"Why you should attend the UBA Trends Day next year"

Technology was omnipresent in the keynotes. As marketers and communication experts, we must understand how AI works and how it can assist us. You’ll probably be just as amazed by the capabilities of OpenAI's text-to-video generator Sora (still not available to the general public) as we were.

How long will it take before the 100% personalized BVOD campaign is sent out into the world? Not if, but when will AI surpass Google Search? And will the big platforms remain free or switch to a paid model? We don’t have the answers yet, but one thing is certain: technology will continue to change our world and the way we work.

Despite all that technology, the trend in every story was human centricity. Our profession begins and ends with understanding humans. A trend becomes a fad when it does not fulfill a basic human need. And those needs naturally evolve. Do you hit the right chord? Then you're a winner. Taylor Swift breaks record after record after record because she studies, understands and authentically plays to her fans. Empathy remains the essence of our craft.

The word of the conference was awe. It was launched in the trend awescapes (nature makes people happier and brands respond to this), presented by Livia Foretti of Trendwatching. Each speaker elaborated on this. Cambridge Dictionary defines awe as "a feeling of great respect sometimes mixed with fear or surprise. Winning brands not only sell or deliver, they also understand and touch their target audience.

Burger King turned hangovers into an awe experience during the end-of-year period by offering discounts based on facial recognition technology. Saucony rewarded its target audience if they ran a longer distance than they scrolled on their smartphones. With this activation, the brand undoubtedly provided an awe experience.

Humor makes a great story even better. Not only the content during such a conference, but also the speaking talent on stage is captivating. The exceptional storytelling skills and sometimes beautifully designed slides inspire you to do better yourself for your colleagues or clients.

Ken Hughes used 30 minutes of very clever humor to keep 1400 marketing leaders glued to his Taylorgating story. A clever build-up and clever timing made them think at various points about what their brand could learn from the pop wonder's tribemarketing.

Research shows that the best workplace is not created by Nespresso, Poké Bowls or fun parties. Superb colleagues make the difference. The "no rules rules" story, based on Netflix's corporate culture, starts from this philosophy. A fascinating story that is definitely worth looking up and will make you - like us - think.

To wrap up this thought, here's one last reason to consider attending the UBA Trends Day. A large conference is often a chance to reunite with ex-colleagues or partners you don’t see often. It’s also an opportunity to expand your network. UBA pairs you with colleagues from other companies during lunch (this year provided by Balls & Glory). Together, we tried to figure out if AI was used to assign seating at the tables. We didn’t find the answer, but it was nice to meet new people.

So, will we see each other next year at the Trends Day? We’ll definitely be buying a ticket again.