2011 marks the year the oldest millennials turn 31, the youngest turn 16, and these consumers number nearly one quarter of the total U.S. population. This hyper-engaged, distracted, and powerful segment will clearly shape marketers’ current and future business decisions. For marketers working to forge new relationships with American millennials, Williams offers success stories, examples and emerging knowledge to help position, imagine and promote brands in ways that fit the life style of the millennial consumer. Willams illustrates ways to add meaning to a brand that might otherwise be meaningless to millennials—in digital, social and physical customer environments.

Duration: 35 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Cindy Williams

In a completely new digital world, half of the marketer’s battle is getting people’s attention. Consumers are constantly seeking but rarely satisfied, and reject any marketing approach viewed as intrusion. Having earned attention, the marketer must motivate empowered consumers to visit and buy, more often. Williams shares emerging knowledge in behavioral economics and social network science to help marketers understand changing consumer behaviors. She illuminates Four Pathways marketers can use to plan and adapt to changing consumer patterns and affect buying behaviors.

Duration: 35 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Cindy Williams

If you are a strategist, a marketing manager or a design director with your company, you regularly infuse your team with the passion and drive that changes the course of a company. Staying inspirational, persuasive and energized can be a challenge for directors of 1-person or +50-person teams. In this talk, Atvur introduces the 7 methods and techniques that will help your organization utilize "design strategy" in their organizations.

Duration: 30 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Alisan Atvur

Mix an MBA with a creative director and you have design strategist. The idea of "Design Strategy" is simple: focus on consistently innovating products and services so that they consistently improve the lives of customers (and, thereby, consistently ecuring your company's revenue). In this talk (filled with success stories and examples of ROI), Atvur introduces the 7 steps that will help your organization utilize "design strategy" in their organizations.

Duration: 30 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Alisan Atvur

"Experiences" are the most powerful extension of your brand. When you design these experiences to inspire and empower customers, they create an insurmountable competitive edge for your company. In this talk (filled with success stories and examples of ROI), Atvur introduces 7 concepts that will shape your company's culture towards user-centrism.

Duration: 30 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Alisan Atvur

A customer's journey to a purchasing decision. Florian Vollmer, SVP Design of Info Retail, an Atlanta-based design and strategy firm, takes you on a journey of brand touchpoints. He will discuss the dramatic shift from selling products to offering services, and how rethinking experiences from a user's perspective results in sound purchasing decisions and long-term brand loyalty. He will combine practical examples and tools with insights about key innovations in the field of retail. In a time of ever-faster evolving innovations, Florian's objective is to show a pathway to creating memorable, relevant experiences.

Duration: 45 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Florian Vollmer

This presentation focuses on the generating value with a well-integrated design practice. The value of long-term customer advocacy is clear to every business today – a forward looking design management approach creates a framework for long-term success. Florian will share key practice trends, as well as examples and hand-on tools for business professionals.

Duration: 40 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Florian Vollmer

80% of US GDP is generated in services. Service Design offers methods and tools to design better user experiences and create long-term advocacy. This presentation covers the foundations of service design, methods and a journey through brand "touchpoints."

Duration: 35 min + Q&A time
Speakers for this Topic: Alisan Atvur, Florian Vollmer