LocalizationGuy Blog
GALA 2013 Miami Recap - Part 1
Published Friday, April 5, 2013
Aki Ito's GALA Recap - Part 1
The GALA annual conference was mounted in the United States for the first time ever. The result was a large attendance and increased participation from GALA members and visitors based in Latin American countries. Overall, the conference achieved a level of professionalism and organization that was better than ever. As always, it was inspiring to be around people in the industry from dozens of countries all over the globe and get a feel for what everyone is thinking.
Granted, I missed the last two GALA conferences, but compared to earlier efforts in Cancun and Prague, the conference schedule was smoother, the timing of sessions and breaks was better, and there was plenty of opportunity to network. Speed networking was popular as usual, and it was amazing to see the enthusiasm of the participants when we continued networking indoors after we were rained on at the original outdoor site.
At my panel discussion with Kathleen Diamond.
Invasion of the client snatchers, but not really...
I participated in a panel discussion on day one moderated by Terena Bell of In Every Language. My fellow panelists were Andrew Lawless of Dig-IT and localization consultant Kathleen Diamond. The panel was entitled “Invasion of the Client Snatchers” because there may be some fears among LSPs that consultants either “snatch” up client relationships or that consultants can help or harm an LSP's chances in the market.
My personal opinion is that the rise of consulting is a positive development for a maturing localization industry. The truth is, given the number of companies that need localization, the number of providers in the industry, and the range of available technologies, many buyers of language services genuinely need the assistance of someone with experience and in-depth industry knowledge. Moreover, consultants are in a unique position to advocate for the industry and educate clients to adopt best practices and to appreciate the value that localization partners bring to their businesses.
My interest in consulting has grown out of the way I have always conducted my sales approach, following the solution selling philosophy. I have never wanted to sell a client something they did not need, because you build a better relationship when you truly help someone solve a problem. In my experience, the long-term benefits of a relationship always win out. The solution selling method involves a level of objectivity and client advocacy that put me into a consulting role even when I was representing a single LSP. I see working as a consultant as a natural evolution. But I like practicing solution selling so much that I keep representing TOIN. I get to enjoy both client-side and vendor-side activity, which is a bonus.
- Aki Ito, April 5, 2013
