Keynote Speakers
Trend/Countertrend with Robyn Waters
Friday, September 26 at 10 a.m.
As Target’s former Vice President of Trend, Design, and Product Development, Robyn Waters helped a small regional discount chain become a national fashion destination. Seth Godin calls her “the woman who revolutionized what Target sells, and helped the company trounce Kmart.”
Robyn provides a thought provoking environmental scan of the macro marketplace that takes the listener deep into the hearts and minds of the consumer. Her visual presentations challenge the audience to look at trend ‘from the inside out’ by focusing their attention on what’s important instead of just what’s next. Energies are revitalized, perspectives reframed, and possibilities re-envisioned.
Fast Company magazine featured her as one of the top twenty ‘Creative Mavericks’ in their June 2004 Masters of Design issue. She has served as a juror for numerous national design competitions including the International Housewares Association, and the National Design Awards for the Cooper- Hewitt Museum. Her most recent book, The Hummer and the Mini, is the work on which the Convention & Expo’s opening keynote address is based.
Word of Mouth Marketing with Andy Sernovitz
Saturday, September 27 at 10 a.m.
A 16-year veteran of the interactive marketing business, Andy has spent years helping companies learn how to do better marketing.
Andy is cofounder and past CEO of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), where he worked side by side with the geniuses pioneering the newest innovations in blogs, buzz, and word of mouth marketing. WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry, which is building a prosperous word of mouth marketing profession based on best practices, measurable ROI, and ethical leadership.
Andy taught at the Wharton School of Business, ran a business incubator, and started half a dozen companies. GasPedal, his consulting company, advises great brands like TiVo, Ralph Lauren, Sprint, and Kimberly-Clark. In the dot com days, he ran the Association for Interactive Marketing, the largest organization of Internet companies.
Word of Mouth Marketing is the title Andy’s most recent book and the subject of our second keynote presentation.
Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out with Douglas Rushkoff
Sunday, September 28 at 9 a.m.
Douglas Rushkoff is an author, teacher, and documentarian who focuses on the ways people, cultures, and institutions create, share, and influence each other’s values. He founded the Narrative Lab at NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, and lectures about media, art, society, and change at conferences and universities around the world. Rushkoff writes a column for the music and culture magazine, Arthur. His commentaries have aired on CBS Sunday Morning and NPR’s All Things Considered, and have appeared in publications from The New York Times to Time magazine. He regularly appears on TV shows from NBC Nightly News to Larry King and Bill Maher.
Rushkoff is on the board of several new media non-profits and companies, and regularly consults on new media arts and ethics to museums, governments, synagogues, churches, and universities, as well as Sony, TCI, advertising agencies, and other Fortune 500 companies.
Rushkoff’s most recent book is Get Back in the Box: Innovation from the Inside Out.
All general sessions are sponsored by
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VAR's Convention & Expo Experience
