April 10-13, 2008 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort
Overview of ii2008
Dear Colleague,
Innovation is hot - red hot.
From BusinessWeek to InformationWeek, from Forbes to Fortune innovation is in the headlines. Yet innovation is hardly a new topic.
Why so much interest lately?
It's simple, the globalization of every industry and the intense acceleration of the flow of work around the globe has finally brought the dynamics of the global village into focus, and what we see is clearly a picture of the intense competition that "more for less" global economy is demanding of every company and individual. It may well be that the entirety of the 20th Century was a prelude to the explosive era of commerce, consumerism, and global community that we are now entering.
In the same way that Industrialization was the science that built the last two centuries of global prosperity and progress, Innovation is the science that will move us forward into the next two centuries.
But make no mistake about it this is not the "seat of the pants," "gut feel," "let's just brainstorm" type of innovation many of us grew up with. This is innovation as a true science with ground rules, methods, business practices, behaviours, and technologies that you can teach and learn - stuff you can sink your teeth into as well as wrap your mind around.
That's what ii2008 is all about!
While many conferences only look at the dogma and philosophy of innovation, a thin slice of the innovation pie, ii2008 looks at all of the practices, cases, technologies and methods that are shaping innovation and the next generation of your organization's innovation, information, and sourcing strategy.
ii2008 covers the drivers of innovation, provides hands on experience with innovation generation and focusing tools, exposes you to the who's who of today's innovators, build an innovation network for you to continue your learning, and does all of this in an intensely focused environment.
Start with our full day executive retreat on innovation
Here you will learn first hand the best techniques for innovation, to the keynotes from leading industry icons such as Apple, Google and Turner Broadcasting, to the 20 individual session that delve deeply into industry cases of innovation on the front lines, sourcing strategy, relationship management, and the many networking opportunities you will have the chance to build your innovation competency this event delivers more information in three days than you could otherwise gather in months or years.
If you are serious about finding out where innovation is driving you and your organization, then this is the event you need to be at in 2008.
Best,
Tom Koulopoulos (TK)
P.S. Don't miss the incredible pre-event Executive retreat on Innovation. Innovation skills require hands on training. This isn't something you can learn by listening to lectures. The workshop format of this event provides ample time to put in place the methods and skills you will learn. Multiple team-based workshops will be conducted through the event where you will build confidence and capability to bring back to your organization and your career.
What you will learn
- The tools and methods used by world class innovators
- How leading organizations are leveraging innovation as a competitive advantage
- The role of globalization on innovation
- How to use sourcing relationships to increase innovation
- The core technologies of innovation
- How to measure the value of Innovation
- How to involve customers in an innovation initiative
- When to kill a new innovation
- The distinction between invention and innovation and why invention is so easy while innovation is so hard
- Creating a culture for Innovation
- The role of leadership in innovation
Who should attend
P.S. Don't miss the incredible pre-event Executive retreat on Innovation. Innovation skills require hands on training. This isn't something you can learn by listening to lectures. The workshop format of this event provides ample time to put in place the methods and skills you will learn. Multiple team-based workshops will be conducted through the event where you will build confidence and capability to bring back to your organization and your career.
Innovation is a broad topic that touches every part of your organization, which is why it is so important for you to establish common understanding of innovation methods and shared vernacular around innovation. That's why we recommend you bring a team to the event. Each element of the event is built in way that accomodates and encourages team attendance. If you come alone, that's fine with us. You can participate just as much, but the value is so much greater if you can go back if many perspectives and a bond of understanding.
- Line of Business leaders who need to foster higher rates of innovation in their teams
- Team leaders who are looking for ways to build more effective teams
- Management from global organizations struggling with the interplay of globalization and innovation
- Information Technology managers and executives who need to both support and apply innovation
- Executives who need to lead innovation efforts
- Professionals who want to make sure that they innovate-proof their careers
Join us!
Join us April 10-13, 2008 at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort, one of the Scottsdale area's leading executive retreat facilities, for this great event. 
