Agenda / Speakers

A Culturematic is a little machine for making culture.

Once it's wound up and released, the Culturematic acts as a little probe into the alien world of contemporary culture, to test for atmosphere, to see what life it can sustain. They are designed to see who responds and how. Culturematics start small but can scale up ferociously, bootstrapping as they go.

Because they are so inexpensive, we can afford to fire off a variety and number of Culturematics. This is evolutionary strategy, iterative innovation, rapid prototyping all at once. Culturematics are fast, cheap, and out of control, they fail early and often. They are the perfect antidote to a world where it's hard to see what's coming next.

Examples will be drawn from NFL Films, Twitter, the Apple Genius Bar, Starbucks, Ford, SNL Digital Shorts, Restoration Hardware, UNICEF, J. Crew, Pie Lab, USA Networks, and the GEICO gecko.

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) is a $7 billion dollar a year crown corporation featuring some of Ontario's most recognizable brands. OLG is embracing innovation and new thinking to meet the needs of its current and future lottery and gaming customers. OLG will enter the intriguing and complex global market of Internet Gaming, mobile applications and more while operating in a public sector environment.

This talk provides an critical analysis of overview of key disconnects that may be contributing to a disengaged workforce and difficulties with respect to recruitment and retention. Issues covered in this talk include work-life balance, reward and recognition, respect, trust, communication, performance management, and talent management/succession planning and offers suggestions on how organizations can make positive changes in each of these areas. The talk ends with a summary of how the different generational cohorts view each of these issues and a number of suggestions on how employers and managers can use the information covered in the talk to adapt to meet the needs of employees today.

The expectations of Canadian consumers are undergoing rapid and significant change. In a marketplace where people are more aware of the value of every dollar they spend, they have also become more acutely attuned to their own value as customers. In response, marketers must adapt their strategies to create an exceptional service experience.

Creating a truly competitive difference through customer experience and service can be a powerful and strategic lever. One that extends from a company vision to a brand reality. This session will outline how American Express differentiates itself through exceptional customer service and experience and how our experience can inform yours. The presentation will also examine some of the most successful companies in the service world who have long recognized that it's the people who create the most telling impression with customers.

Description coming soon