2014 Predictions

I’m sure many moons ago it all started with a couple of Mayans having a laugh as they wrote down some predictions. Looking back I only wish that George Orwell’s predictions of a Big Brother surveillance orientated future had been as inaccurate as the musings about 2012 being the end of the world.
 
So without further ado here are some of my predictions for 2014. My hope is that they at least spark a conversation for those taking the time to read my musings.
 
Arts and Culture:
 
1) Kelowna will see a drop in events and concerts in City owned properties in 2014. I’d estimate about between 70-100 less indoor cultural events will happen in our Cultural District. In a nutshell there are three reasons for this:

- Kelowna Community Theatre. In the 2014 budget there was a reduction made to the number of co-presentations at the Kelowna Community Theatre. In 2012 and 2013 we had 28 shows co-presented by the City of Kelowna. In 2014 only 4 shows will be co-presented at the Kelowna Community Theatre.
- The Rotary Centre for the Arts has cut back on scale of their concert series. In past seasons they produced between 12-15 shows. That range has now dropped to between 4-6 shows per season.
- Laurel Packinghouse. In part due to complaints from surrounding residents the Laurel has constricted its rental policy. Its impressive that such a small group can have such an influential impact on the events held at the Laurel.
 
2) More Okanagan festivals will end up in the history books.

- Its been a tough few years for festivals in the interior of BC with the loss of Merritt Mountain, Rock the Peach, Rare Earth Jazz and Blues and others. I expect two or three more to be added to that list this summer but I’m kinda holding out hope that it won’t be the case so I don’t want to mention the specific names in this column.
 
Politics:
 
3) Sharon Shepherd will run against Colin Basran to become Mayor of Kelowna.

4) Council: I would expect that we will only see one or two new faces on council this coming year.
 
 
Digital Life:
 
5) Ads online will get even more personalized. Most folks notice that if they visit a site suddenly ads from that site start appearing everywhere. In 2014 its about to get even more personalized or creepy depending on how you look at it. Facebook’s recent partnership with a couple shopping data companies (more info here) will mean that if you buy a certain food using your loyalty card then its now possible for those brands to target you with coupons for that product.
 
6) Wearable tech will be on the rise in 2014. If your curious what that means check out this NYT blog.
 
7) In 2014 Google + will become an essential tool to any businesses social media marketing strategy
 
8) Phonebook delivery becomes opt in only. I was more than a bit shocked last month to get a phonebook delivered.
 
9) The rise of branded content. Small and big businesses alike will start acting more and more like publishers with blogs, videos, etc. Social Media is now pretty much ubiquitous and businesses are learning that in this digital age they need to be their own publishers. Big White is a great example of this. Its the world of branded content and its only going to grow.
 
 
Well honestly thats more than enough of my predictions. Do you agree? Do you disagree? Are these predictions you want to see happen or are some of them worth trying to change.