Back from the E3CX Conference in Saudi Arabia!
One aspect that truly stood out was the hospitality.
It’s clear that this is an integral part of Saudi culture. The conference hosts went out of their way to make guests feel welcome, and there is a genuine curiosity about the reasons for visiting their part of the world.
I really hope to have the opportunity to visit Saudi Arabia again and build more rapport with a people who, in many ways, are so far removed from my daily life in the West.
Yet, they are so eager to engage, do business, connect, and learn.
The conference featured keynotes of varying quality. While some were insightful, others didn't quite meet expectations. However, the overall experience was enriched by the cultural immersion and the warm reception.
Sometimes, stepping into a completely different world is precisely what you need. Visiting the E3 conference lifted me out of the daily grind and enabled me to benchmark the capabilities of our Hello Customer CX tech internationally.
We are up there with the best, and we are pushing the boundaries of what is currently possible. We are on the right track, and that confirmation feels good.
Many players in the CX world are embracing AI, which was evident at this conference. Yet, for many, it’s still – in the words of the late great Dalida, ‘Paroles Paroles Paroles.’
That too was interesting: at such a conference, everyone wants to show off their latest finds, their newest insights, their best innovations. But as far as AI is concerned, it’s clear that the Big Leap hasn’t been made yet.
It’s still, all too often, a bit of marketing gloss, a handful of gold dust. I didn’t encounter any revolutionary innovations that blow all the old methods away.
Anyhow: great conference, superb culture shock, and it leaves me hungry for more.
Thank you very much, Michel Stevens, for your inspiration and for guiding me towards the East! 🙌
