By Thornton May
Futurist, Senior Advisor with GP, Executive Director & Dean - IT Leadership Academy

“What’s Next?” is THE question in the technology, durable goods, food and fashion industries. “Who’s Next?” lies at the pulsing heart of the music, entertainment, political, and sports world. Mastering Next is integral to success in every vertical market. A question smart executives need to ask themselves is where are the best and most actionable discussions regarding Next happening?

In Search of Meta-Next Watering Holes
I am a shared space aficionado. One of the smartest people I know – Moshe Rubinstein, beloved professor of engineering [emeritus] at UCLA, author of The Minding Organization and Extraordinary Outcomes and one of the world’s leading experts on creative problem solving – imprinted on my behavioral DNA the maxim that conversation between knowledgeable people is the quickest and most affordable path to true wisdom.

These conversations happen in shared spaces [i.e., meetings, conferences, trade shows, random collisions in hallways].

Next Lessons from CES 2016
The Consumer Electronics Show may not be for everyone. Pack 170,000 über geeks [most of whom never met a technology they did not fall in love with] into a confined space with 3,600 tech companies [most of whom are incapable of crafting a realistic use case or value proposition] mix with alcohol, loud music, flashing lights, sleep deprivation and hyper-caffeination and you get the general zeitgeist.

CES is an important shared space in the digital ecosystem. You don’t necessarily have to be there but executives do need to know what went on there.

Verticals Gone Digital
My fraternity brother at Dartmouth, Jeff Immelt, CEO at GE may be the most visible but certainly is not the only non-technology CEO to recognize that his organization’s next is all about digital. At CES we saw just about every major auto brand climb on the digital bandwagon. Ford started the charge in 2007. The underlying trend being that automotive companies understand that they have to start thinking and acting like technology companies.

Invidia – the graphics chip company is prototyping a supercomputer that fits in the trunk.

There is a related trend wherein technology companies have to start understanding the business fundamentals of the vertical markets they hope to sell product and services to.

Drones for Adults
Prior to 2010 drones were primarily a military technology. In 2014 drones were for hobbyists. In 2015 drones were a big holiday gift idea. In 2016 drones are being deployed in the delivery, agricultural, photographic, real estate, insurance and utility industries.

Battery life continues to be an issue.

Virtual Reality [VR]
VR is on the cusp of breaking out of its gaming ghetto. Prior to 2016 most interesting VR applications revolved around gaming. In 2016, at CES we saw how VR could be a game changer in the retail simulation space. Stanford/University of Toronto start-up Modiface allowed shoppers to see whether periwinkle is really the best option for your eye shadow.

It’s All About the Partnerships
In the white-hot wearables space Sports apparel über-brand Under Armor announced “The Healthbox” wearables fitness kit  [band, scale and heart rate monitor for ~$400] designed by HTC with data analytics provided by IBM’s Watson.

The Samsung Smart refrigerator has partnered with Mastercard [the fridge buys groceries with your credit card].

A good indicator of where next is involves reviewing the partnership pipeline of companies you are doing business with.