Accounted4 sent a team of 6 over to Brisbane, Australia for the 2018 XEROCON. And what a trip it was! As we walked into the Brisbane Convention Centre on Day One to a DJ pumping music into a Blue lit room we could have been mistaken for thinking that we were entering a nightclub. The focus this year was #human, with the opening act emphasising exactly this - Tom Thumb is an artist who makes music with only his voice, that is every single sound you can think of - he can make.
Steve Vamos, recently appointed Chief Executive Office of Xero is our first keynote speaker.
"Xerocon gives us a reason to stop and appreciate just how special the Xero community is, and how important the bond with our partners is, as we work together to achieve a common goal – to help small businesses grow. If you look back 12 years to when it all started, it's amazing to think that Xero has grown from one country to 180, one subscriber to 1.4 million and one person's idea to a global team of more than 2,000 people. We have an amazing foundation to build on, thanks to Rod's vision and the incredible team and community who've made Xero what it is today."
We then hear from Professor Genevieve Bell who takes us on a journey through the AI revolution, Human-Computer relationships in the 4th industrial age. "AI is nothing more and nothing less than the steam engine of the 21st century." Read more about Professor Bell's keynote speech here.
What's New in Xero? Herman Man - Xero's VP of Product then takes us into the future of accounting and how cloud technology has changed - check out what he has to say here.
The final keynote speaker for Day One is Dr Gill Hicks - a 2005 London Bombing Survivor who asks the question "What's the worst that can happen?" We were all captivated by Dr Gill Hicks story and inspired to go out and LIVE our lives. Read about her keynote here.
If we weren't already inspired enough we split off into breakout sessions where we learnt about advisory, new products, security right through to diversity and inclusion and the power of the full Xero stack. Woah! And to think that is only Day One!
Once again we walk into the Convention Centre with a DJ playing music to get us fired up for Day Two! Our first Keynote speaker is Author and Blogger, Mark Manson. Mark spoke about "Choosing your struggle: finding happiness by focusing on what matters". Read how to Choose Your Struggle here.
We then get to hear about why "The 1% is everything", Tent Innes, the Managing Director of Xero Australia explains why, "... bigger numbers are never a measure of success unless they come with the trust and advocacy of your community. And that means continuously showing up for your customers." Read more from Trent's Keynote here.
Once again we are all inspired and continuously learning as we head into our next round of breakout sessions covering a vast array of topics from training sessions,data automation and apps through to demanding work-life balance for yourself and others.
As Xerocon 2018 draws to a close we hear from Founder Rod Drury and how excited he is for the future. The final act of Xerocon 2018 is with the Mayor of Wiggle-Town teaching all 3500 of us sign language and dancing to Freddy Mercury - #human.
What a ride!
