Yes, I know “brain rot” is two words, but when you are the Oxford University Press, you can pretty much decide to do what you want, and what’s more, nobody challenged the OUP.
This year a contender for Word of the Year may be “future.”
At least that’s the case for conference themes.
Organizing conferences can be lucrative. The International Institute of Knowledge Management is one of those organizations that has built a business around conferences.
TIKIM’s website entices with “Join the Network” and “Build the Future.”
The institute is offering The 8th International Conference on Future Education 2025 in July.
And then there is TIKM’s Exploring Collaborative Processes and Multiplicity: Join The 8th International Conference on Future of Women 2025.
Darn, that was in February. I missed that one.
TIKM may be on to something though.
One speaker at a TIKM World Conference on Women’s Studies titled her presentation, “Why women don’t actually use their enormous power.”
We’d all like to know the answer to that one, wouldn’t we, ladies?
And we thought we were making strides.
There’s even a Future Festival, which is “a Trends & Innovation Program that will train your team in the must-know consumer insights, trends and innovations surrounding your industry.”
I suppose Future in titles of conferences could be because looking forward just sounds so positive. Nobody wants to sit through a whole day of “Disasters of Last Year” — I can think of a bunch around the world and closer to home all on my own.
And let’s please avoid, “Why We Aren’t Recovering Economically post-COVID.”
The Future it is, then.
Not to be outdone, the Asia Pacific Association for Fiduciary Studies has chosen its theme for the annual Fiduciary Week in November: “The Future Steward: Promoting global sustainability through social (sic) responsible investing.”
And the Society for Human Resource Management’s Guam Chapter says this about its conference in August:
“AdaptHRs 2025 is more than a conference — it’s a call to action. A moment to step into your power, reimagine your role, and connect with a community of professionals who, like you, are shaping the future of work.”
What I can tell you is by the time you read this, my husband and I will be living in the future and on vacation in Europe.
Wish us luck.
The new landscape of travel includes electronic travel authorizations before you head out in the form of ETA and ETIA applications, biometrics and more — and long lines to enter a country.
These electronic travel authorizations are the latest thing. If a country doesn’t have one, it will. Japan has an e-visa, but its JESTA is in planning.
The U.K. and Europe are now negotiating on ETA and ETIA-free travel, but not for this year. That agreement lies in the future. mbj
— Maureen N. Maratita is the publisher at Glimpses Media. Glimpses Media includes the Marianas Business Journal, Guam Business Magazine, The Guam Guide, Wave 105.1 FM, Power98 and Route99.
