Vistatec was delighted to be at LocWorld49 – Malmö, Sweden. We took the opportunity to catch up with the people who participated in the conference to gain insight into what they found to be the most valuable information from this year’s conference. Here are some of the main takeaways from the event.

1. AI has triggered inevitable changes in the industry, and it will reshape service offerings.
2. Sofie Lindblom was an excellent keynote speaker sharing notes on success and using change to our advantage in defining new ways of working and collaborating. It was an inspiring keynote, given that AI was top of mind for everyone. 
3. Achieving effective stakeholder buy-in and accurately identifying crucial program modifications hold significant importance.
4. The Three Horizons approach (The Innovators’ Dilemma – balancing short, mid, and long term objectives.) The best practice suggested is a 70-20-10 split.
   Horizon 1 – Core Business: Core investment area, proven high ROI with low risk.
   Horizon 2 – Growth Business: Innovate and optimize H1, accelerating projects from H3.
   Horizon 3 – Future Business: The ideas with high risk will be tomorrow’s H1 or H2.
5. Use cases for raw MT. It is deployed for specific needs, like customer support, where immediacy is crucial, and done with a lot of care, caution, and detailed process management, including performance tracking.
6. Automation, data strategy, and the influence AI has on the present and future in the localization industry. 
7. Strategies for implementing significant alterations to an ongoing localization program
8. Machine Translation is no longer just technology. It’s all about functionality. There are concerns about data management and privacy. Responsible usage is needed—considerations and implementation of AI ethics boards within our organizations. 
9. How to manage stakeholders’ expectations in the process of introducing change.
10. Combining UX and Localization functions creates a flavor sensation like bread and olive oil! 

We look forward to seeing everyone at LocWorld50 – Silicon Valley.