2008 IDSA/Microsoft Designer Spotlight Series (Live Webinar)

Darrel Rhea, IDSA
Cheskin Added Value

"Making Meaning on a Global Scale: Cultural competence as a basis for global product innovation initiatives"
November 11, 2008, 1:00 pm ET

The driving principle for design in the new millennium should be about creating deep empathy and connection with the people and cultures we design for. Making meaning for our customers sits at the core of this concept. As the world flattens and emerging markets take center stage, cultural competence also becomes essential for any product development initiatives that hope to succeed.

In this webinar, Cheskin Added Value CEO Darrel Rhea will explore how meaning and cultural competence work together to support product and service innovation for a global marketplace. As product developers, designers and innovators, our priority should be in unearthing and refining a clear sense of what creates value at different levels of experience. "Meaningful experiences" are the highest embodiment of value. A process of "making meaning" connects the individual to those experiences that deliver value.

As a CEO, social scientist, innovation specialist, and design researcher, Darrel Rhea, IDSA has spent the last 30 years working on the front lines of innovation with the world's top corporations-helping them understand their customers, their needs and their experiences-and helping all parts of the organization see innovation through to completion.

Featured in Malcolm Gladwell's New York Times bestseller Blink, Rhea is one of America's top strategic design consultants. His mission is to help companies create products, services and brands that serve both the consumer and the bottom line-and to build value by generating experiences that are meaningful to consumers and profitable to producers, shareholders and investors. His expertise has helped guide leading companies including Microsoft, Pepsi, Herman Miller, Kraft, Motorola, General Mills, Andersen Windows, Procter & Gamble, 3M and Hewlett-Packard.

Rhea is a frequent keynote speaker at US and International organizations and conferences around the world including World Economic Forum Summer Davos to Dalian, Forbes CEO and CIO Forums, World Economic Forum, Consumer Electronics Association CEO Summit, Kellogg Marketing Conference, Icograda International Design Conference, Commonwealth Club of California, PDMA, IDSA, and the Guidewire Executive Summit.

In his book, Making Meaning: How Successful Businesses Deliver Meaningful Experiences, Darrel pushes the envelope of innovation in design, business strategy, marketing, and customer experience. At the heart of his work is a clear-cut and simple message of "making meaning" through relentless attention to the people you serve.

Individual seminars are $100 each for IDSA members. For non-IDSA members, the cost is $205 per individual seminar.

SPECIAL DEAL!! Register for the three remaining Spotlight sessions and pay $250 for members and $550 for nonmembers! Call Donna at 703.707.6000 x100 for details.

[register here]

The Microsoft/IDSA Spotlight Series are live, online seminars using Microsoft LiveMeeting. You can enjoy the seminars live from any location using a phone and a computer with an Internet connection. Spotlight Seminars are recorded and registered attendees receive access to the recording.




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