Horsing Around: Inside the 2017 TechServe Alliance Conference

It doesn’t take much to herd up the echogravity team and convince us to don a pair cowboy boots. That’s why you could find the entire team at this year’s TechServe Alliance Conference, hosted at Wild Horse Pass in Chandler, Arizona. Against a background of beautiful mountains and desert, we took the opportunity not only to gain some cutting-edge insight into the IT staffing industry but also to spend some precious time team building and bonding.

We’re always excited to get together outside of work, and the first day in Arizona did not disappoint, with a once-in-a-lifetime team building activity. We truly had to work together as we saddled up at a local Equestrian Center and were instructed to lead a herd of cows back to the center’s main arena. We’re pretty good at marketing together, but rounding up a herd of cows while cantering along horseback is a very different game!

Back from the ranch, the TechServe Conference was packed with keynote speakers, roundtable discussions, sessions, and parties. We were pleased to see many of our existing clients and meet a lot of new faces.

This year’s Conference was founded upon three main themes: Growing Revenue, Improving Profitability, and Preparing for What’s Next. Of particular note was a keynote speech from Chris Fussell, Partner at McChrystal Group Leader Institute. His insight was memorable because his expertise in business is based on his experience in the U.S. Navy. Fussell makes the argument that the biggest risk for an enterprise is the lack of agility in adjusting and adapting to change in external environments. Although small teams and departments can be powerful in making these adaptations, operating from a siloed foundation naturally creates barriers to reaching common goals for the organization. Does that sound familiar? Fussell says that narrowing down the “why” of your organization, in addition to some other strategies, is one of the most impactful ways to overcome this challenge. At echogravity, helping companies create this “why” narrative and implement it in their marketing efforts is something we’re passionate about.

Fussell’s insight and advice was just the tip of the iceberg regarding the rich education we gained at the TechServe Conference. Employee branding was also a theme that came up over and over again, a topic that we at echogravity are dedicated to keeping front of mind as we assist our clients in implementing their own brands. We were delighted to follow up these insightful sessions and discussions with events like Careerbuilder’s Wild West evening, where we got some practice with a lasso, horseshoes and even ax-throwing!

Were you at the Conference this year? We’d love to connect further and share our experiences with you. Just shoot us an email or give us a call!

Can’t wait to see you at next year’s conference!