SCTE•ISBE Racking Up Big Wins, More on Horizon

By Mark Dzuban — As I write this, even the deepest of deep freezes is no match for the residual glow of last Fall. Not even the iciest conditions can take away the warm feeling that accompanied the latest run of good news for our organization: a pivotal success for SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo^®, the industry’s leading trade event; an overwhelmingly positive review from the industry’s Organization Review Committee; and strong support — dare I use the word ‘endorsements’? — by some of the industry’s most important figures.

There’s been much to savor. The best-ever lineup of C-level executives, unprecedented thought leadership and a steady murmur of business buzz that fueled general recognition of Expo as one of the best ever. The acknowledgement of relevance that powered the Review Committee’s consistent rating of SCTE•ISBE as at or near the very top of all industry organizations. Remarks by Charter’s Tom Rutledge and Comcast’s Tony Werner that underscored the value that SCTE•ISBE brings to the cable telecommunications community.

But here’s the thing: While we’ve relished the praise, we understand that what’s more important than the industry’s accolades is how we evolve to build upon the achievements that inspired them. We’re making ourselves more flexible and more agile so that we can increase the impact of Expo in the years to come; act on the recommendations of the Review Committee to increase alignment with operators, programmers and technology partners; and work across the C-Suite — the very top of the “boots to suits” workforce — and with our association brethren to drive the technology innovations on which new revenue opportunities will be based.

I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished under Tony Werner’s chairmanship. Since last fall, we’ve been working with Liberty Global’s Bill Warga, Charter’s Tom Adams and the rest of our board to continue our commitment to self-assessment and improvement. In the coming year we’ll be preparing the industry for what’s next in technology and innovation; strengthening core programs such as learning and development, standards and engineering, and membership and chapter activities; and expanding our leadership into new areas via the SCTE Foundation and partnerships with associations within and beyond the cable telecom ranks.

Among the targets on our ‘hit list’ for the coming year:

• Leveraging data analytics and psychometric analysis to unlock the full value of the CORTEX Expert Development System™ by broadening awareness of training offerings, helping cable operators plot and track training progress at the individual employee level, and enabling a 360-degree view of each employee’s most pressing educational needs;
• Strategically and proactively working with the smartest minds in the technical community to provide the Standards foundation needed to drive faster and more cost-effective infrastructure upgrades and new product deployment, boosting the bottom lines of operators and technology partners; and
• Expanding our role as the global hub of technology sharing, networking and deal making by bringing together Corporate Alliance Partners, Standards members, individual members and association partners around the world for exclusive events, chapter meetings and, of course, SCTE•ISBE Cable-Tec Expo 2018, taking place October 22-25 at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center.

We’ll also be using the SCTE Foundation as a platform to bring our benefits to new constituencies via key partners: diversity initiatives in conjunction with WICT and others; veterans’ programs together with the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Affairs office; and scholarships and grants that can help to ignite and create sparks in young engineers through the FIRST Robotics League.

We’d love to rest on our laurels, but there’s just too much that needs to be done. Now, more than any time in our five-decade history, SCTE•ISBE is breaking the mold in which we’ve been cast, and blending applied science and innovative thinking to create new business opportunities for cable telecommunications. We can’t wait to get to where we’re taking the industry, so we can get started on what’s next.

Mark L. Dzuban

President/CEO, SCTE
mdzuban@scte.org

As President and CEO of SCTE•ISBE, Mark Dzuban is continuing a lengthy career of telecommunications leadership. Mark has been instrumental in positioning SCTE•ISBE as a leader in energy management and technical education, driving creation of the Energy 2020 program, the CORTEX Expert Development System™ and other programs and services that build value for the cable system operators, technology partners and individual members. Mark was honored with the prestigious NCTA Vanguard Award in 2011.

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