By Stacey Orlick, IWCE's Director of Community and Conference Content

As we approach the new year, we’re getting closer to IWCE 2018, which will take place March 5-9, 2018, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla. There are big changes this year, because the event is being conducted three weeks earlier than in 2017, and we moved the show from Las Vegas to Orlando for 2018 (IWCE will return to Las Vegas for 2019).

The planning side is coming along smoothly, and we hope you will join us for an exciting event! Here are some highlights:

• Our industry is going through a major shift, and it’s been an exciting time since AT&T was awarded the contract during the week of IWCE 2017! Wednesday, March 7, will begin with morning Keynote speakers from AT&T and FirstNet. AT&T Business CEO Thaddeus Arroyo will share his thoughts on FirstNet, smart cities and more. Immediately following, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth will provide an update on FirstNet.
• Other Special Events during the week include Wednesday’s evening’s Isle of IWCE Networking Reception, Thursday morning’s general session on “Rethinking Wireless”—followed by the Young Professionals Awards—and town-hall meetings on Tuesday and Thursday from the Department of Homeland Security and NPSTC, among others. All Special Events are free to all IWCE badge holders.
• IWCE also will host three sessions presented in Spanish. IWCE En Espanol takes place on Tuesday afternoon, and is free to all IWCE participants.
• With a five-day conference on communications technology, IWCE 2018 has plenty of panels, roundtables, lectures and town-hall meetings to discuss any and all of the happenings in the industry.  Our topic list is broad and inclusive—160 sessions in 10 tracks on everything from LMR and FirstNet to smart cities and critical-infrastructure communications.
• IWCE’s Network Infrastructure Forum has expanded to a full five-day conference program, covering in-building wireless, distributed antenna systems (DAS), drones, deployables, towers, 5G and more. 
• New this year, Executive Discussions are sprinkled throughout the program. Less technical and more high-level than other parts of the IWCE conference, these sessions are for upper management or other decision makers who need to understand key factors behind technology trends and hot topics.
• Two Specialty Sessions are designed to address special-interest groups within the communications industry. The Women of Wireless Workshop will bring together female leaders within the industry to share insights and experiences related to this underrepresented group in technology. In Attracting Millennials to a Rewarding Career in Wireless, experts will share their thoughts on attracting and training younger workers as our industry faces the “silver tsunami.”
• ETA’s Education Forum is once again co-located with IWCE 2018, including 12 multi-day training/certification classes from leading instructors, and 11 short courses.
• An Exhibit Hall with more than 400 exhibitors is expected, including pavilions for Network Infrastructure, Applications, Wearable Technology and Drones.

Follow industry trends and upcoming technology transforming the communications industry, see products that bridge the gap as you continue to manage and maintain your legacy systems, and learn how to keep your technology and information safe. No matter what part of communications you are involved in, we’re talking about it during IWCE.

To join the discussion, use code BLOG to get 20% off any IWCE conference package, 10% off any ETA Training, and free exhibit-hall access. I hope to see you in Florida in March!