Coffee & Networking

Business Toolkit

Make Pricing Strategy Your Competitive Advantage

Mark Bergen, Ph.D., Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
Pricing in today’s difficult business environment isn’t simply a matter of good tactics; it requires effective organizational pricing capabilities. If your pricing isn’t becoming a strategic capability – a contributor to your company’s ability to devise and implement its strategy – it’s probably a strategic liability. Learn how to develop a pricing strategy for your competitive advantage.

Think Like a Shrink – Recipe for Success

Kit Yarrow, Ph.D., Ageno School of Business, Golden Gate University

Marketers that understand the why behind the buy – the deeper needs and emotional motivation of today’s consumers – have the recipe for success in developing new products, creating convincing communication and sustaining customer loyalty. Kit will present five steps, a short strategy and psychological tools that will help you develop your ability to “Think Like a Shrink” and get inside the heads of your customers.

Coffee & Networking

Visionary Award Presentations

Visionary Award Finalists:

1. Disruptor Nanoalumina Fiber Nonwoven Water Filter Media
   Ahlstrom
2. Germy Wormy Sanitary Sleeve
   Back Enterprises
   
3. GoodNites Sleep Boxers & Shorts
   Kimberly-Clark Co.
   
4. Nooby’s Booties Disposable Dog Booties
   Rotano International
5. WearOnce Single-use Panty
   Tredegar Consumer Designs

Lunch (on your own)

Coffee & Networking

Sustainability – Road Map for the Journey

2009 Consumer Trends and the Green Movement

Kit Yarrow, Ph.D., Ageno School of Business, Golden Gate University
Trend tracking is tricky, and it takes confidence to put a stake in the ground around the viability of something new. Real trends (not things like skinny pants or pet rocks), the ones that resonate, grow and make or break businesses, have something in common. Kit Yarrow will tell you the difference and name the top trends of 2009 along with tips on how to spot long-term behavior-changing trends.

Coffee & Networking

Brought to you by IMERYS Performance Minerals:

Sustainability – Business Opportunities and Challenges

Joel Makower, Consultant

Nearly every company is asking some version of the question, “What’s our green strategy,” though few understand what that means. The key questions are: “How do we operate in a world in which energy, water, materials, toxicity and carbon emissions are constraints to growth? What are the opportunities?” Going Green is about growing the top line through innovation, new markets, increased productivity, enhanced customer loyalty and increased ability to attract and retain talent. How do you integrate environmental thinking into operations that create lasting business value?

Reception & Table-tops

• Sponsorship / Tabletop form