Innovate Carolina Conference Call for Speakers

Each year the Carolinas Chapter of the Product Development Management Association (PDMA) holds a one day conference focused on innovation.  I'm happy to say that our conference has been compared to several of the national conferences in content and networking by many of the attendees.

Last year we held our conference in Raleigh, NC with a focus on innovating under tight resource constraints.  You can see the agenda and speaker list from that conference here.  We were fortunate to recruit Steve Shapiro as a keynote, and had excellent speakers from firms such as Red Hat, NetApp, Bank of America, Burt's Bees, Milliken and many others.

Upcoming 2013 Event
In 2013 our Innovate Carolina conference will be held April 12 in Greensboro, on the campus of NC A&T.  Our theme this year is:  Bridging the gap between idea generation and product development and commercialization.  We know many firms are creating new ideas, but there is often a gap between innovation and product development and commercialization.  We want to focus on that gap this year.

Speakers and Sponsors wanted

We are seeking local (North Carolina, Virginia, South Carolina) based firms who are interested and willing to speak about their experiences, successes and lessons learned about closing the gap between generating ideas and developing successful new products.  We give preference to corporate practitioners, but also welcome consultants and software providers who focus on innovation, provided that the speak with a customer and focus on a completed or active project. 

We also seek sponsors who would be interested in furthering the cause of innovation in the Carolinas and who would be interested in meeting and networking with local innovators.  Our day long program typically attracts between 150 and 200 people, and we have many repeat exhibitors and sponsors.

How to submit or request a speaker

If you are interested in speaking, please contact me and include the following material:

• Your name and company
• Customer you'd speak with if you represent a consulting firm or software firm
• The project success you'll describe in your presentation, lessons learned

Note that you do not have to sponsor the event in order to speak at the event, although sponsorships are appreciated.  You do not have to be a member of PDMA to speak or attend, in fact we encourage PDMA members and non-members alike to speak or attend.

If you know of a firm or individual that you believe should speak at this event, please nominate that person or firm by contacting me.

Participation/Volunteers

If you are interested in helping us out by volunteering your time or effort before the event or during the conference, we always need volunteers to assist us, as the PDMA is a non-profit and most of the work is done by members and volunteers.  Please contact me if you are interested in helping shape the event, prepare for the event or volunteering on the day of the event.

Please pass along the word about the Innovate Carolina Conference, and I hope to see you there.