Why This Summit is Important to You

One of the toughest challenges facing executives today – especially in large, established firms – is deciding where to grow and which new opportunities to pursue while simultaneously building the core. Growth depends on the artful balance of current products and processes with potentially bigger, future-focused yet often riskier activities.

Getting it right has never been more difficult – or more vital.

This is particularly true in fast-moving industries such as consumer packaged goods (CPG) and food & beverage (F&B) where intense pressure on margins requires more than cost control and incremental innovation. Bottom line results aren’t enough. It’s the top line that moves the needle. You must be bold and decisive, launch ‘must-have’ products before your competitors, and serve/delight your customers in new ways. No risk, no reward — though risk for large companies often errs too much on the side of caution.

So, how do you balance big bets with bread-and-butter?

It starts with an outside-in view; understanding the macro trends and external economic, social, political, and technological factors that drive competition. It then means choosing the right endeavors for your organization and ramping up accordingly. Finally, it means leading people to move ahead boldly, changing mindsets that no longer work.

What are others doing and what works best?

The Second Annual Innovation & Growth Leadership Summit (IGL), to be held February 27-28, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona, will focus on how to map and execute your best course of action. Building on the deep, candid idea-sharing and action planning of the first Summit, it will again bring together top innovation and strategy leaders to share experiences, struggles, solutions, and plans. What’s said in the room will stay in the room – you can talk openly about challenges and receive true support.

Chaired and facilitated by Cheryl Perkins, President and founder of Innovationedge, the Summit kicks off with an evening reception and special presentations on February 27 – designed to introduce you to your colleagues from other companies as well as potential collaboration and acquisition opportunities. The next day will be an immersive discussion, filled with panel sessions, table exercises, keynote presentations, luncheon roundtables, and plenty of networking.

The agenda progresses from the outside (external factors and macro trends) to inside (strategy, culture, processes, and capabilities), and will cover such topics as:

  • Macro Trends Driving Growth and Innovation Across Industries
  • Finding the Right Problem(s) to Solve
  • Uncovering Untapped Needs and Translating to a Solid Business Proposition
  • Critical Enablers That Must Be Carefully Managed – Process and Culture
  • Bringing Product Sales to New Heights in the Age of Amazon