But Didn't Know to Ask
Since ChatGPT exploded in our lives in 2022, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already having a significant impact on the tasks and and requirements needed for today's education and professional work. While many are fearful that AI will replace the need for many, the reality is much more nuanced than what many are preaching, though the skill sets and tasks required are evolving. Attend this session to keep up the various tech tools that will impact your career moving forward.

Today's high-profile hacks of major organizations and institutions have increased awareness of the issues of digital security, yet most people are compromising their personal and company's information on a regular basis, which can put their business…and themselves…at risk. Attendees at this session will better understand the digital risks and learn to separate truth from hype about how secure their presence is.

Your New Normal: High Tech, Low Cost & DIY
This decade's greatest tech business challenge is the need to continue to find ways to integrate technology into their services while maintaining control of their bottom line. The creation of high-tech functionality, once the domain of talented yet pricey coding specialists, is becoming a critical part of the skill set of everyone. Having these skills helps you to assist your organization while improving your own skill set and marketability. From creating apps to voice interfaces and mixed reality, this session shows that the tools to create exceptional tech functionality reside in your hands, and within your budget.

Digital Literacy and the Business Professional: An Unachievable Expectation or the Ultimate Goal?
We live in an era where enormous amounts of information is freely available. And that is a double-edged sword. Your tech skills and know how are always being tested. Since the time you have to learn new information is so short, it means you need to separate noise from nuance more quickly than others do.

Digital literacy has different meanings to different people, but at its' core, it reflects an ability to understand multiple technologies that impact your work and personal lives, and know how to use those technologies harmoniously. So what are the components to digital literacy? And can mastery of it exist in a a world of endless information? Attend to find out.

Video Killed "Saved" the Business Star
You thought video was important to your organization's success prior to the pandemic? Now more than ever, understanding the fundamentals of video editing, formats and streaming services will increase your ability to inexpensively produce and deliver content essential to the success of your group, while reducing the need of expensive outside services. This hands-on session will use free yet powerful software to learn the essentials of audio and video editing your organization's content, no matter whether it came from an online meeting or professionally recorded material. In addition to understanding the basics of editing, this session will compare video delivery services to help better understand security and sharing options.

Your Essential Digital Toolbox: Making the Most of Tech Tools to Enhance Your Productivity
Apps, web resources, digital shortcuts…there are thousands of tools and services out there for you to use. But which ones are the ones that can really save the day? How can you build that essential digital toolbox which always can provide the right tool for each job…one where most of the tools are completely free? Whether you're trying to build an app (yes, you can do that for free) or ensure that your organization can optimize their social presence, or whether you just want to be able to do something quicker and easier, this session is essential to enhance your productivity.

The Essential Guide to Successful Presentations
Are you back to giving presentations in a live setting, or are most of your presentations (whether they are sales or education) virtual? Either way, there are core skills required which help you to master both platforms. While many of the principles apply to both styles, nuances abound for the two environments, including how the pandemic not only changed online presentations but live ones as well.

Join tech champion and professional speaker (20+ years) Jim Spellos to help you create and deliver presentations that win the day.

Your Business Will Never Be the Same: Hot Technologies 2023
How are you keeping up with the technological advancements that impact your job and career? Do you find that you're barely able to keep pace with the latest developments? This session reviews what's new and way cool in technology in this fun, fast-paced look at what's here for us to use now and what's coming in the near future, including the latest information about virtual & augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and other important tech trends.

It's App-tastic: 60 Apps in 60 Minutes
You thought you have all the apps that you need? Perhaps, but as more and more mobile apps are developed, business professionals are finding new ways of saving time and increasing their productivity. Whether you're looking for tools to help manage your social channels, connect and communicate with your team, supercharge your office, or looking for that needle in a haystack that will save you endless time, this session is sure to provide you that information. Attendees are encouraged to bring their mobile devices and share their favorite apps with their peers.

Google-licious: More Than a Search Engine
Everyone knows that if they want to find out about…anything…all they have to do is ask Google. But how we interfaced with Google in the past years has greatly changed, due to the impact of new technologies and devices. As Google continue to add services and tools to its platform, most people are just still using the basic functionality…if that much at all.

This session is for everyone from Google novices to search engine pros. It will demystify how to use the various search tools to find what you need…and do so in a minimal of time.

Re-Energize Your Life
As organizations and individuals attempt to return to pre-pandemic productivity, it's become clearer that focusing on the health of people is one of the best ways to enhance your company's bottom line. And what's good for your productivity is also best for the sustainability of the planet.

Holly Duckworth and Jim Spellos both overcame major adversity to learn that the secrets of employee productivity (through a healthy lifestyle) are right at their fingertips…and they want to share those secrets with you and your team.

They have created a program designed to focus on improving the mental and physical health by demonstrating how and why lifestyle, mindfulness and healthy eating are essential components of optimal health & productivity as well as benefiting society as a whole..

Eat...As If Your Life Depended Upon It
The Centers for Disease Control have identified that nearly 75% of all Americans over 20 can be considered overweight or obese. Metabolic syndrome conditions such as overweight, high blood pressure, high blood sugars and high cholesterol significantly increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and many cardiovascular and other life-threatening diseases. To improve your health, the stories, backed by rigorous science, point in a single direction - adoption of a whole food, plant-based lifestyle is the healthiest way to go.

This session will explore the journey of Jim Spellos, as he navigated his career in the hospitality industry, who ignored the warning signs which nearly cost him his life and livelihood, and how he has used his new lifestyle knowledge to become the healthiest person he has ever been...and share with you the essential information you need to know.

Do You Want the Drug?: A Journey to Optimal Health
You think that your health isn't a big deal…until it is. The lifestyle and choices a person makes can seem harmless until one day, it almost takes their life away. Tech teacher and hospitality industry professional for 40 years Jim Spellos takes us on his personal journey of saving his own life…and hopefully many others…by sharing how the simple choices we make every day affect our health and life enjoyment. As part of this journey, he shares the tech tools that should have been on his device (and that he wants to be on yours) to ensure that if something happens to you, a colleague, an attendee or a friend, you optimize your chance of survival.

Critical Excel Tools for the Business Professional
Excel is the most used desktop software, yet many people only know how to harness a fraction of its' potential. Not only a tool for budgeting, Excel is the perfect tool for many list management needs within an organization. This session is your opportunity to explore all of the functionality that Excel has to offer, and take home with you tools to save you and your organization time and money.

By attending this session and you will work with and receive an Excel shortcut cheat sheet, as well as being able to receive all of the sample worksheets utilized during the class.

A working knowledge of Excel is strongly recommended to attend this course.

Power Excel for the Business Professional
Prerequisite: Critical Excel Tools for the Business Professional or similar Excel skills and knowledge (user can filter, sorter, and work with data & formulas between multiple worksheets).

Excel users who are already comfortable with Excel fundamentals (from creating spreadsheets to sorting & filtering information) must attend this class to learn more about advanced Excel functionality. Using sample workbooks, this course focuses on functions and other advanced features that will enhance the users' knowledge and customization of Excel, as well as learning about many of the "hidden" Excel functions available.

Presentations 2023: Advanced PowerPoint and Beyond
Whether you're a speaker or an event planner, understanding how to best showcase the presentation of your conference speakers is a critical tool for success. Death by PowerPoint need not be the norm for your presenters. This session will discuss advanced PowerPoint options to ensure that the presentation has the greatest impact, as well as showcasing non-PowerPoint tools for presentations. Additionally, a discussion on the critical computer cable interfaces will enhance the attendee's knowledge to prepare their speakers, or themselves, for success.