“There was no hierarchy — there was no client, there was no CEO. Everyone was a student,” NetElixir’s Founder and CEO, Udayan Bose, says in describing the creation of the first X=Experience in 2013.

Who better to help us become a student again and spark free-flowing conversations than leading professors sharing their latest research? NetElixir prides ourselves on the quality of our speakers and their presentations and we’re happy to invite Professor Michele Gelfand of Stanford University, to our 8th Annual X=Experience: Rethinking Innovation. Because we believe that when great minds meet, magic happens.

Professor Gelfand will be presenting The Secret Life of Social Norms. She will discuss:

• How the strength of social norms reflects cultural differences
• The distinction between tight and loose cultures and how they influence our own behavior
• Why moderation is key to forging deeper connections with one another

Rethink Innovation with Michele Gelfand at NetElixir’s X=Experience.

Interview with Michele Gelfand

NetElixir sat down with Professor Gelfand for a teaser of what we can expect from her presentation at our live event. She shared:

Hi, I’m Michele Gelfand, a professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and I’m really excited to be speaking at the upcoming NetElixir event on October 1st! My talk is going to be about how to understand the deeper cultural codes that are driving our behavior that’s based on my book Rule Makers, Rule Breakers. 

A key difference that differentiates people around the world and across history is whether we are tight or loose. Tight groups notice rules, they try to avoid mistakes, and they like a lot of structure and order. Loose groups don’t notice rules a lot, are more risk-taking, and don’t mind ambiguity. Neither is worse or better, but both have important strengths and liabilities and it turns out that this distinction is affecting everything from our nations to our neurons. And you’ll find out why and, most importantly, how to harness the power of these codes to be more effective at work and at home. See you soon!

Read More

• Meet Jonah Berger: Keynote Speaker at X=Experience
• NetElixir’s 8th Annual X=Experience Event
• X=Experience: 5 Years

The post Meet the Speaker: Michele Gelfand at X=Experience appeared first on NetElixir.

Since 2013, NetElixir has created an event that curates thought-provoking presentations, sparks stimulating conversations, and forms wonderful friendships. With the goal to bridge the gap between academia and industry, the X=Experience was born. 

Because we could not host this event in person in 2020, attendees have highly anticipated the return of this event. As always, NetElixir prides ourselves on the quality of our speakers and their presentations, so to kick off the X=Experience comeback, we’re excited to announce that Professor Jonah Berger, of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, NYTimes and WSJ best-selling author, and 2021 Wobi Keynote Speaker, will be joining our 8th Annual X=Experience: Rethinking Innovation.

Professor Berger will be presenting Contagious: Why Things Catch On. He will discuss:

• The secret science behind word-of-mouth and social transmission
• Six basic principles that can affect what makes something popular or viral
• How to leverage the power of influence to craft contagious content

Rethink Innovation with Jonah Berger, exclusively at NetElixir’s X=Experience.

Interview with Jonah Berger

NetElixir sat down with Professor Berger to discuss some of his thoughts on innovation prior to our live event. 

NetElixir: Welcome, Professor Berger! We’re excited to have you join our 8th Annual X=Experience event!

Professor Berger: Hi, I’m Jonah Berger! I’m a Marketing Professor at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and I’m excited to speak at the upcoming NetElixir event on October 1st. 

NetElixir: What is one key takeaway you want attendees to use from your presentation?

Professor Berger: I’m going to talk about a problem that all of us have, whether we’re in marketing or sales, whether we’re internal within an organization trying to create innovations — we all have something that we want to change. Marketing and sales want to change their customer’s or consumer’s mind, leaders want to transform organizations, employees want to change their boss’s mind, start-ups want to change industries, non-profits want to change the world. But change is really hard. Often we push, we pressure and cajole, and nothing happens. So the question is could there be a better way? 

So at my talk, I’m going to talk about a new method for creating change from my recent bestseller, The Catalyst: How To Change Anyone’s Mind, and how we can apply that to become better change agents in all aspects of our lives.

NetElixir: What is a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook? 

Professor Berger: In terms of a key driver of innovation that companies tend to overlook, I would say something called the status quo bias. Companies tend to be really focused on what they’re good at, and what they’ve already achieved, and what they’re good at doing, but that makes them risk-aversed, makes them wary of trying new things. And so by understanding the status-quo bias, we can overcome its barriers and make change more likely. Sometimes we have to cannibalize ourselves rather than allowing other start-ups to come in and sort of eat our lunch. We have to be smarter and create innovation from within.

NetElixir: What does Rethinking Innovation mean to you?

Professor Berger: In terms of the importance of rethinking innovation, for me, well innovation is an age-old idea, right? Almost all companies want to be more innovative, almost all companies want to be more change-oriented, but it’s really tough to do. As part of my session, I’ll talk about why innovation happens and why it doesn’t and how we can all make innovation more likely by understanding why it does and doesn’t work.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Read More

• NetElixir’s 8th Annual X=Experience Event
• X=Experience: 5 Years
• X=Experience Welcomes Christain Rudder

The post Meet Jonah Berger: Keynote Speaker at X=Experience appeared first on NetElixir.

The holiday season may start earlier this year, as customers react preemptively to delayed shipping they experienced during the coronavirus pandemic.  A strong e-commerce platform and social presence will be critical for this holiday season. Amazon’s Prime Day delay will likely usher in the holiday season once the economy stabilizes.

Planning your holiday strategy is a critical conversation to begin having now.

Connecting the Dots Speaker Lineup

Matt Guffey, UPS

UPS’s President of Global Strategy, Matthew Guffey, will present Planning Strategies for Peak 2020. Learn how to strengthen your supply chain to meet the holiday demand, especially as e-commerce demand is expected to continue to soar.

Guffey will share insights and learnings from his perspective as a small and medium-sized business champion and leader of UPS strategy, including a deep dive into:

• 2020: A year of challenge and constant peak demand
• Partnering for successful holiday strategies
• The critical importance of ‘Plan B’

Guffey previously worked with UPS as the President of United States marketing. With UPS, Guffey drives growth imperatives for success both today and in the future.

Robert Dillon, Google

Google’s Director of Agency Sales for North America, Robert Dillon, will share Digital Insights to Uncover Clues for Q4 Readiness. Dillon leads Google sales teams in partnering with agencies to drive customer success. Google’s 2020 holiday resource will be available to you, so you can begin charting your path to success.

Dillon has had a range of marketing and sales experiences prior to Google. Earlier in his career, he was a consultant with the Los Angeles office of the Boston Consulting Group, as well as an intelligence officer in the United States Navy. He earned his MBA in strategy and finance from Wharton and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Cornell University.

Kelly Thomas Nojaim and Milton Reis, Microsoft

Kelly Thomas Nojaim serves as Microsoft’s RVP of North America Corporate Sales and Milton Reis as the Global Corporate Sales Manager for North America. Both will present Microsoft Advertising: Getting Ready for the Near Future of Advertising. Learn about the most recent market share numbers, demographics, and index buying power from Microsoft advertising. Additionally, understand insights that are crucial for advertising during an unprecedented holiday season with trends and product insights to help you achieve specific KPI goals.

Kelly Thomas Nojaim has prior experience helping small and medium-sized businesses drive quality leads. She also worked in marketing with Microsoft’s Bing ads to leverage network insights and product management. She received her MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business, where she was the President of Stern Women in Business.

Milton Reis has extensive knowledge of the retail vertical and experience working with a variety of brands. He is passionate about marketing initiatives, advertising, sales as a product solution, and exceeding customer expectations. He is the Co-Chair of the GLEAM of Microsoft Advertising organization.

Sheena Iyengar, Think Bigger and Columbia Business School

Sheena Iyengar is the S.T. Lee Professor of Business at the Columbia Business School who will speak on Think Bigger: How to Actually Think Out of the Box. Iyengar’s presentation is based on recent research in cognitive psychology and neuroscience which looks at how new ideas form in the human mind. Think Bigger features a new method on how to innovate a new solution by focusing on the defining and refining of a problem. She will also discuss how to go about deconstructing and verbalizing that problem in order to surface and reduce bias.

Iyengar has been voted among the top 50 most influential business thinkers by Thinkers50 and is rated one of the world’s best B-School Professors by Poets and Quants.

2020 certainly is a year ripe for new ideas. Iyengar, who has studied the process of choice since her undergraduate time at the Wharton School, muses that choice is how we create our most beautiful and singular selves.

Executive Panel Discussion with Al Bessin, Circa Lighting; Carlo Savino, Lenovo; and Parag Shah, Wakefern

The Executive Panel Discussion features insights for large retailers and is presented by Circa Lighting’s Chief Operating Officer, Al Bessin; Lenovo’s Executive Director of eCommerce, Carlo Savino; and Wakefern for Shoprite’s Vice President, Parag Shah. Learn trends and insights into the Home Furnishing, Technology, and Food and Grocery retail categories, as well as what changes in customer behavior these retail executives have seen firsthand.

Bessin oversees the marketing, operations, information systems, finance, human resources, e-commerce, and showroom functional areas for Circa Lightning and works with the President to develop company strategy. He has provided management, marketing, and operations consulting through his career of working with over 80 companies. 

Savino leads the vision, strategy, and execution of the next generation digital commerce capabilities for Lenovo’s online business. His extensive experience in online marketing and e-commerce garners tremendous insight into how the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated the digital trend.

Shah previously joined NetElixir’s second webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on retail ecommerce to explore how the Food and Grocery retail industry has changed and how Wakefern for Shoprite navigated the surge in demand. As the Vice President of the Grocery Division, he will expand his insights into how the demand for food has progressed as the coronavirus pandemic has evolved.

Robin Dreeke, People Formula LLC

Robin Dreeke, a former FBI Special Agent and Founder of People Formula LLC, joins Connecting the Dots to share Sizing People Up: The Six Signs of Trust and Building Strong Relationships. Dreeke will teach you how to think and operate like an FBI Behavioral Analyst, breaking down the elusive art form of behavioral assessment into an easy guide. You will learn how to assess yourself and others on trust and predictability. Dreeke’s expertise will help you form strong relationships for every aspect of your life, both personally and professionally. Partnerships are a crucial aspect of success and you will learn how to cultivate those relationships and build trust.

Udayan Bose, NetElixir

NetElixir’s Founder and CEO Udayan Bose will present 2020 Holiday Data: Consumer Trends & Digital Marketing Strategies. During this session, Bose will share key consumer trends that have emerged over the last few months and explain how they will influence the holiday marketing plans for the year.

NetElixir will also unveil our collection of research on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on retail e-commerce metrics and online shopping behavior. We have been compiling the daily data since early February and sharing our findings in our webinar series, but our collection will compress the months of research and what the trends could mean for the holiday season.

Keelan Leyser, Digital Magician

What’s the fun of the holiday season if there isn’t a touch of magic? Keelan Leyser is a creative artist who performs digital magic and mind-blowing psychological illusions through innovative magical effects with his iPad and iPhone. He’ll reach right through the screen with feats of unexplainable mind reading.

Leyser is the British Magical Grand Prix Champion and has been personally invited to perform for Prince Charles on more than one occasion. He has appeared in and performed on over 100 television shows, including Penn and Teller Fool Us & Dean Cain’s Masters of Illusion. This is a session you certainly don’t want to miss, as he makes the impossible possible.

See the full agenda now.

Uddan Trust – Flight Foundation

Connecting the Dots is free to attend; however, we are accepting voluntary contributions to our non-profit organization, the Udaan Trust – Flight Foundation. Through this organization, we have already helped 9 underprivileged girls continue to pursue their educational aspirations and dream careers. With your help, we can do much more. 

Save my seat for Connecting the Dots on August 13th.

Follow us on social for the latest updates. 

The post Meet the Keynote Speakers at Connecting the Dots: Holiday Readiness Summit for Retailers appeared first on NetElixir.