Is COLLISION becoming a verb?

If you are reading on a smartphone, use landscape / hold phone sideways.

You know how Zoom became "a verb" during the pandemic? I think the same thing is happening with COLLISION. 

When the world stayed home due to COVID, everyone from CEOs to first graders turned to Zoom to stay connected. As a result, "Zoom" has graduated to verb-status, supplanting "hop on a video call" in much the same way we tend to "Google" topics regardless of the search engine. 

I love it when a CEO of a major company is interviewed on the Sunday Morning TV shows and the host of the show says something like "Well, all of you Zoom companies...." and you just watch the face of the person being interviewed. 

Ah yes, body language at its best.

COLLISION (noun) which can be an instance of one moving object or person striking violently against another - or - an instance of conflict between opposing ideas, interests or factions. 

We just finished up COLLISION 2021 and I think that COLLISION is on its way to having a branding moment. 

Growing up in the 60's Zoom used to mean to me "Zoom: Kids PBS TV Show" to "Zoom: move or travel very quickly" to "Zoom: camera change smoothly from a long shot to a close-up or vice versa." Or maybe how Superman would take off: "Then suddenly, Zoom!, he's off!"

NYDLA - NADLA has supported both Zoom and also COLLISION from their births. I mean, we are the distance learning > DIGITAL learning > DIGITAL LIVING association. 

And we now service all of North America, not just the "New York Megalopolis." 

Due to the pandemic, "COLLISION: The Olympics of Tech" made the pivot to VIRTUAL from classic LIVE events. This year, COLLISION was supposed to be post-COVID and live in Toronto - LIVE! I have never been to Toronto! I always wanted to GO to Toronto! 

Alas, this year, once again, we attended COLLISION - from our homes. 

Spoiler Alert: COLLISION 2021 was not the best virtual event of the past three years - it was the best EVENT. Period. Virtual or otherwise. 

I am one of those crazy people who, when attending  a live TRADE SHOW finds the Northwest Corner of the building, and then I go off walking serpentine visiting "every damn booth" of the show. I know JAVITS CENTER NYC like my own home. And don't get me started about how many aggregate miles I've walked over the years, attending CES in Vegas. 

This year, from my super comfy X-Chair I once again attended three days of COLLISION from the comfort of my home office. NYDLA.org has supported COLLISION every year since attending COLLISION 2016 New Orleans. 

2016 was cool - my son Tommy and I had a great time bonding, as we ALSO attended Jazz Fest (going on at the same time as COLLISION). When Web Summit (COLLISION's sister conference in Europe) started in 2010 it could hardly predict that it would become Europe's biggest tech conference. Their focus was on creating the best little startup conference they could. People liked it. And from those first 400 attendees, word spread, and it grew to 22,100 attendees from 110 countries. 

COLLISION in the United States grew even faster. My memories of visiting the New Orleans legendary bars, restaurants, streets and more - with my son - are still very vivid and amazing. 

Zoom became a verb. Yep. I say that COLLISION will follow Zoom. Just as Zoom no longer means a Kid's TV show, or a button on a camera, or a Super Hero flying through the sky, COLLISION will soon "first" mean world's largest tech event - live, virtual or hybrid. 

I lost count how many times "Zoom" was mentioned during COLLISION. I have not validated this, but I am 99% sure that the video features of COLLISION were powered by Zoom. COLLISION has created its own proprietary virtual event technology, and, in my humble opinion (as of today) it is the gold standard for hosting virtual events. The UN has used the COLLISION virtual event technology for UN events. Cool. 

When Zoom started around 10 years ago, could they have predicted that the world would one day be www.PoweredByZoom.us ? I think not. 

The MINGLE feature of COLLISION was like speed dating with 38,000+ people. AI technology matched me up with like-minded people for 3 minute "who are you - what do you do" conversations. I met some AMAZING people over three days. One thing very cool: I would just say "hey, just go to TomCapone.com and let's connect." Perfect "expert level" trick for speed dating during online at virtual events - or even live events. Did you click on TomCapone.com yet? Get on it! 

Speaking of speed dating: I now have a man crush on Ryan Reynolds. Spoiler Alert: looks like Mint Mobile is about to become a major value-added member benefit for the millions of members of NYDLA - NADLA. You cannot do DIGITAL LIVING without wireless and mobility, right? 

As I sit here in my X-Chair, I wonder how many of my speed daters are going to click on TomCapone.com this week. If it is anything like last week, I'm gonna to need a bigger boat...

Ryan Rodney Reynolds (actor and entrepreneur) is now a friend. As is Patrick "Paddy" Cosgrave. I hope that I do - but I might never "MEET meet them" in real life. I think that in the future, we shall start calling people by "how" we know them. "Joe is my best Zoom Friend." 

Crazy: if I DID go LIVE to Toronto this year, I would not know Ryan Reynolds as deeply as I do right this minute. Ryan would have been up on stage, and then he would probably leave the stage, waving good-bye to a room of 40,000+ people. 

For me - virtual was actually better than LIVE. Did I mention that I was sitting in my X-Chair, from my home? With my dog? I "may" have been wearing long pants during COLLISION. Let's say yes, I was indeed wearing long pants when I met Ryan Reynolds. Much better visual, yes?

Also this: I have asked my new VIRTUAL BFF and COLLISION / Web Summit main dude Paddy Cosgrave to do a www.ZoomTalks.us interview with me, now that COLLISION 2021 is in the history books. I am sure he is going to retweet this blog today. 

Right Paddy? Paddy? Hello.....

Distance Education has become just Education. Telemedicine has become just Medicine. eCommerce has become just Commerce. Remote Work has become just Work. 

I predict that in the future, our "Zoom Friends" and our "COLLISION Friends" shall become (and will be known as) just - friends. 

Just don't ask him about Green Lantern...