Tag: young professionals

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Business News

Bold Fusion 2010 invites young professionals to realign

The 6th Annual Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber summit for young professionals takes place this Thursday, April 29. Called Bold Fusion, the event offers an opportunity for the next generation of movers and shakers to come together and “challenge the way they work and live in Cincinnati USA.”

The focus of this year’s half-day event is on innovation and reshaping traditional work and lifestyles for the future. An impressive array of presenters is lined up to inspire and invoke new thoughts. Most notably, the keynote speaker is Cincinnati-native David Pescovitz, research director at The Institute for the Future and the co-editor of popular blog BoingBoing. His goal is to shake up the views of the Bold Fusion attendees and get them to rethink they way they live and the companies they represent professionally.

“Many of the best ideas may come from unexpected contributors,” explained Pescovitz who went on to say that those contributors can come from so far outside an organization’s own walls that they even speak a different language.

2009 Bold Fusion attendees [LEFT] were treated to Richard Boehne, CEO of E.W. Scripps [RIGHT], who served as the summit’s keynote speaker last year. Images provided.

The other speakers are nothing to scoff at, either. The day kicks off with LPK’s Vice President of Trends, Valerie Jacobs, giving a “back cast” that will look at the ways sociocultural trends have shaped our lives over the last several years, in order to propel us into the future.

There will also be other local professionals giving their personal accounts of jumping into the murky waters of innovation, and how they have grown and changed through those experiences, including Chris Ostoich of Blackbook and Ignite Cincinnati; Chris Graves, Enquirer Media/Locals on Living and Amy Storer-Scalia of CincyChic; Erika Brown, P&G Beauty & Grooming Brand Manager of Digital Strategy & Innovation, Founder of BeingGirl.com and Co-founder of Tremor; Meredith Holthaus and Pete Healy, Museum of Advertising; Elizabeth Edwards, Metro Innovation; and Steve Burns of AMP Electrical Vehicles.

A new twist this year is the introduction of Bold Fusion’s “Lounge 140” which will feature an assemblage of local social media gurus. This group will be updating attendees and those who unable to make the event through their various social media outlets. UrbanCincy’s own Jenny Kessler has been asked to be a part of Lounge 140, and will be tweeting about the event live @jenlkessler and from @UrbanCincy. Those looking to follow along with the live tweets about Bold Fusion can follow #CincyHype and even join in the conversation.

So, in a nutshell, why should you come to Bold Fusion?

“Bold Fusion 2010 wants all of Cincinnati USA’s creative makers, hackers, innovators and passionistas to participate in the largest convergence of young talent in a single place, around a single topic in the region,” said Jennifer Young, Marketing Communications Manager for Cincinnati USA. “Press pause, realign and decide what to make of your future.”

Bold Fusion will take place Thursday, April 29 from 1pm to 5pm at the Westin Hotel (map), with a happy hour event following the summit from 5pm to 7pm. Nonprofits and companies sending two or more people to Bold Fusion can purchase tickets for $45. College students can register for $35, Cincinnati USA members will be able to get in for $60 and all others will be able to attend for $85. You can register online now or by calling (513) 579-3111.

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Arts & Entertainment News

Weeklong fashion celebration begins in Cincinnati

Cincinnati Fashion Week got kicked off yesterday with a promotional campaign for the city’s fashion enthusiasts called “Spring into Fashion.” Now underway, the community driven collaborative including Keep Cincinnati Beautiful will run through Saturday, April 24.

Cincinnati Fashion Week (Facebook Page) organizers say that the goal of the week-long event is to “improve the quality of life by promoting sustainable action through fashion and style,” and that it includes a wide variety of events that will celebrate Cincinnati fashion, design, craftsmanship, artistry and even include a cleanup event on Saturday as part of the Great American Cleanup.

“Throughout its history, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful has initiated and implemented many on-going projects that have made a clear difference in the quality of life for Greater Cincinnati,” said Nathan Hurst, an independent fashion designer. In addition to the cleanup partnership, a portion of the proceeds from Cincinnati Fashion Week will be donated to Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.

“A passion for art brought me to share my love for fashion with the city I adore just as much,” explained Hurst. “I began my fashion career in Cincinnati with three successful runway shows and quickly made my national debut at the ‘Hip-Hop Meets Couture’ annual fashion show in San Francisco. When I returned to the Midwest I had one goal in mind: Cincinnati Fashion Week.”

The remainder of the week is packed with unique events throughout Cincinnati’s urban core including an exclusive VIP Appreciation Party that takes place tonight at the trendy downtown Cincinnati nightclub FB for those who have purchased an ‘all week pass’ for Cincinnati Fashion Week (doors will open at 8pm). Throughout the rest of the week Cincinnati Fashion Week attendees will be able to enjoy a merchant fair, fashion shows, design shows and the aforementioned Great American Cleanup.

The can’t miss Fashion Finale will feature the works of of Laura Dawson, Amy Longo and David Meister, among others, who will be showcasing his famous gowns. The fashion show will be hosted by Jen Dalton with music being provided by DJ Fuse. The Fashion Finale will take place at the Hyatt Regency’s Grand Ballroom in downtown Cincinnati with general admission tickets starting at $60. Special VIP tickets are also available for $100 that include additional perks. Tickets can be purchased online.

Cincinnati Fashion Week is also sponsoring a clothing drive as part of their collaboration with the Great American Cleanup, and those who donate clothing to Kenzie’s Closet or Dress for Success will receive 25% off any level ticket purchase.

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Arts & Entertainment Business News

Design Revolution Road Show visits Cincinnati today

The Design Revolution Road Show is a traveling exhibition that has visited 22 schools and covered thousands of miles in the course of 75 days with just one mobile trailer. The exhibition is the brain child of Emily Pilloton who founded Project H Design – a San Francisco-based non-profit that focuses on design that improves health, habitats, humanity and happiness. The road show has taken Project H’s message on the road and will visit Cincinnati today.

Over the past two months the Design Revolution Road Show has traveled all over the country visiting high schools and colleges in an attempt to inspire students to step up and change the world. In addition to the message, the traveling exhibition features 40 humanitarian design solutions that were previously highlighted in Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People which was also written by, you guessed it, Emily Pilloton. The designs vary, but range from homemade water filters designed for those living in developing countries to educational toys for mentally challenged children.

Design Revolution Road Show at NC State – photo from Project H Design.

“Each product is an example of how design can enable and improve life, rather than simply take up space as a commodity or accessory,” described Pilloton. “We believe design can change the world, and we’re taking the show on the road.”

The University of Cincinnati (UC) was chosen as one of the sites because of the university’s prominent college of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning that is world renowned for its design innovations and talent. According to Pilloton, the hope is to create a stronger connection between education and design that is both provocative and socially relevant to the problems facing society today. Students at UC will be presented the evidence and tools for designing solutions with a social impact.

The Design Revolution Road Show will be at the University of Cincinnati today from 10am to 4pm. The mobile trailer known as ‘The Airstream’ will be parked on McMicken Commons in the heart of UC’s main campus. Project H Design founder Emily Pilloton will be giving a free lecture that is open to the public from 12:30pm to 2pm in room 4400 inside the Aronoff Center for Art & Design (map). Parking is available throughout UC’s campus parking garages for a fee, or you can try your luck at nearby on-street parking. Several Metro bus routes also provide service to the Aronoff Center for Art & Design, and a great deal of bicycle parking is located just feet away from the entrance to the building.

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News

Brian Meyers to discuss emerging market trends at AMA luncheon

The American Marketing Association (AMA) is hosting a luncheon this Friday, April 16 from 11:30am to 1:15pm that will feature a presentation from Brian Meyers on the future of design and marketing.

Meyers is a Senior Trends Analyst with Cincinnati-based LPK, and is known for his forecasting and strategic analysis of emerging trends by predicting shifts in consumer behavior for the brand management firm. Trend forecasting is often used by industry leaders to help develop consumer and market brands.

According to Meyers, his presentation “Memo from 2015: What the Future Wants from a Marketer” will challenge many conventional marketing tactics used today and is intended to provoke Cincinnati’s local marketing community to think about how marketers and designers adapt and evolve in an ever-changing environment.

Due to his relatively young age and topic on evolving socio-cultural trends, Meyers is a different presenter for an AMA luncheon event. His presentation “Memo from 2015: What the Future Wants from a Marketer” is intended to provoke our local marketing community to think about how we as marketers and designers can adapt and evolve with rapidly evolving trends.

“The objective of this presentation is not accuracy, but provocation – proactive cogitation that will lead to thoughtful action and manifestation of a better future,” Meyers explained. “How will we adapt or evolve to fill the new role the future has in mind for us?”

Meyers’ presentation will focus on emerging trends like the Simplistic Slowdown, New Economies and the On-line/Off-line Blur. Correspondingly, the following six paradigm shifts will also be discussed about how they will impact marketing.

  1. People Don’t Buy Much Any More
  2. People Utilize Alternative Economies
  3. People Become Their own Producers and Marketers
  4. Technology turns from Tool to Automated Competition
  5. Seamless Digital/Physical Reality Alters How People Live
  6. Decoding the Brain Up-Ends Ideas of Logic and Reason

Marketing and brand development is seen as one of Cincinnati’s strongest industries with consumer product giants like Procter & Gamble, Kroger, Macy’s and Chiquita all headquartered in the city. The industry is also one that seems poised for growth in an increasingly consumer-based economy that is rapidly changing.

UrbanCincy readers interested in attending have been extended a special offer for the luncheon. Starting today, UrbanCincy readers are able to reserve their luncheon spot for the special membership rate of $35 by registering online and entering “UrbanCincy” into the comment box. This discount will only be valid online and not at the door. The event is being held at the Cintas Center (map) on Xavier University’s campus, with parking available in Lot C next to the arena (no parking voucher is necessary).

Categories
Arts & Entertainment News

Pecha Kucha + Ignite = ?

Pecha Kucha came full circle this past Friday at the Contemporary Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati when it returned to the spot where PK Cincinnati got its start. But there is a new addition to the “interesting presentation” scene in Cincinnati, and that is Ignite Cincinnati.

Ignite Cincinnati and Pecha Kucha are very similar in scope and execution. The biggest difference is that Ignite presenters get 15 seconds per slide while Pecha Kucha presenters get a whopping 20 seconds. The PK idea was started first and has a more international audience, but Ignite is no less of a format for presenting ideas. Founders for both forums have acknowledged the similarities and are currently working together to collaborate on future projects.

“We’re competing for the same spaces, same presenters, same audience,” Pecha Kucha Cincinnati leader Greg Lewis says. “They have more of a handle on the young professional crowd, and obviously we want to work together to achieve the same goals.”

It is too soon to tell how this coalition will manifest itself, but it is safe to say there will definitely be something new happening in the future. In the mean time, let the battle of the interesting presentation styles continue in Cincinnati…we are all reaping the benefits.