January 2020: The Consumer Electronics Show (aka It Takes a Village)

This January, I had the opportunity to give a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show - Digital Health Summit in Las Vegas. Putting together a good presentation that keeps an audience engaged isn't easy, and in this case a number of people helped make it happen.

First, there is the woman who gave me this opportunity. Back in October, she had an idea for a topic that would allow our company to bring something new to the audience. As a Marketing leader for the company, she looks for ways that we can support the company's brand and make a positive impact in the market. Bringing together the focus of the conference -- digital technology and healthcare -- she had the idea of tying it to some work we've been doing on diversity and inclusion. If it wasn't for her, this opportunity would never have been available to me.

Second, there is the amazing data man who sliced and diced the information available so that I was able to find a compelling story for the audience. It wasn't enough to say "diversity and inclusion are important", I had to show how specifically it matters for the health and tech industries and give the audience some action steps that are relevant. Not only did he provide me with the data, he answered all my questions and then was a patient reviewer as a fine-tuned the presentation and rehearsed over...and over...and over.

Third, there is the amazing designer who turned my charts into graphics that were clean and clear for the audience, aligning with the company's branding. This isn't simple PowerPoint stuff that I could do on my own; it required a professional designed who understood the points I wanted to make and made slides to support (and not distract from) my message. I know they looked great, although the one time I peeked over my shoulder to see them, it was a giant shot of me on the stage, which threw me off for a moment!)

Fourth, the hair stylist. I wanted to look good on stage and not be fussing with my hair when I got to Vegas. The woman I go to back home new exactly what to do so that my hair would hold up and look good when I got off the plane. She's known me for years and she gave me some makeup suggestions as well, since I rarely wear it. In the end, I felt like I looked great and I could focus on the content of my presentation, not checking myself in the mirror.

Fifth is my "handler". The Marketing team had someone to guide me through the venue and be sure that I was where I needed to be for the presentation and the post-presentation interview. He kept me calm and focused, especially when I found out I was on stage in between Dr. Oz and Katie Couric! And, he kept it together when I had a momentary panic upon realizing I left my phone in the ladies room and had to run back for it about 10 minutes before I was due at the microphone station.

So...five thank you notes for January 2020, as I embark on year two of my thank you note commitment.