The Next Generation
Peter Sheahan

Date: Friday, May 2, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
CEU Credits: 0.2
Sponsored and Arranged by: National Speakers Bureau

It is time we got beyond the hype about Generation Y. In this insightful and entertaining presentation Peter Sheahan (a Gen Y'er himself) will peel back the stereotype and find out what "Generation Y" is really about. Looking more broadly at workforce and consumer trends, we will examine Gen Y as both a mindset and a demographic. Peter will examine how we will attract, engage and retain talent of all ages in the future, and explore the impact the "next generation" will have on the meetings we organize.

• Discover what the Gen Y mindset really is, what is driving it, and its impact on our organizations
• Explore how the mindset of Generation Y is trending upwards and how it will redefine how you manage your staff and treat your customers
• Share ideas on how Gen Y style communications technology can enhance the meetings experience

About Peter Sheahan

Like many of his Gen Y peers, Peter worked in the hospitality industry, serving as the General Manager of a Sydney hotel with over 30 staff and multi-million dollar revenue. It was during this time that Peter discovered that many young employees were struggling to make a successful transition from education to work. It was this realization that inspired Peter to start his own business, developing the potential of tomorrow's business leaders and consumers. Today, Peter has established himself as a leading expert in workforce trends and generational change, working with such clients as Google, News Corporation, Coca-Cola, and Ernst & Young. The author of 5 books including the bestseller Generation Y: Thriving (and Surviving) with Generation Y at Work, Peter was recognized as Australia's Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003 and Keynote Speaker of Year award by the National Speakers Association of Australia in 2006. Peter was also the youngest ever Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a designation earned by less that 10% of NSA members worldwide.

When Markets Are Conversations: Experts, Authorities, and the Value of Face-to-Face
David Weinberger, Ph.D.

Date: Saturday, May 3, 2008
Time: 9:00 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
CEU Credits: 0.2
Sponsored and Arranged by: National Speakers Bureau

When the Internet first emerged, marketers treated it as a far more cost-effective way of doing what they were already doing: delivering messages to a mass market. Increasingly, however, marketers are recognizing that The Cluetrain Manifesto (co-authored by David) got it right: Markets are conversations. Customers, not companies, are often the best source of information about products and services. This is an enormous shift of power that affects not just business but every institution that has value because of the authority and expertise it brings to the table.

In this talk, David will explore the fundamental change in how customers make sense of what they're learning from one another, and what this means for an industry that brings people together in the real world, often by featuring experts and authorities. In the age of the Internet, what is the value of real world meetings?

• Learn how the Internet is changing the value proposition of conferences...and how to maximize those new values for attendees
• Determine how introducing 'messiness' into conferences can make them more valuable for attendees
• Discover how marketing left in the hands of the attendees is far more effective than even the best executed marketing plan

About David Weinberger, Ph.D.

A "Marketing Guru", according to The Wall Street Journal, David is co-author of The Cluetrain Manifesto, the bestseller that cut through the hype and told business what the Web was really about. In David's newest book, Everything Is Miscellaneous he charts the new principles of digital order that are remaking business, education, politics, science, and culture. One of the most entertaining and acclaimed presenters around, David has been a frequent commentator on National Public Radio and written for a number of business and tech journals, including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and Wired. David is currently a Fellow at Harvard's prestigious Berkman Center for Internet & Society.