was confirmed.
Some takeaways from the conference:
- In the labor market, the focus will not be on unemployment, but rather on retraining for the new skills.
- In the digital age, it is not about technology but about value creation solutions using new technologies.
- According to the McKinsey study, 50% of today's jobs could be automated - but only 10% of jobs can be replaced by machines.
After this year's list of speakers did not quite have the charisma of previous years, it will be a real challenge for founder Fabian Hediger to maintain the previous top level for the 2020 conference on January 16 and 17.
Text by Christoph Oggenfuss, Front Office Architect, CE-Owner markITing ag Zurich
