It’s easy to build a bot; it’s hard to build a useful bot. Chatbots have been circulating the buzzword bins for the last two years, and a day doesn’t go by where you don’t hear about some new chatbot being launched to support customers or processes. Now, look at your phone. How many chatbots are you using? Go ahead. I’ll wait. With chatbots, you can easily build a novelty, but without a clear plan and intuitive design, you might build something that works, but that nobody wants to use. For this luncheon, we’ll discuss what it takes to build a useful and compelling chatbot, as well as how to design and prototype bots before you build them. We will then go over a “useful” chatbot application, and how it was built from end-to-end.
About the Speaker
Michael Szul has spent two decades in software engineering in industries as diverse as insurance, energy, travel, and higher education, including consulting with companies such as AIG and Conde Naste. He has worked in both application and product development, as well as framework creation, code generation, API building, and machine learning. Szul is a speaker, blogger, podcaster, Microsoft MVP in AI and Developer Technologies, and author of Building Chatbots in TypeScript with the Microsoft Bot Framework. Currently, he is the manager of undergraduate medical education applications for the University of Virginia’s Health System.
Thank you luncheon sponsors:
Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe’s.
Join the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council on September 24th for our annual Fall Tech Mixer. Hosted by the SVTC’s Board of Directors, this is our fall networking event.
Come and find out what the SVTC is doing as an organization, and what our members are doing individually. This is our second biggest event of the year (only Tech Nite is bigger). This is where the growing technology community goes in the fall to catch up. SVTC members are corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, coders, programmers and more. Membership is not required to participate in the Fall Tech Mixer nor many SVTC events. Feel free to invite a co-worker, customer, friend or spouse (please register each).
Come out and join current and potential members as they mingle and network. Appetizers are ‘on us’! Drinks are Dutch treat.
Parking: we recommend the Water St. parking garage; the restaurant is right across the street (see downtown Harrisonburg parking information).
Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe’s.
Description
This presentation will focus on understanding the 3 different types of strategic disciplines. What are their differences and how businesses often gravitate to one not realizing the others are blind spots? How to build a strategy that leverages all 3 and how to do that to build a better organization. An ideal topic for business leaders looking to take their business to the next level or understand how to pivot from stagnate/declining revenue.
About the Speaker
David Deaton, founder of Deaton Group, LLC, has over two decades of experience transforming organizations through strategic planning, market research, and effective execution. David has partnered with organizations worldwide ranging from startups and nonprofits to global businesses to improve growth, manage change and transformation, and develop strong strategic foundations to build and sustain their success. As the former Director of Strategy and Market Research for the CFA Institute Asia Pacific region, David has extensive experience in both qualitative and quantitative market analysis. He then went on to become Global Strategic Planning Director where he developed organizational strategy and departmental alignment, guided new teams and projects through effective launches, helped teams plan for implementation, and provided group facilitation for departmental strategic planning. We know that organizations can overcome their toughest obstacles and reach new levels of success through sound strategy. We’re here to make that happen.
Gathering women “in tech” on October 29 for an informal gathering from around the Valley to connect, network, and share ideas. This is a first meeting to get acquainted – let’s see what, if anything, we want to do. From students to professionals, we welcome all those who identify as women or girls interested in or associated with technology.
Take a look at an organization in Charlottesville, Charlottesville Women in Tech (https://www.cvillewomen.tech/), we are keeping them in mind as we start a conversation among women who are in tech, in the Valley. As always, that’s anywhere on the range from tech user to tech creator. Elaine Cheng, Chief Information Officer, Shentel and Nicky Swayne, CEO, Shen. Valley Technology Council will facilitate the meeting.
Please pre-register to attend so that we can bring pre-printed nametags for attendees.
Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe’s.
Save the date for the Legislative Pre-Session Breakfast!
The Shenandoah Valley Technology Council and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce together host the Annual Pre-Session Legislative Breakfast at the JMU Festival and Conference Center. This breakfast is a time when we listen to and engage with our area legislators about issues affecting business in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. Additional details TBA.
Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe’s.
Come join us for Bits & Grits at Mrs. Rowe’s in Staunton! This is a casual event. Just show up to drink coffee, have breakfast, or just talk with fellow techies in the Shenandoah Valley. Attendees should look for Kurt Plowman when entering Mrs. Rowe’s.
