With another year behind us the team at Conroy have our sights firmly fixed on the future - and what an exciting and vibrant future it is turning out to be. Whilst the fundamentals of what we do remain relatively unchanged, social trends and the customer journey are constantly evolving and as a result so have we. So how is technology and innovation shaping our world?

Did you know you can rent out mum's place when she's on holiday and make a bit of cash all from a small App on your phone? You remember where the spare key is, right? You could also rent out her driveway for people who want a cheaper carpark option when working in the area. The sky really is the limit!

In todays economy the world's largest accommodation provider owns no property. The world's largest taxi firm owns no cars. The world's most popular media company creates no content and the world's most valuable retailer carries no stock. Crikey!

Global companies like Airbnb, Uber, Facebook and Alibaba are connecting consumers with producers and sharing assets like at no other time in human history. Here in Australia disruptive and innovative companies that embrace the idea of "inclusive capitalism" are popping up left, right and centre which is leading to more consumer choice and frankly a better way of life for Australian businesses and everyday people.

Think Airtasker, Openagent, Invoice2go, Boxly, Makers Empire, Atlassian, just to name a few. It truly has been an exciting year for technology and there's more fascinating trends to come in 2016.

3-D Printing: Printing for aerospace parts or even edible food? Bringing food to life from nothing is the Holy Grail of this amazing new technology.

Mobile, Mobile, Mobile: In 2016 there will be more than 2 billion smartphone users in the world. Mobile browsing is taking odd and innovative banking and financial products are improving life in developing countries. 

The Device Mesh: The smartphone is just the start. Accessing information and Apps on all types of devices, from watches to fridges to car dashboards, will mean smarter living.

Virtual P.A.'s: Software is the future, so we hope to see self-driving cars, virtual personal assistants and smart advisers. Google Now, Siri and Cortana are just the beginning. 

We have a few of our own technologies brewing in the pipeline and we look forward to sharing these innovations with you in 2016, watch this space for more to come!