Management

Imagine Nation ELC 2018: Cyber, Customer Service and Emerging Tech Are on the Table

Hear from DOD, USDA, White House officials and more at the major federal conference of the season.

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Elizabeth Neus is the former managing editor of FedTech and the former producer of FedTech's award-winning Feds in the Field video series. The Washington Nationals are her team; 80s Brit pop is her sound.

Federal officials who have attended the annual conference organized by ACT-IAC will notice a few changes this year: a new location, a new atmosphere and a new name.

Imagine Nation ELC 2018 begins on Oct. 14 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia with an expanded, multistage space “designed to spark the imagination, inspire bold thinking and fresh ideas, foster collaboration and dialogue and spotlight the newest and most relevant technology,” as the event website says.

The conference will provide four days of speakers and sessions from all corners of the federal government and a variety of industry leaders, plus immersive training sessions on emerging trends, hot technology topics and strategic management.

Keynote speakers include Defense Department CIO Dana Deasy; Margaret Weichert, serving as both deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget and, as of Oct. 5, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management; and Suzette Kent, the federal CIO.

Nongovernment keynote speakers include actor Keir Dullea, who played astronaut Dave Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey, and foreign policy expert and author Anne-Marie Slaughter, president and CEO of New America, a public policy institute.

Feds Focus on Modernization, Cybersecurity and Customer Service

The conference’s Center Stage will feature speakers covering emerging technologies such as virtual reality and blockchain, plus cybersecurity issues including offensive strategies and contractor liability after breaches. IT modernization and new ways of managing are also on the agenda.

TechKnow Showcase hubs — four in all; think Lollapalooza’s simultaneous side stages — have their own themes. At the Customer Experience Hub, listen to officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and the General Services Administration discuss how they made their agencies more customer-friendly.

The Cybersecurity Hub will provide speakers with tips on security, while the Modernization Hub will walk attendees through the process of upgrading an agency’s IT.

The Emerging Technology Hub will show off the latest devices and practices, such as the Transportation Security Administration’s use of machine learning to detect threats and the National Institutes of Health’s work to employ blockchain in preparing healthcare products for market.

Imagine Nation ELC’s mobile app can help attendees plan their schedules and keep track of speakers at the multiple stages. It also provides speaker bios, an attendee list and an activity feed that lets everyone know what’s trending.

During the conference, follow us on Twitter @FedTechMagazine and contribute to the social media conversation and see what others are talking about by using the hashtag #ImagineNationELC.

FedTech staff will be in Philadelphia to cover the conference through video, articles and social media, delivering insights, information and best practices from top federal experts. Bookmark this page and follow all of our coverage here.

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