7:30 AM
Registration
8:15 AM
Project Voice Overview
Bradley Metrock (Host, This Week In Voice; Executive Producer, Project Voice)
8:20 AM
Welcome to Chattanooga
The Honorable Andy Berke (Mayor, City of Chattanooga)
8:30 AM - 9:05 AM
Session #202, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
THE AMAZON ALEXA KEYNOTE:
Alexa, What Can I Do Now?
Jeff Blankenburg (Alexa Evangelist, Amazon)
Every year, the Alexa Skills Kit (ASK) grows in capabilities and features. With more than 100,000 published skills, ASK continues to push forward, making new opportunities for developers who want to build engaging voice experiences with Amazon Alexa. In this session, we discuss the latest trends in conversational artificial intelligence, highlight some of the most innovative skills, and provide an overview of everything that has been released in the past year for the ASK, including expansion to Hindi, natural language evaluation, and leaderboards.
9:05 AM - 9:35 AM
Session #203, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
Alexa Skills Paid For My Tesla
Nick Schwab (Alexa Champion; CNN article on Nick Schwab here)
When Nick Schwab released the first sleep sound on Amazon Alexa in October 2016, he never imagined it would catapult him onto a path of serving millions of users or buying his dream car: a Tesla Model 3. In this session, you'll be inspired by the creative origin of his sleep sounds empire, get an exclusive look at his company's key performance metrics, and learn why Nick is betting big on a voice-driven future (and why you should too).
9:35 AM - 10:00 AM
Session #204, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
Voice-First Technology and Beyond: The Mayo Clinic Experience
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D. (Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic)
An insightful look at how Mayo Clinic’s team of experts use voice-first technology, API delivery, and AI platform voice enablement for Chatbots, mobile and web voice applications, and smart speakers to support healthier, happier living and how Mayo Clinic’s focus on practice, education and research better serve the needs of the patient. Dr. Sandhya Pruthi will also discuss challenges to consider in the adoption and future of voice technology, including building a responsive conversational interface using artificial intelligence, implementation into the clinical work flow, and bridging clinic and home.
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Coffee / Networking / Review of Exhibits
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM Press Briefing (by invitation only)
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM BOOK SIGNINGS
Session #206, Tuesday January 14
Breaking Digital Gridlock (John Best, President & CEO, Best Innovation Group)
Session #207, Tuesday January 14
Ubiquitous Voice: Essays From The Field (Lisa Falkson, Senior VUI Designer, Amazon)
10:05 AM - 10:25 AM
Session #208, Tuesday January 14
Case Study: what3words + Amazon Alexa: Bringing Voice To Next-Gen Navigation
Tom Blaksley (Technical Sales Director, what3words)
Have you ever had an Uber drop you off at the wrong place? Or perhaps had your voice assistant confuse “241st Street” for “240, 1st Street”? In this session what3words dives into why and how these frustrations led them not only to build a voice-first addressing system but also their latest skill, 3WordGo. Now with nothing more than a hearable and a single utterance, people can hail a ride to precisely where they want to go - first-time, every time.
10:30 AM - 12:10 PM Breakout Tracks:
ALEXA + MARKETING:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #211, Tuesday January 14
10 Hot Takes from (Nearly) 3 Years of Building for Voice
Tom Hewitson (CEO, Labworks.io)
You may have heard the podcast or seen the debates it started -- but now you can hear the full unvarnished talk in all its controversial glory as Tom Hewitson, the founder of one of the leading indie development studios on Alexa, takes a whistlestop tour of where developers and the platforms are going wrong and what we need to do to build a voice ecosystem that works for everyone.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #221, Tuesday January 14
Marketing and Branding in a Voice-First World
Moderator: Bradley Metrock
Jennifer Bullion (Bixby Marketing, Samsung); John Iwasz (CTO, Whetstone Technologies); Brandon Kaplan (CEO, Skilled Creative); Will Hall (Chief Creative Officer, RAIN Agency)
The ubiquity and functionality of voice assistants and smart speakers in our lives have created numerous marketing and branding opportunities for savvy companies paying attention to this technological evolution. This panel will explore best practices that have already been making an impact.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #231, Tuesday January 14
The NFL's Finding Its Voice With Voice
Ian Campbell (NFL Innovation Lab); John Gillilan (Founder, Bondad.FM)
A talk for any brand, media company, or sports-related organization that is getting started with voice. We’ll walk you through how the NFL Labs team has spent the past year and a half working in voice. We started with a vision that offered a glimpse of what a voice future might look like for fans. We worked with the voices of the NFL - The players, NFL Network hosts and staff, which helped us create fan-centered conversational experiences. We created installations and prototypes to test and learn about the kinds of content they’re interested in. We worked with our content teams to establish four unique styles of voice content - News, Editorial, Interactive, and Storytelling. We launched “The Rookie’s Guide to the NFL” with our partners at Alexa. We’ve learned a lot and are excited about the future of voice across the NFL.
ALEXA + HEALTHCARE:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #212, Tuesday January 14
Ensuring Privacy and Security in a Voice-First World
Nate Treloar (President and COO, Orbita)
Our modern digital world is increasingly shrouded in concerns about personal data privacy and security - concerns that are arguably justified and regularly re-enforced by news stories about massive data breaches. With the rise of voice-powered virtual assistant technologies, we have added a new dimension to these data privacy and security concerns. Individuals want to know if their smart speakers are listening to their conversations. Enterprises, particularly in an industry like healthcare, want to know if voice-powered virtual assistants can comply with strict regulatory and corporate privacy and security requirements. In this session, we will analyze the privacy and security concerns with voice-first applications and review the emerging best practices, with examples, for creating safe, secure voice applications.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #222, Tuesday January 14
Thoughts From Both Sides of the Stethoscope, With Alexa in the Middle
Robert Kolock (Retired Healthcare Executive and Creator of Six Alexa Healthcare Skills)
Join Dr. Bob Kolock, a retired physician executive turned Alexa Skill developer/hobbyist, as he discusses some potential use cases for Voice within healthcare delivery. He’ll focus on how voice can help counter the widening gap between the demand for healthcare and the supply of healthcare providers, as well as the decreased sense of a personal relationship between those parties when care is delivered.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #232, Tuesday January 14
Conversing with the EHR
Yaa Kumah-Crystal, M.D. (Assistant Professor, Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center)
This session will discuss the use of natural language discourse to interact with the Electronic Health Record, leveraging voice as a primary medium. We will highlight the promise of voice as an interface in the medical field and the technical aspects that will need to fall into place to fully realize this promise.
ALEXA + STORYTELLING:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #213, Tuesday January 14
My Box of Chocolates: A Storytelling Experiment with Alexa
Amy Stapleton (CEO, Tellables)
In this presentation, the team from Tellables will share what they're learning as they define the art of "conversational storytelling" for voice first platforms. With a year's worth of experience operating a voice-first publishing platform for independent authors, Tellables has published a dozen "chocolate assortments" to their "My Box of Chocolates" skill on Amazon Alexa. Each box contains original bite-sized conversational stories written by independent authors. Learn what's working, what's not working, and where the Tellables team plans to take their interactive storytelling platform next.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #223, Tuesday January 14
The Future of Fatherhood Technology
Justin Batt (Author, Daddy Saturday; Speaker, TEDx)
When Justin Batt released the Daddy Saturday Amazon Alexa skill, it was to use voice to help fathers be more intentional and engage their kids in epic activities. In this session, you'll be inspired to be a more intentional and engaged parent, get an inside look at the Daddy Saturday Alexa Skill, learn exclusive news about future releases, and discover how Daddy Saturday is leading with voice to change the future of fatherhood.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #233, Tuesday January 14
Reinventing Storytelling: Voice + Narrative
Ron Martinez (Principal, Headcanon)
Though the storyteller’s art and its effect on audiences may be timeless, the means by which stories are created, distributed, and experienced inevitably evolves alongside the rise of new platforms.
And Voice is definitely no exception.
This session will briefly take us through the ongoing evolution of narrative - from pathway books to interactive fiction, graphic adventures, narrative simulations, and massively multiplayer games, to the rise of audio and voice. Within this context, Ron Martinez aims to illuminate the great and as-yet untapped narrative and market power inherent in voice platforms like Alexa. On the production and distribution front, he’ll also present the new Headcanon Voice Publishing platform, which enables the rapid creation and delivery of a new generation of episodic stories, marketing and learning content, and more for Alexa and other voice platforms to follow.
ALEXA + SMART HOME:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #214, Tuesday January 14
PANEL: The Emergence of Hearables
Moderator: Bradley Metrock; Dave Kemp (BD Manager, Oaktree Products); Andy Bellavia (Director of Market Development, Knowles Electronics)
Voice tech is rapidly evolving to move beyond the mere smart speaker to encompass technology that becomes additive to our person. The market for hearables is poised to explode, and joining Project Voice for a panel to take a more critical look at this new market are some foremost experts in this new and emergent space.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #224, Tuesday January 14
Entering Voice as a Multi-Brand Company
Rachel Waldstein (Director, CRM & Retention, Wolverine Worldwide)
Nick Laidlaw (CTO, Voicify)
Wolverine Worldwide has a portfolio of over ten shoe brands. Activating a new channel is carefully considered and planned. Yet over-planning can create latency and missed opportunity as a first mover and CX differentiator. Hear about Wolverine’s process of activating not one, but three voice endpoints (Google Assistant, Bixby, and Alexa), all at once - from the kernel of an idea to overcoming technical and management challenges identified through business planning.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #234, Tuesday January 14
PANEL: Voice Tech Abroad: Emerging Trends
Moderator: Kane Simms (Host and Producer, VUX World)
Tim Kahle (Co-Founder, 169 Labs); Adva Levin (Founder, Pretzel Labs), James Poulter (CEO, Vixen Labs); Jeroen Vonk (Innovation Designer, Dutch Government)
For this session, we’re joined by some of the world’s leading minds in voice to take a look at the emerging voice trends across Europe and the wider international space. We’ll be looking at user behaviour and adoption, success stories and what’s on the horizon. If you’re considering branching out beyond the US and extending your voice experiences to an international market, this session will share some insights on how to do just that.
ALEXA + EDUCATION:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #215, Tuesday January 14
New Life For Liberal Arts: Why Emerson College Has Embraced Voice Tech
Sanjay Pothen (Director, Emerson Launch, Emerson College, and Alexa Fund Innovation Fellow)
After the waves of print, web, and mobile, the world is moving back to voice. In a field that is surrounded by engineers, coders, and tech developers - learn how Emerson College is leading the conversation on voice creative and design. This session will delve into how liberal arts degrees are claiming their space in the industry, the importance of communication and the arts in turning voice technology into a human experience, and what initiatives Emerson is taking to prepare and engage our students for a voice-enabled world.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #225, Tuesday January 14
Going Voice-First In K-12: Using Alexa To Improve Student Outcomes
Julie Davis (Director of Instructional Technology & Innovation), Lorraine Hoffman (Director, International Student Program), and Students Mint Meesuk, Loc Pham, Kevin Zhou, and Alisa Zhu, Chattanooga Christian School)
Julie Daniel Davis will share how Alexa is currently being used in different ways at her K-12 school to support the learning in various classrooms at her school. She will be joined by several Asian International exchange students and the ELL teacher with whom she’s been working. Learn how Alexa is aiding these students when studying for tests in their courses while helping them with English pronunciation at the same time. Are you wondering about the pros and cons from a student perspective? At this session you’ll hear the thoughts of actual students and teachers using Alexa.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #235, Tuesday January 14
Fireside Chat With Voxable: Building With Voice
Lauren Golembiewski (CEO, Voxable) and Matt Buck (CTO, Voxable); Moderated by Bradley Metrock
In this fireside chat, Voxable CEO Lauren Golembiewski and CTO Matt Buck will discuss their perspectives on the voice industry -- from conversational design methods and tools to how voice technology is positioned to fulfill the promise of ethical, omnipresent computing. Voxable spent the last four years helping companies -- Fortune 10 to startups -- design and develop voice interfaces. Through their experiences with clients, extensive research, and time working with voice technology, Lauren and Matt recognized the need for a new conversational design tool built specifically for designers. Voxable’s next initiative is to launch Voxable Studio, independent and open source conversational design software that enables people to create more intuitive, natural voice experiences.
ALEXA SPECIAL SESSIONS:
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Session #216, Tuesday January 14
From Dental Education to Your Personal Brand:
How to Make Winning Voice Skills Content
Chithra Durgam, DDS (Co-Founder, DentalFlashGo)
Why should content creation should be important to you? We’ll discuss the importance of content creation for personal/business brands, how social media impacts voice, the limitations of current platforms, and the best way to position yourself in the next couple of years in a voicefirst-dominated environment.
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM
Session #226, Tuesday January 14
Interactive Music in Voice Apps
Einat Laudon (Founder, Chatty Creations)
There are many definitions of Interactive Music. Einat Laudon will talk about how music can be designed for users to take part in, affect the outcome, or control the overall experience. The discussion will include examples outside the world of Voice technology. Next, a discussion of how interactive music is currently being implemented in today’s voice experiences. These include voice apps such as “The Muffin Man - Interactive Song,” by Chatty Creations. Finally, you’ll learn why interactive music is a great use case for Voice, what the current practical limitations are, and how these types of voice experiences might evolve in the future.
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
Session #236, Tuesday January 14
Alexa + Jenkins: Say Hello to Voice Controlled CI/CD
Kesha Williams (AWS Technical Instructor, A Cloud Guru; Alexa Champion)
Automated builds, test automation, and code deployments are pivotal to teams that want to adopt a successful approach to DevOps. Voice has proven to be a simple and frictionless way to interact with technology. What happens when you combine voice with CI/CD? The process of getting project code to production can be further automated when using Alexa to trigger a Jenkins pipeline. Attend this session to learn how to employ serverless technology to create a private Alexa for Business skill (specific to your organization) that magnifies efficiency by integrating Jenkins with Alexa.
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12:10 PM - 1:15 PM Lunch / Networking / Review of Exhibits
12:30 PM - 12:50 PM
Session #242, Tuesday January 14
Case Study: Chatting with Your Data
Mike Rossetti (Director of Sales, Conversight.AI)
Natural Language Understanding (NLU) technology - interpreting speech or text - is a major breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence. It allows automated conversations with customers or employees to deliver information or take action. It can improve sales, customer service, employee efficiency, and more. ConverSight.ai’s AI companion, Athena, empowers enterprise users and customers with real-time data insights. Come see how MAVPAK, a packaging material distributor, is getting real-time insights, saving them $1 million in four months.
12:50 PM - 1:10 PM
Session #243, Tuesday January 14
Case Study: Voice + AI + Customer Care
John Ball (Founder, Pat.AI), Beth Carey (CEO, Pat.AI)
How good would it be if intelligent assistants and chatbots could understand human language? Come and see how new meaning-based conversational AI technology enhances the customer care experience. OR, said another way for the “nerds” ... Come and see how symbolic AI augments Deep Learning conversational AI solutions and platforms. We’ll showcase recognition of language in machine-readable form, conversation, and translation.
1:15 PM - 2:45 PM WORKSHOP
Session #250, Tuesday January 14
Voice Prototyping: Using Voiceflow To Chart The User's Journey
Emily Lonetto (Head of Growth, Voiceflow)
Braden Ream (CEO, Voiceflow)
Voiceflow makes it easy to design, prototype, and build voice apps for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, without coding. To date, Voiceflow has powered over 60 million end-user interactions across the 5,000+ voice apps hosted on their platform. Come learn how to use Voiceflow to prototype amazing conversational interfaces easily, and quickly, across multiple platforms.
1:15 PM - 2:45 PM Breakout Tracks (continued):
ALEXA + MARKETING:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #251, Tuesday January 14
Improving Customer Retention for your Alexa Skill
Anna Van Brookhoven (Alexa Evangelist, Amazon)
For your Amazon Alexa skill to be successful, it’s critical that you are able to retain your customer base. Retention indicates people are using and enjoying your skill, which is a key factor to understanding the short- and long-term value of your skill. In this session, learn the retention mechanisms you can use to keep your customers coming back for more.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #261, Tuesday January 14
Alexa Hearables & Multi-Modal: Breaking Down New Opportunities for Marketers
Dave Kemp (BD Manager, Oaktree Products); Katherine Prescott (Founder and Editor, VoiceBrew)
With multi-modal smart displays starting to go mainstream and Echo earbuds picking up early adopters, 2020 will be the year when Alexa decisively expands beyond the smart speaker -- and beyond the home. Join our session to learn about new ways users will engage with Alexa in these new modalities and how brands can capitalize.
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #271, Tuesday January 14
Flash Briefings: Engagement vs. Exploitation
Amy Summers (Owner, Pitch Publicity)
Engaging audiences before pushing and promoting services and self has powerful and sustainable benefits. Learn the strategic skill of developing a relationship first through voice by using best practices of public relations before turning your flash briefing into a marketing machine.
ALEXA + HEALTHCARE:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #252, Tuesday January 14
PANEL: Alexa and Its Impact on Health and Wellness
Moderated by Harry P. Pappas (Intelligent Health Association); Teri Fisher, M.D. (Alexa In Canada / Voice First Health); David Metcalf, Ph.D. (UCF Institute for Simulation & Learning); Bianca Phillips (Author, Making The Digital Health Revolution); Ken Sakal (Director, Product Management, AireHealth)
Join our panel of Voice thought leaders to hear how, even at this very early stage of adoption, Voice Virtual Assistants / Smart Speakers are transforming the delivery of educational information -- not only to both the patient and the clinician in the hospital, but also to the caregiver and the consumer in their home. You no longer need a PC, laptop, or a tablet to access Health and Wellness information; all you need is your VOICE.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #262, Tuesday January 14
Alexa and Longevity: Aging In Place Today
Mark Gray (President and CTO, Constant Companion)
This session will share effective solutions from the voice industry that are having a positive impact in the lives of older adults, US military veterans and other adults living alone. See how empathy, data, and voice solutions can create engaging experiences both for users and for their caregiver networks.
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #272, Tuesday January 14
Bringing Healthcare Home Through Alexa
Oskar Kiwic, M.D. (President, CEO, and Founder, CardioCube)
Rodney Anderson, M.D. (President, Family Care Network)
This session discusses ways healthcare providers can use voice to transform the relationship patients have with their doctors. This is valuable for patients, who must develop trusting relationships with their physicians. It's just as valuable for physicians as they strive to provide high-quality patient care while keeping burnout at bay. CardioCube supports physicians in maximizing the time they spend with patients while relying on our voice-based AI platform to support patients - in their homes - with check-in, medication reconciliation, and chronic condition management.
ALEXA + STORYTELLING:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #253, Tuesday January 14
Speak Up America: Using Alexa To Engage With Government
Joaquin Beltran (CEO - Community Empowering Organizer, Speak Up America)
Being civically engaged shouldn't be a challenge, it should be a choice. Hear how Speak Up America has made it easier for people across America to make their voices heard on important issues they care about just by using their voice! See how change is created and the impact Speak Up America is having in empowering people to bring the changes they care about to their communities. Learn from the perspective of an entrepreneur whose previous experience includes working on successful presidential and local political races and in advocacy to create policy changes.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #263, Tuesday January 14
How I Got Thousands Of People A Day To Listen To My Flash Briefing
Adrian Simple (Editor, The Gaming Observer)
The Gaming Observer has become an essential part of morning routines across the world. How did Adrian Simple make that happen, and what has he learned along the way? There are no easy answers to creating a successful flash briefing, but there are certainly building blocks that will put you in the best position possible.
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #273, Tuesday January 14
PANEL: Podcasting In The Voice-First World
Moderator: Bradley Metrock
Steven Goldstein (CEO, Amplifi Media)
Podcasters, already riding the wave of a new media frontier, have a unique opportunity to ride an entirely new wave: the growth of podcast listenership through voice assistants and smart speakers. As voice-first technology makes the shift from being merely reactive to becoming more proactive, podcast discoverability will change completely, creating a new landscape. This panel will explore that future, which is heading in our direction sooner rather than later.
ALEXA + SMART HOME:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #254, Tuesday January 14
Voice 2.0: True Success Needs Compelling Consumer Experience
Cal Lai (CEO, Ask.Vet)
Join Ask.Vet CEO Cal Lai as he discusses how AI + voice must create a compelling customer experience to be truly successful. Many of the world's first round of voice solutions have been focused on improving efficiency and corporate metrics. This does little to meet the needs of, or inspire, consumers. Voice 2.0 must focus on meeting the consumers where they are -- phone, app, smart speaker, computer -- and on creating a true consultative experience. Learn how Ask.Vet used 250K pet owner and veterinarian conversations to understand the needs of the market and to feed the AI + voice engine that drives two-way conversation, providing expertise and actionable insights that consumers crave. Cal will share the story of how heuristic AI + natural language voice technology is radically changing the delivery of animal health care today.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #264, Tuesday January 14
Chatbots, Prototyping, and Voice
Obaid Ahmed (CEO, Botmock)
Rapid-prototyping can help you find the right solution in the quickly changing landscape of voice platforms. In this talk we will explore how you can use rapid-prototyping to build the experience that your users would enjoy. From helping thousands of designers design conversational experiences across multiple platforms and mediums, Botmock will share what it’s learned, and outline an iterative design method that can help your team stay ahead of the curve.
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #274, Tuesday January 14
Got Data? The Role of Analytics in Conversational Interfaces
Arte Merritt (CEO, Dashbot)
Come learn about the role of analytics in conversational interfaces - how they differ from traditional web and mobile analytics; how to use analytics to increase engagement, user satisfaction, and monetization; as well as insights and learnings from the data Dashbot is capturing, having processed over 80 billion messages.
ALEXA + EDUCATION:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #255, Tuesday January 14
Alexa & English Language Learners (ELL): Some Remarkable Findings
Dorothy Daniels (Ed.D Candidate, Northeastern University)
Nationwide, the number of students learning to speak English is increasing rapidly. Since English is crucial for these students to achieve academically, this issue must be addressed. Can speech recognition devices help? Speech recognition is one of the newest tools in education to access information from the internet and promises to engage and motivate students to learn (Mitchell, 2017). Research shows a variety of ways to use ASR devices to motivate English language learners to practice and improve their speaking skills. Come discover potential solutions to help English Language Learners use Alexa to learn!
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #265, Tuesday January 14
#Alexa4Edu: How Alexa Can Re-shape The Modern Classroom
Rebecca Dwenger (Instructional Technology Consultant, Hamilton County ESC)
Alexa is reshaping the modern classroom. Learn how educators are using Alexa in their classrooms right now, as well as its future potential. As an educator, coach, and Alexa enthusiast Rebecca Dwenger has observed and influenced the use of Alexa in many classrooms across the country. This session will delve into the educational applications including time-management, supporting students with special needs, differentiation, English Language Learners, productivity as a teaching assistant, student engagement, and more. Alexa really is a game-changer in the classroom. Come find out how!
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #275, Tuesday January 14
Developing an Alexa Skill Voice Interface for the Moodle LMS
Michelle Melton (Developer, Appalachian State University)
With the rapid growth of voice technology in the past decade, voice interfaces have become significantly more important for modern applications. Both Blackboard Learn and Canvas by Instructure have Amazon Alexa skills that provide basic course information such as announcements, assignments, and grades. In the past year, Michelle Melton developed the first distributed Amazon Alexa skill for Moodle that can be integrated with any instance as a Moodle plugin. Learn about the process of developing the Alexa skill, including voice interface design, Alexa Skills Kit front-end development, and Moodle plugin back-end development.
ALEXA SPECIAL SESSIONS:
1:15 PM - 1:45 PM
Session #256, Tuesday January 14
The Ethics of Designing for Voice in Cars
Bradley Metrock (Mod); Brooke Hawkins (Senior Conversation Designer, Myplanet); Jeremy Wilken (Host, Design For Voice)
Voice in the automobiles is considered one of the ideal use cases, but it also requires considerations that are unique to drivers. Join us for a panel talking about the ethics involved in building voice experiences for the car, why it is different from building voice experiences in other contexts, and how you can think through ethical considerations in your work.
1:50 PM - 2:20 PM
Session #266, Tuesday January 14
Marketing for Voice: Discoverability and Repeat Usage
Daniel Hill (IT Project Manager, Columbia University Medical Center)
You've just created a skill - now what? How can you let people know your skill exists, and gently remind them to keep coming back? In this session, we'll review case studies of other voice brands successfully continuing to keep their audiences engaged.
2:25 PM - 2:55 PM
Session #276, Tuesday January 14
Searchable Audio in the Voice-First Era
Rachel Batish (VP Product, Audioburst)
With over 100 million active monthly users of Voice in the U.S. and 121 million consumers listening to an average of 2 hours of talk audio daily, it would only be natural for talk audio to be available via voice assistants.
But it isn't.
In this session, I will share how we saw an opportunity to change the poor state of content discoverability by capturing audio, indexing it, and making it searchable. A process that unlocks access to millions of hours of broadcast content and makes it available for voice assistants as well.
2:55 PM - 3:45 PM Coffee / Networking / Review of Exhibits
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM
Session #281, Tuesday January 14
Case Study: The Making Of More Than Just Weather And Music
(Lauren Helmer, editor; Bradley Metrock, author; George Otvos, illustrator)
In this case study, hear from the three-person team behind the hit book More Than Just Weather And Music: 200 Ways To Use Alexa. Why was the book created? What was the process the team used to produce it? What insights about Alexa were gleaned in the process? All that and more will be covered.
3:20 PM - 3:40 PM
Session #282, Tuesday January 14
Case Study: Voice Tech and Utilities: How to Win Work and Power Progress
Laura Frantz (Lead IT Project Manager, ICF)
Want to help build a greener future? Beyond just smart device control and bill payments, voice can help utility customers use less energy, learn about carbon alternatives, and more -- but voice for utilities remains a largely untapped market. In this session attendees will learn what's happening currently in the voice for utilities space, will hear innovative use cases that seed ideation and imagination, and will hear do's and don'ts of pursuing and working with highly regulated utility clients.
3:20 PM - 3:40 PM BOOK SIGNING
Session #283, Tuesday January 14
More Than Just Weather And Music: 200 Ways To Use Alexa (Bradley Metrock)
3:45 PM - 4:15 PM
Session #284, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
PANEL: VC Investment in Voice
Moderator: Bradley Metrock; Jon Bradford (Partner, Dynamo Ventures); Daniela Braga (Founder & CEO, DefinedCrowd); Marc Ladin (General Partner, VoicePunch); Jeff McMahon (CEO, Voicify)
Venture capital, slow at first to move into voice, is now heating up. This panel will explore how investors look at this new, emerging space, dotted by tech behemoths but full of opportunity for enterprising startups to carve out meaningful positions of added value.
4:15 PM - 4:30 PM
Session #285, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
Change the Wake Word: Alexa Is A Human Being
Lauren Johnson (Alexa Is A Human)
Amazon's decision to name its voice assistant a human name came with consequences, according to Lauren Johnson, who started the "Alexa Is A Human" campaign. Describing how her daughter, also named Alexa, has been regularly bullied in school as a result of Amazon's naming decision, Ms. Johnson seeks to have Amazon change Alexa's name for good. This fireside chat, moderated by Project Voice executive producer Bradley Metrock,will unpack this prickly issue and examine a human cost to this technological movement.
4:30 PM - 4:45 PM
Session #286, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
Awesome Aariv: How a Fifth-Grader Changed the Game
Aariv Modi (A Fifth-Grader Who Loves Alexa)
Aariv Modi began developing Alexa skills in 5th grade, and now, as a 6th grader, he has a number of well-regarded voice experiences under his belt. Aariv will share why he initially was drawn to Amazon's Alexa ecosystem, what he's learned in the process of developing skills, and what he's looking forward to doing next!
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Session #287, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
Best Practices with Flash Briefings
Teri Fisher, M.D. (Host, Voice First Health; Founder, Briefcast.FM)
With flash briefings quickly becoming the hottest new distribution platform for short-form audio, now is the time to start creating your own briefcast! A flash briefing is one of the best ways to build your audience, grow your business, promote your non-profit, or share your passion, but what are the best practises today? In this session, Dr. Teri Fisher will share his experiences of creating the top-ranked flash briefing in Canada for almost 700 consecutive days, and talk about what works (and what doesn’t work!) to create the best briefcast possible. Consider this a crash course on how to get the most out of your own flash briefing!
5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Session #288, Tuesday January 14 MAIN STAGE
#AlexaDevs: Developer Ethics Roundtable
Moderator: Bradley Metrock
Steven Arkonovich (Professor, Reed College); Emily Binder (Founder, Beetle Moment Marketing); Nick Schwab (Alexa Champion); Bob Stolzberg (Alexa Champion); Mark Tucker (Alexa Champion); Sarah Andrew Wilson (CCO, Matchbox.io)
From voice developers using unscrupulous means to get users to leave five-star reviews, to creating copycat skills designed with no regard to user confusion in mind, to several other landmines along the path of evolution in the voice-first realm, this panel of voice developers will share their views on how Amazon can make Alexa's ecosystem a better and fairer place.
5:30 PM - 8:00 PM PROJECT VOICE AFTER-HOURS EVENT
Session #291, Tuesday January 14 , Meeting Room 12
Put Voice in Your Mobile App
Mike Tatum (CEO), Noel Weichbrodt (Principal Engineer), and Josh Ziegler (Principal Engineer), Spokestack
Come learn how to use Spokestack's open source libraries and TTS service to add voice to your app! This is a hands-on workshop led by the developers who built Spokestack. By the end of the workshop, you will have the tools to add voice to your mobile app.
After the workshop, developers are invited to compete to win $500 (1st), $300 (2nd) and $200 (3rd) for apps that best integrate voice into their existing, demo, or new apps using Spokestack. Judging and awards will take place on Thursday evening after the last presentations at Project Voice. All participants will be invited to participate in the last day of Project Voice and attend the social hour where prizes will be awarded.
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PROJECT VOICE AFTER-HOURS EVENT
#SkillSetters Presents Skill Flash Networking at Project Voice
Public House Restaurant
1110 Market Street - easy walking distance from Chattanooga Convention Center
#SkillSetters is honoring Bradley Metrock, founder of Project Voice and author of More Than Just Weather & Music: 200 Ways To Use Alexa
You’ve heard of speed dating? Get ready for Skill Flash Networking! Increase the discoverability of your Alexa Skill or Flash Briefing live at #SkillSetters premiere event at Project Voice!
This VIP event will be limited to 50 seats. Cost: $35 (includes appetizers, welcome cocktail, signed copy of Bradley Metrock’s Alexa book). Register at: bit.ly/flashmeet