Michele Dobnikar is the president of webcasting solution GlobalMeet. Based in Divide, Colo., she's a member of multiple leadership organizations including Chief Executive Women, a private network built to drive more women into positions of power, as well as a member of the advisory boards for Plumlogix and Zschool.
How she got her start: "As president of GlobalMeet, I’ve built a reputable career in event technology over the last 30 years. Since 1990, I have served in various leadership positions [at the company], from senior vice president of client services to chief integration officer, managing director of EMEA—where I built and led all facets of business in Europe—executive vice president, and now president. While abroad, my team and I spearheaded GlobalMeet’s operations and successfully brought industry-leading product offerings to customers across Europe. In just four years, we grew the startup to a $36 million operation.
With more than three decades of experience spanning all production, sales, and management levels in the event industry, my background has enabled me to successfully spearhead the industry’s most reliable and secure webcasting platform on the market. To date, GlobalMeet is trusted by five out of 10 of the largest U.S. banks, the world’s top four accounting and consulting firms, and 50% of Fortune 500 pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. I’m extremely grateful for the experiences I’ve had and the challenges I’ve endured because it has provided me with the knowledge needed to continue succeeding and leading a top company in this competitive market. I thrive in developing strategies and tactics that encourage out-of-the-box thinking, which has led to my most recent career accolade as president of GlobalMeet."
What innovation means to her: "Without innovation, how can we move forward and excite? Over the last two years, GlobalMeet as a company has faced formidable challenges that we’ve been able to overcome solely through our unwavering determination and dedication to modernization. Sometimes you just need to get back to a startup mentality, an openness to embrace real change, and to move at the pace of innovation in both your solutions and processes.
To stay innovative and forward-thinking, I surround myself with colleagues and individuals who share the same excitement and passion for this industry. In my mind, innovation means thinking outside the box, stepping outside your comfort zone, and truly embracing an idea and going for it."
Memorable moments: "Last year, Elon Musk was a guest speaker at a conference that was hosted on the GlobalMeet platform. Just 15 minutes before his speaker session, he tweeted 'Livestream interview in 15 mins at Morgan Stanley Conference.' The expected attendance for his session was estimated to be 500; after his tweet, GlobalMeet scaled the session to 25,000. This memorable moment exemplified our unmatched scalable capabilities and ability to roll with the punches."
The event tech advancements she's most excited for: "Over the last year, we’ve been working tirelessly to modernize, innovate, and expand GlobalMeet’s capabilities. Artificial intelligence has played a large role in these developments. In April, we announced some new capabilities such as the introduction of AI algorithms that enable the camera to detect the faces of presenters and dynamically adjust face framing in real time, promoting greater eye contact, engagement, and inclusivity by featuring active speakers.
Event technology is expanding quickly from contactless check-in to integrated apps, wearable devices, and even cutting-edge accessibility tools. I’ve watched as we’ve rapidly grown into the digital age from a time when Zoom was revolutionary to now, where virtual reality is commonplace. I’m most excited to see virtual events become even more immersive, incorporating aspects of augmented and virtual reality and holographic technologies."
What she's working on next: "AI will continue to be a strong theme in our product development. One of the first use cases is to leverage AI to provide easier and more accurate transcriptions and translations. We are also working on using AI to create summarized 'CliffsNotes' for virtual event sessions, making it easier for users to find event sessions and even specific sections of an event that relate to topics in which they are interested. Finally, we are exploring how AI can help give feedback to presenters to help them deliver more engaging and interesting presentations."
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