Kicking Off CentralSquare ENGAGE 2023

Two days in and it’s already safe to say that ENGAGE 2023 is one for the books. We kicked this year’s conference off in true Nashville style, welcoming over 2,000 attendees to our opening reception at country music’s biggest stage, the Grand Ole Opry.

Attendees filled the venue to hear the Nashville Cover Band perform some popular country music hits.

With a night of fun, live music and a bit of line dancing, everyone was fueled to begin a week full of educational sessions, inspiring keynotes and networking opportunities.

Keynotes

“A commitment to continual improvement,” as CentralSquare’s CEO Manolis Kotzabasakis stated. Monday’s sessions began with the executive keynote, “The Power of Together,” highlighting CentralSquare’s dedication to improving the customer experience to better serve communities.

CentralSquare is focused on prioritizing customer needs and feedback, providing the best solutions that help customers achieve their mission.

The keynote also touched on CentralSquare’s plan to invest in innovations and advancements for what the public sector will need next. We are working to offer technology that meets present and future needs.

Overall, the commitment is to meet customers where they are on their journey with CentralSquare products, and we achieve this through constant collaboration, communication and transparency.

Session Highlights

Among the many valuable sessions throughout the day, “Video Streaming in Next-Gen 911” highlighted a key issue in public safety technology, focusing on the impact of video in 9-1-1 call-taking and its effect on dispatchers.

Chris Carnahan, Emergency Communications Manager of the South Metro Fire Rescue, discussed the importance of dispatchers having the control to determine which calls are necessary to receive video, and if the video is relevant to emergency response.

Although video sharing aids in strategic emergency response, there is still discussion on the impact that video evidence can have on dispatchers.

Three key takeaways from the sessions to consider are:

1. Invest in technology that makes sense for your agency.
2. Determine if video evidence will help improve tactical dispatch.
3. Equip your dispatch team with technology that is simplified and useful for their daily operations.

The “Facing Staffing, Recruitment and Retention Challenges in the Public Sector” session addressed the issues organizations are facing around the country. Out of the many challenges that exist in the public sector industry, the top two factors were finding qualified staff to fill specialized positions and budget constraints to hire new staff.

Although there are challenges, agencies have found strategies to help recruit and retain talent.

Cities have implemented remote and hybrid work to offer flexible work schedules for city staff. Many agencies have also seen the benefit of recruiting entry-level staff with the right basic skillset to train and develop them into experienced professionals in the public sector industry.

Michael Weisenberg, ECC Manager of Ventura County Fire, discussed his agency’s remote non-emergency call-taking program. This program doubled the number of applicants for their agency. Over time, non-emergency employees transitioned to emergency call-taking roles, increasing overall employees for their dispatch team.

Other agencies shared approaches such as recruiting from cities that are over-saturated with talent and also attending college fairs to hire and develop the next generation.

One of the popular sessions of the day was “Women Leaders in Public Service,” the success of key women leaders in the industry.

The session featured Chief Bernadette DiPino, former Police of Sarasota, FL and Ocean City, MD, Desiree Stiles, Records Supervisor for the City of Santa Rosa, CA, Cara McDermott, CAD Administrator for Murrieta, CA Police Department and Lourdes Rodriguez, the Building Department Administrator for Bal Harbour Village, FL.

Each of these leaders shared their unique experiences about their journey, but the common theme among all speakers was the importance of perseverance. As Desiree Stiles shared, “Everything we do is guided by the fact that we are female.”

She shared that the key to overcoming these pressures is about focusing on the mission of your work and using that as your drive to be a stronger, more confident leader.

She shared that they key to overcoming these pressures is about not only focusing on the mission of your work, but also having facts, data and knowledge about your area of expertise. This allows you to be a stronger, more confident leader.

Stay Connected

The first two days of ENGAGE have been nothing short of amazing. Impactful sessions and lots and fun – and we’re just getting started.

Don’t miss out on the action. You can stay up to date with ENGAGE 2023 highlights and join in on the fun by following us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Make sure to search #CSTENGAGE.