Total Solutions Plus Brings Together Industry Leaders
With a focus on leadership, business and AI, the conference brought the industry together to network and learn
Image courtesy of Jason Kamery
Image courtesy of Jason Kamery
Image courtesy of Jason Kamery
Image courtesy of Jason Kamery
Total Solutions Plus united leaders in the tile industry for its annual conference. This year’s event took place from October 27th through the 29th in Boston, MA.
The event started off with a discussion from Dr. Jennifer Golbeck, a computer scientist with a diverse educational background from the University of Chicago, Harvard and the University of Maryland.
Golbeck discussed several parts of AI and how its used and how business uses it including the threat narrative in AI.
There is a prevalent narrative around AI being a potential threat to humanity, often propagated by those in the technology industry themselves. Golbeck suggests that this narrative serves dual purposes: to attract venture capital by emphasizing the technology's power and to distract from more immediate ethical and practical issues with AI. She debunks the fear of AI taking over by humorously highlighting AI's current limitations, like its inability to distinguish between certain objects or produce sensible color names for paint.
To learn more about her presentation: https://www.stoneworld.com/articles/94310-total-solutions-plus-kicks-off-with-discussion-on-artificial-intelligence
Scott Conwell led another seminar discussing taking proper photography at the job site using just a smart phone.
Conwell discussed the technical capabilities of modern smartphones, which are quite sophisticated, yet stressed that the quality of a photograph largely depends on the photographer's skill in composition and post-processing. He advocates for a critical approach to photography, where one should analyze and edit photos before sharing them, rather than just taking and posting images immediately.
To read more about his presentation: https://www.stoneworld.com/articles/94312-total-solutions-plus-session-reviewed-fundamentals-of-architectural-and-jobsite-photography-with-a-smartphone
Total Solutions Plus also held a roundtable event to allow attendees to meet industry leaders in a more personal format.
Next year’s event will be held from October 26 to 28, 2025 at the Arizona Grand Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ.
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Jason Kamery is the Managing Editor and Group Digital Editor of Stone World. With more than a decade of experience covering the stone and countertop industry, he has conducted hundreds of interviews with fabricators, manufacturers, and industry leaders, and hosts the Stone World. podcast. He reports from events worldwide, including TISE, Coverings, and Marmomac, and his coverage extends to worker safety and silicosis, trade policy and tariffs, and fabrication technology. Kamery has also served as a speaker and panel moderator at The International Surface Event (TISE). He graduated from Purdue University with a B.A. in Mass Communication.
email: kameryj@bnpmedia.com | office: (248) 833-7356
