Today is day three of Trend Hunter’s Future Festival—and attendees can expect a jam-packed morning of rapid innovation workshops, and another exciting afternoon of experiential trend safaris. But as the event continues, we thought we’d look back at a few highlights of yesterday’s incredible keynotes on the trends defining the future (which were capped with a brand-new, 90-minute presentation from one of our exclusive speakers—and the festival’s organizer—Jeremy Gutsche).
One thing to know about the Future Festival: no brief article could possibly encapsulate it. It’s rare for a conference to offer so much, both in terms of inspirational ideas and unforgettable experiences!
Our staff spent some of Wednesday at the Trend Hunter headquarters, learning about their particular approach to office culture. With so many younger employees, Trend Hunter has learned to how to help millennials be both happy and productive in the workplace. For them, that means daily check-ins: once in the morning, to establish important objectives, and again at the end of the day, to discuss the most value-added activities completed. Immediate and generous feedback is essential for the team—and gamified accountability kept employees working to beat their own records.
On Thursday, at the TIFF Lightbox Theatre, Jeremy Gutsche kicked things off with his “Better & Faster” keynote, based on his New York Times and Amazon bestselling book. We learned the three neurological traps that prevent us from realizing our full potential, and the three instincts—hunter instincts—we can foster to achieve success. Learning Gutsche’s six patterns of opportunity helped us re-imagine our business from the bottom up. And for those not present, you can head over to Trend Hunter’s Innovation Assessment to start thinking of new ways to invent and create, no matter who you are or what your industry.
Then came a series of distinct modules, each on another facet of business in 2016, and each presented by another member of the Trend Hunter team.
Sean Watson reported on the groundwork of the Internet of Things, or IoT, and how widespread connectivity, hyper-informed targeting, and anatomical takeovers will soon transform your organization.
Armida Ascano spoke on nuances in consumer preferences, giving an overview of contemporary lifestyle and leisure choices that sorted buyers into three groups: assertists, fad-chasers, and elitists—a helpful framework for selling to different sorts. Ascano also presented on the concept of hyper-convenience: how we can empower consumers through digital connectivity, availability, and advanced customization.
Jaime Neely explored the preferences and behaviors of today’s health-conscious consumers, establishing three archetypes of the healthy: the halfway, the holistic, and the hardcore—and how enabling healthy choices for consumers is part of an ongoing revolution in food.
Shelby Walsh cleared any confusing fog around millennials by dividing the generation into three markets, and life-stages: the nouveau, the mid-, and the professional, offering brands a way to create experience-driven services that can respond and cater to very different people within one generational umbrella. Walsh also spoke on gamification—and how to use the nature of competition to incentivize loyalty and make obstacles for consumers less intimidating (especially for millennials and the Gen-Z set).
Taylor Keefe spoke on retail innovation. Today, it’s all about greater convenience and the power of community; in the Store Wars, we need to stay connected to consumers like never before. So we learned about subscription services, in-app e-commerce, and boosts to lifestyle loyalty.
If you thought millennial-marketing was the next big thing, think again. Courtney Scharf helped attendees define Gen Z, and just what this growing demographic wants. Specifically, she explained how equality and empathy, entrepreneurialism, and the notion of authenticity characterized this massive segment.
Jonathan Brown then presented on Trend Hunter’s business innovation group, which interviews leaders at the world’s top companies to share their strategies and approaches to support innovation. Brown took Adidas, Pepsi, and Aflac as his prime case studies of companies that stoke curiosity and encourage new ideas.
Jeremy Gutsche gave the closing keynote—his second of the day, and never before seen. Titled “How to Start a Revolution,” this presentation brought forth tactics to create a culture of revolution and exploit opportunity to achieve success. We won’t go into details, here, of what he discussed, but you can tell from this graphic of Gutsche’s “2017 Megatrends and Patterns of Opportunity” that this is a comprehensive, compelling look at the patterns and repeatable strategies undergirding business cycles and breakthroughs.
The Future Festival, up to now only an annual event, is also evolving (and breaking out of Toronto)! In March 2017, a series of one-day future festivals will be arriving at six major cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Orlando, and London. Tickets are 50 percent off until October 31, 2016—so get you and your team on board now for great savings (and a great opportunity).
To learn more about the Future Festival, or to book innovation and business speaker Jeremy Gutsche for your next conference, call The Lavin Agency, his exclusive speakers bureau.
