NPD's Future Goes New Orleans

Location

Location, location, location is as true for events as it is for Real Estate. Events are engines of economic development for the cities they choose. We’ll be doing more on both – cities and their innovation events this year – bringing you the innovation highlights from both. That’s why we were excited by Frost and Sullivan’s choice of New Orleans for their January Innovation in NPD and Marketing gathering that kicks off today. It’s at once practical (less expensive that NY, Chicago, Vegas, SF), aesthetic (gumbo, zydeco, the French Quarter, et al) and symbolic: if the city of New Orleans was a product, and it is, then it’s rebirth, revitalization, and renewal since the Levee’s, FEMA, and the general infrastructure failed in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina decimated the city and its residents. New Orleans is a story of the redemptive power of innovation.

Innovations in New Product Development and Marketing?

It’s against that backdrop that the The Innovation in New Product Development and Marketing conference will be happening this week.  IX will be covering it and will share highlights in the coming as part of our ongoing industry conference coverage.   We asked Frost & Sullivan to preview Innovation in NPD and Marketing for us and here’s what they said:

Describe the event?  Why does F&S put it on? How does it serve the innovation discipline?

F&S:  The Innovation in New Product Development and Marketing event brings together innovation and product development executives from a variety of industries to cross-pollinate ideas, strategies and best practices for business implementation. To achieve this, Frost & Sullivan created an event model that centers on interaction and participation where executives are encouraged to share ideas and strategies through collaborative benchmarking sessions. Since much of the innovation discipline calls upon strategies like co-creation, crowd-sourcing and open innovation, and our sessions encourage the participants to first listen to each other’s challenges and then investigate possible solutions through collaboration.

Why are you holding in New Orleans?

Frost & Sullivan elected to host the event in New Orleans because it’s one of the most creative environments in the United States – New Orleans is defined by its dynamic music, food and art and we thought that environment was well-suited for an audience of innovation executives. We also wanted to support the local economy post-Katrina.

What is your favorite thing about New Orleans?

F&S:  The energy, dynamism and resilience of the culture and people.  We love this city and we want to support it. Plus you can’t beat the food!

What is special about the Event — what happens there?

F&S:  The event is special because it is a hybrid of networking, collaboration, and structured best practices and case studies from subject matter experts and thought leaders.

Tell us about a couple of the keynoters — who are you especially excited to hear?

Our three presenters, Kipp Bradford from Brown, Brandon Rowberry, UnitedHealth Group and Jim Stikeleather, Dell bring radically diverse perspectives to new product development and marketing.  We’ll be excited to share highlights of their talks with IX over the coming weeks!

Kipp Bradford Founder/President of KIPPworks & kippkits, LLC Brown University

Brandon Rowberry Vice President Innovation Development UnitedHealth Group

James Stikeleather Executive Strategist Dell

F&S:  We have a dynamite speaker faculty lined up for this program.  are bright, creative and charismatic, but will also offer insights on how to adapt and remain nimble in a changing world.

How much time is devoted to networking?

Our program model is 80% interactive, which means executives are able to build relationships while exploring different content points. On top of that, we have structured networking activities throughout the event, including a progressive dinner around New Orleans!

What else should we have asked you?

Why we really came to New Orleans?  Because we love this city, we think it’s the perfect place to convene a creative catalytic gathering.

What other events do you put on?

• GIL 2014: Silicon Valley
• 10^th Anniversary Customer Contact 2014, East: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange
• 10^th Anniversary Customer Contact 2014, West: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange
• 15^th Anniversary Marketing World 2014: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange
• 19^th Annual Medical Technologies 2014: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange
• 2^nd Annual ConNEXTions 2014: A Frost & Sullivan Executive MindXchange

image credit: bourbon street image from bigstock

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Julie Anixter is the executive editor and co-founder of Innovation Excellence.  She also serves as the Executive in Residence for the Disruptor Foundation. She also serves as Chief Innovation Officer of Maga Design, a leading visual information mapping firm. The co-author of three books, she’s working on a fourth on courage and innovation. She worked with Tom Peters for five years on bringing big ideas to big audiences. Now she works with the US Military, Healthcare, Education, Manufacturing and other high test innovation cultures that make a difference.