2019 Alexa Conference Program

Wednesday, January 16

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7:30 AM - 8:30 AM, Ballroom Prefunction

Registration / Networking Continental Breakfast

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8:30 AM

Breakout tracks begin; exhibit hall opens

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Alexa + Storytelling, Presented By Magic + Co.:

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM, Meeting Room 12

Session # 202

PANEL: The Art of Creating a Powerful Voice Experience

Jason Fields (Chief Strategy Officer, Voicify)

Neha Javalagi (VUI Designer, Witlingo)

Amanda Scherker (Head of VUI Design, Magic + Co.)

Moderator: Bradley Metrock (Producer, VoiceFirst Events; Host, This Week In Voice)

The art of creating a value-added, memorable voice experience that compels the user to return to it multiple times is not well understood. This panel, consisting of some of the leading minds in the industry today, will share their thoughts on designing for voice assistants, best practices they've seen implemented by others, and what the future holds as this market rapidly develops over 2019.

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9:15 AM -10:00 AM, Meeting Room 12

Session # 212

Novel Effect: Using Voice To Re-Write The Rules Of Storytelling And Publishing

Matt Hammersley (CEO and Co-Founder, Novel Effect)

In an era where content is king, voice provides an entirely new avenue for development, innovation and growth. Join Novel Effect’s CEO Matthew Hammersley as he explores the opportunities for enhanced storytelling in our increasingly voice-driven world, walking through the creative process, as well as going beyond the book to discuss applications for voice technology in story-driven entertainment categories such as interactive video and games.

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10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Exhibit Hall C

Coffee and Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

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10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Meeting Room 12

Session # 222

Creating Experiences That Stick:

Voice Experience Design in 2019

James Poulter (CEO, Vixen Labs)

In this session, James Poulter will talk through the key points to building “sticky” experiences in Voice that will keep consumers and business customers coming back. Sharing his experience from working at LEGO and the new principles Vixen is deploying for clients today, you’ll learn about what it looks like to build great Voice-first experiences that deliver of your goals for 2019.

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11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Meeting Room 12

Session # 232

How Gimlet Media Uses Voice To Create 21st-Century Narrative

Wilson Standish (Director of Voice, Gimlet Media)

As podcasts and voice continue their meteoric growth, the intersection of the two is inevitable. Hear from Gimlet Media's Director of Voice about the implications of podcasting products coming to Alexa and Google Home, and what new content types will be invented as a result of the new voice medium. Gimlet creates popular podcasts like "Replay All," "Crime Town" and "Science Vs." – and is developing new content specifically for smart speakers like the award-winning "Chompers" and interactive podcast extensions "Finding Dolores."

 

Alexa + Healthcare, Presented By The Intelligent Health Association:

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM, Meeting Room 13

Session # 203

The Role of Voice Assistance in Healthcare

David Box (Accounts & Business Development Director, US Healthcare, Macadamian Technologies)

Stuart Patterson (CEO, Lifepod Solutions)

This session features two insightful perspectives:

Increasing Patient Engagement & Improving Outcomes: Amazon Alexa, Siri, and Google Home have made speaking to our devices a part of everyday life. Join David Box as he delves into how voice is being integrated with Healthcare applications to increase patient engagement and improve outcomes. He will walk through use cases to demonstrate challenges, benefits; along with design, development and HIPAA compliance tips and tricks associated with voice interface-based solutions.

 

Turning Virtual Assistants into Virtual Caregivers shows how the addition of proactive-voice services under the control of caregivers will revolutionize the connected healthcare and elderly care markets. Stuart Patterson describes how micro-dialogs initiated by a smart speaker are solving the historical shortcomings of mobile device-based services by ensuring constant and frequent user engagement and enabling users to just speak naturally. Recent user stories will be used to illustrate how voice-first virtual caregiver services benefit elderly and chronically ill users in their homes while simultaneously providing valuable data and peace of mind to their remote caregivers.

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9:15 AM - 10:00 AM, Meeting Room 13

Session # 213

PANEL:

Real-World Use Cases for Alexa in Healthcare

David Box (Accounts & Business Development Director, US Healthcare, Macadamian Technologies)

Michael Eakins (Creative Lead, METIL, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training)

Joyce Even (Vice Chair, Content Management & Delivery, Global Business Solutions, Mayo Clinic)

Ken Sakal (CEO, Vohesu)

Moderator: Harry P. Pappas (Founder, Intelligent Health Association)

How is Alexa changing patient care and safety? How is it affecting the patient experience in and out of the hospital? How is Alexa impacting on healthcare processes? This panel showcases the real-world experiences of thought leaders who are using Alexa in a clinical / medical setting. Hear first-hand how to leverage this technology in your facility. 

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10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Exhibit Hall C

Coffee and Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

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10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Meeting Room 13

Session # 223

Medical Voice Technology:

In Professional Settings and in Your Home

This session features two excellent perspectives:

Voice Technology in Professional Settings explores the exciting potential for voice technology combined with Robotics, Holographic CoPilots, and Advanced Medical Equipment. The waiting room, surgical suite, and even the airplane are changing because of advances in voice interaction and natural language processing. You’ll see examples from Orlando Health, Real View Imaging, Boeing, and Tesla that use voice to enhance other professional technologies.

David Metcalf, Ph.D. (Director, METIL, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training)

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No Appointment Necessary: Your Healthcare Team Now Lives in your Home outlines how, for the first time ever, the power of artificial intelligence (AI) is allowing computers to understand the most natural form of communication: our voices. In the near future, each of us will speak with our own personal live-in AI healthcare teams that know our intimate medical details - chronic conditions, fitness levels, nutrition habits, medications, emotions, family histories, and more. Voice-enabled AI "healthcare teams” will move into our homes and provide us with 24/7/365 personalized medical care in our living spaces - our own on-demand personalized medical clinics.

Teri Fisher, M.D. (Founder, Voice First Health and Alexa in Canada)

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11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Meeting Room 13

Session # 233

Voice in Healthcare Innovations:

Intelligent Homes, Voice of the Patient, and More

Two insightful perspectives:

Voice in Healthcare Research: an overview of the innovative ways that voice technology is integrated into the research conducted at the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Simulation & Training, Mixed Emerging Technology Integration Lab (METIL). Use cases covered include intelligent homes, clinical settings, and mobile training environments.

Michael Eakins (Creative Lead, METIL, UCF Institute for Simulation and Training)

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Voice of the Patient: Can You Hear Me Now? Voice technology provides a unique opportunity to finally “hear” the voice of your patients. However, it requires a new approach to solution delivery. Opportunities to hear your patient must be built into your solution during design. Also, once your voice application has “gone live,” you must invest the time and resources into "listening" to your patients. The uniqueness of voice applications is that they are conversational, and as with all communication, we must both talk and listen. Learn strategies for building Voice of Patient opportunities into your solution and how to

Ken Sakal (CEO, Vohesu)

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Alexa + Consumer Marketing:

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM, Meeting Room 14

Session # 204

Alexa Skills And Government: How Mississippi Led The Way

Drew Levanway (Director of Operations, Mississippi Interactive)

Dana Wilson (General Manager, Mississippi Interactive)

Governments at all levels are embracing conversational technology as a means of making information about services more readily available to constituents. At the state level, Mississippi was an early adopter of Amazon Alexa, embracing the technology as far back as early 2016. This discussion will focus on lessons learned, the public’s reception, and the potential of voice assistants in the government space.  

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9:15 AM - 10:00 AM, Meeting Room 14

Session # 214

Beyond The Slots: Voice Search on Alexa Skills

Dustin Coates (Voice Search Lead, Algolia)

This session will look at how to add search to your Alexa skills. Every skill that serves information up to users needs search to find the right information, for the right user, at the right time. Voice has unique opportunities, and unique challenges. We'll discuss lessons from the field to build search in your skill that users want to come back to.

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10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Exhibit Hall C

Coffee and Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

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10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Meeting Room 14

Session # 224

Alexa Skill Developer Tools: Build Better Skills Faster

Paul Cutsinger (Head of Alexa Voice Design Education, Amazon)

Dylan Zwick (Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer, Pulse Labs)

In this session, learn about the suite of developer tools offered by the Alexa Skills team and dive into how they can help you be more productive in coding, deploying, testing, debugging, and collaborating with others on your skill.

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11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Meeting Room 14

Session # 234

MyPetDoc: The Journey To Helping Pets and Pet Owners With Alexa

Cal Lai (Chairman and CEO, Vet24seven)

The veterinary industry has been slow to adopt technology and pet owners are frustrated. Today’s pet parents, especially millennials, are closer than ever to their pets and when they have a question or concern, they want answers immediately. Cal Lai started MyPetDoc with the goal of bringing veterinarians closer to their clients and to provide pet owners with expert pet health advice when and where they need it. We first created Ask.Vet, a successful direct messaging service connecting pet owners to veterinarians. Through Ask.Vet, we were able to collect data from 35,000+ engagements, providing the framework to build MyPetDoc – the world’s first voice-driven AI SmartVet.

With AI machine learning from those 35,000 interactions, MyPetDoc for Amazon Alexa is able to provide pet owners with natural language, two-way dialog about their pet health worry. The addition of voice enables unprecedented continuity of care to the life of a pet. In general, the clear outcome is a broad refocusing of the veterinary field to no longer be solely focused on the doctor, but to be engineered around what the pet and pet owner need to bolster: the Human-Animal Bond. Voice AI extends the level of access to veterinary expertise in an accurate and personalized manner – getting the help they need, right in their own home.

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Alexa + Smart Home:

8:30 AM - 9:15 AM, Meeting Room 15

Session # 205

Off-Premise Operations: How Alexa Is Changing How We Order Food

Mo Asgari (President, Monkey Group)

Today’s technology stack for foodservice operators is evolving rapidly, and it is a critical priority to connect the dots to support on-demand multi-channel transactions. Whether those transactions are originating through online, mobile, or voice, operators need a technology stack comprised of best of breed tools to elevate their takeout, delivery, and catering service channels – a real-time experience for customers, foodservice operations, and distribution logistics. This session will provide guidance on building the technology stack which enables for seamless customer experiences, and provides operational efficiencies to manage a scalable off-premise program.

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9:15 AM - 10:00 AM, Meeting Room 15

Session # 215

The Impact Of Repealing Net Neutrality On Alexa And IoT

Radhika Kanaskar (MIS Honors Student, University of Connecticut)

In this insightful session, Radhika Kanaskar will share the findings of her honors thesis research on Net Neutrality and its future implications on Internet of Things devices such as the Amazon Alexa. She will discuss the parallels between ISPs from the past and Technology Corporations of today. She will also discuss where the regulations of these technologies might possibly be heading in the future, and how it will potentially change how we interact with them. 

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10:00 AM - 10:30 AM, Exhibit Hall C

Coffee and Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

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10:30 AM - 11:15 AM, Meeting Room 15

Session # 225

A Skill for Super Smash Bros?

Making Domain-Specific Knowledge Available through Alexa

Lucas Wonderley (Senior Software Developer, SAP)

How can we use Alexa to access specific, real-world knowledge? To find out, Lucas Wonderley created a skill that helps you learn about Super Smash Bros. It targets the competitive Smash community and provides intuitive, convenient access to information – an edge that can be the difference between winning and losing. Lucas will share lessons on building a conversational interface for specialized knowledge to benefit experts and enthusiasts. These insights can help you deliver a rich voice experience and set your brand apart.

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11:30 AM - 12:15 PM, Meeting Room 15

Session # 235

The Role Of Hearables In A Voice-First World

Dave Kemp (Business Development Manager, Oaktree Products)

This session explores the ongoing transformation that our ear-worn devices are experiencing as they transition from “dumb” devices into ear-worn computers (hearables). Headphone and hearing aid technology have progressed significantly across recent years, allowing for the devices to now support a host of new use cases, including biometric data monitoring, live-language translation, voice assistant integration, and programmatic adjustments based on machine learning. As we increasingly come to depend on our smart assistants and continue to offload more “jobs” from our smartphones and the app-economy to our smart assistants, it makes sense that we’ll want an always-available access point to our smart assistant(s). What better a place for that access point than our ear-worn computers that are simultaneously maturing in their own right?

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12:15 PM - 1:15 PM, Ballroom

Lunch

Session #241, Featured luncheon presentation:

What's New With Amazon Alexa

Paul Cutsinger (Head of Alexa Voice Design Education, Amazon)

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1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Exhibit Hall C

Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

1:20 PM - 1:50 PM

Session # 242CS, The Alexa Conference Theatre, within the Exhibit Hall

Case Study by Pound 250, America's Mobile Speed Dial:

You Want 100% Penetration, Don't You? We've Got It.

Dave Robinett (CMO, #250 - America's Mobile Speed Dial)

Remember when some mobile apps were only available on iPhone and not Android? Did you know 20-25% of mobile users still don’t (any may never) have smartphones (making your app useless)? Do you think a single Voice AI will be in every automobile in the US? (no) This is called fragmentation, which presents a challenge for brands to offer a consistent user interface for all consumers. Come learn how #250 provides a uniform voice interface to brands across the US and Canada today (no app required). It works on virtually all mobile phones in North America right now – and we can extend that reach to your Voice AI.

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2:00 PM - 2:30 PM, Ballroom

Session # 251

Why Parents Should Be Wary of Echo Dot Kids

Melissa Campbell (Campaign For A Commercial-Free Childhood)

In May of 2018, Amazon released Echo Dot Kids, a smart speaker specifically designed for children. But does "designed for children" mean "good for children"? By exploring the intersections of play, corporate marketing, surveillance, and healthy child development, this talk offers a valuable critical perspective on Amazon and Alexa's role in the lives of children and families.

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2:30 PM - 3:00 PM, Ballroom

Session # 252

Brands Are Making Money on Voice:

The Past, Present, and Future

Ben Fisher (Founder and CEO, Magic + Co.)

A brief history of brands' relationship to Alexa, from the perspective of voice consultancy Magic+ Co. Magic works as a strategic designer and executor on behalf of many different companies in many different industries, from the music industry, to top CPG brands, to energy utilities and hospitals. 

 

Ben Fisher talks about how brands can achieve their goals on voice within the context of a full marketing funnel that creates a great first impression and then a recurring loyalty experience, ultimately driving sales and building meaningful relationships between brands and customers. Also covered: future customer expectations for brands on the voice assistants, and about yet another wave of corporate disruption saying that the voice revolution is fundamentally different in both its origins and future impact to the digital transformation disruption of the last decade. 

 

3:00 PM - 3:40 PM, Exhibit Hall C

Coffee and Review of Exhibits in The Alexa World Fair

3:05 PM - 3:35 PM

Session # 253CS, The Alexa Conference Theatre, within the Exhibit Hall

Sermo Labs Case Study:

Learn the Secrets of Building Top-Trending Alexa Skills

Shanthan Kesharaju (Founder, Sermo Labs)

Building a successful Alexa skill requires a right blend of development, architecture, user experience, and marketing skills. In this case study, I will go over my journey of creating successful Alexa skills like 1-2-3 Math and World Mathematics League that made it to the Alexa Skills of the year 2018.

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3:45 PM - 4:15 PM, Ballroom

Session # 254

PANEL: How The Alexa Accelerator Has Changed Voice Technology

Milkana Brace (Founder and CEO, Jargon)

Matt Hammersley (Co-Founder and CEO, Novel Effect)

Rodrigo Prudencio (Alexa Fund)

Dylan Zwick (Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer, Pulse Labs)

Moderator: Bradley Metrock​ (Producer, VoiceFirst Events; Host, This Week In Voice)

In July of 2017, Amazon partnered with Techstars to introduce the Alexa Accelerator, an exciting new program designed to identify young companies either working currently with Amazon's Alexa ecosystem, or that had the potential to positively impact Alexa over a short-term horizon. With two cohorts of the Accelerator completed, and the participating companies making waves all over the world, this panel will share some of the experiences gained since it began, and the magnitude of the impact it has already managed to achieve.

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4:15 PM - 5:15 PM, Ballroom

Session # 255

2019 ALEXA CONFERENCE KEYNOTE:

Finding Your Voice (With Voice)

Kesha Williams (Software Engineering Manager, Chick-fil-A Corporate)

We have only scratched the surface in exploiting the true power of voice technology. The world needs more developers and innovators pushing the boundaries of what is thought to be possible through voice. However, before pushing boundaries, you have to first find your own voice and then use technology to amplify that voice. When you find your voice, you not only leave your mark on the world, you inspire others to do the same.

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5:20 PM, Ballroom

Session # 256

5 Startups Get 5 Minutes

Judges: Patrick Givens (VaynerMedia), Judy Mod (Innovations Domain), Rodrigo Prudencio (Alexa Fund)

5 startups creating products or services involving Alexa get 5 minutes each to speak. No slides, and if you go over 5 minutes, you're disqualified! The winner gets $2,500!

Participating companies:

ConverSight.AI

Voice First Tech

Virtual Concierge Service

#250

Sonic Cloud

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6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

AMAZON RECEPTION

Southside Social (1818 Chestnut Street, Chattanooga TN 37408)

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