Company owners will discover how the latest technological trends can help keep their businesses competitive at the ninth annual PA Business Technology Conference, presented by the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Using Technology to Increase Profits and Remain Competitive, which will take place on Thursday, Nov. 13, in the Union, will feature educational sessions, a technology demonstration and a trade show. Attendees will hear presentations on Google Tools, LinkedIn, SEO (Search Engine Optimization), do-it-yourself web design and digital marketing plans.
“Most businesses understand that using technology in your organization is important,” said Dr. Mary McKinney, director of the SBDC. “But how you use technology and which technologies you use to enhance your business’ profitability changes daily. It is no longer an option to use these tools. Rather, it is how quickly you embrace and integrate them into your business that determines how you gain more customers, become more efficient and keep up with your competition.”
The conference will also include a breakfast “Technology Think Tank,” featuring Jay Markey, president and owner of Green Seven Technology, an information technology service company. During his presentation, How Close Are You to a Disaster? Keeping Your Data Safe, Markey will explain how no company is too small for a data breach and will provide advice on how to keep data intact.
“Small businesses are actually more susceptible because they often don’t think they have the type of information hackers want, so they don’t protect their data well,” Markey said. “But they have information that is attractive to criminals. Typically, hackers go after small businesses, because they are the ‘low-hanging fruit.’”
The conference lunch will feature a keynote lecture from Anind Dey, director of the Human Computer Interaction Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. Dey’s presentation, Novel Ways You Will Be Connecting to Our World in the Next Five to Ten Years Through Mobile Devices, Gaming and Computers, will preview how technology may look and feel in the next decade as devices become smaller, smarter and more convenient to use.
For more information on the conference, call 412.396.1633 or visit www.duq.edu/TechPower. The cost to attend the conference is $139 or $50 for students with ID or for those attending only the keynote lunch.