Pre-Conference Workshops
The Product Development Management Associations' pre-conference sessions offer attendees a highly customized, intimate, learning opportunity on Effective Brainstorming, How to become a Learning Organization or Driving your Creativity.

Register for 1 of the 3 New Product Development Professional Workshops and earn PDMA certification credits

Andre Csapo, Director Discovery & Innovation, PDMA

2) The Foundations of New Product Development
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The class will discuss ways to help you become a learning organization; one that applies continuous improvement principles to its NPD effort and steps up to the hard work of innovation.
Christopher W. Miller, Ph. D., NPDP, PDMA

3) The Creative U
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This workshop will emphasize the Foursight InnovationModel developed by Gerard Puccio. You will learn to help others enhance their own creative potential, build team creativity and bring creative energy to customer relationships.

Bree Gillespie, Director, Discovery & Innovation, PDMA!

Emerging Opportunities in a Shifting Global Consumer Landscape
Speaker: Will Galgey, Director, Henley Centre HeadlightVision

Attitudes and behaviors of consumers worldwide are changing faster than ever. What are the implications, risks and opportunities for food companies? An overview of global consumer  trends supported by new global research from HenleyWorld 2006 will provide stimulating and thought provoking insights.

Sensing Opportunities
Speaker: Edgar Chambers IV, Ph. D., Director, The Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University

Consumers of diverse ethnic backgrounds and ages offer unexpected and perceptive results in sensory tests, but interpreting correctly for maximum usefulness is a challenge.

First in Line: Driving Trends with Consumers/Early Adaptors
Group Facilitators: Bryan Urbick, Director of Research, and Abel Westerhof, Consumer-Knowledge Centre

A panel of consumers/early adaptors provides insights into how and why a food trend emerges, and what are the barriers to acceptance. Attitudes, beliefs and what attracts them and repels them are explored.
Sponsored by IFF

Fusion with Flair: Ethnic Options Diversify
Speaker: Dr. Karl B. Adams, Vice President R&D, McCain Foods USA

Ethnic cuisines continue to have a powerful impact on food choices both in restaurants and at home. Selecting the right ethnic or regional influences for successful product launches will be reviewed, along with guidelines for successfully incorporating “Ethnic Fusion” into new products.

Mass Customization and its Impact on Product Development
Speaker: Gary Dechert, Senior Product Development Engineer, Procter & Gamble

Companies increasingly offer personalized consumer products that allows established brands to create elevated relationships with consumers.

Idea Generation: Company Culture, Innovation Process or Lucky Guess?
Speaker: Mauro Pennella, Vice President Innovation, Diageo

Successful innovation is a sustained effort. The right processes, culture and also a little luck help create big ideas. Come to hear about Diageo's way to identify, nurture and grow the next big success story.

First in Line: Applying Early Adaptor Insights
Speaker: Bryan Urbick, Director of Research, Consumer- Knowledge Centre

What are product aspects that will trigger a trial purchase? Or make it mis-fire? This presentation takes information garnered during the early adaptor panel and explains how to apply it to the new product development process.
Sponsored by IFF

What in the World is Going on? New Product Trends around the Globe
Speakers: Lynn Dornblaser and David Jago, Directors, Custom Solutions Group, Mintel International

Food trends are increasingly global. Yet foods, more than any other consumer products, must meet expectations highly influenced by local factors, from culture to regulations. Come hear about new global products and conference attendees’ opinions on the foods presented during Monday’s Global Sampling.

Word of Mouth Marketing: What Makes a Product Worth Talking About?
Speaker: Terry Pittman, Executive Director, Consumer Insights and Innovation Frameworks, AOL, LLC

People tell others when a product delights or disappoints. Marketers now are attempting to incorporate "Word of Mouth" strategies into their promotional efforts. Is Word of Mouth about marketing - or is it really about the product? What characteristics enable a product to be effectively promoted in this manner?

Are Consumers Buying It? Innovation Versus Commercial Success
Speaker: Valerie Skala Walker, Vice President, Analytics Product Management, Information Resources Inc.

Want to develop the next $100 million brand? Start by learning about recent brands that have achieved this "mega-hit" level of year one sales, and then examine those that have sustained that level for two or more years. Leverage experience from other food/beverage categories to bring "what works" to your products.

Flavorful Food Innovations: Trends Appearing on the Culinary Landscape
Speakers: Dr. Victor A.L. Gielisse, CMC, Associate Vice President, and Ronald DeSantis, Director, Continuing Education's Industry Solution Group, Culinary Institute of America

Casing a careful eye on the industry’s foodservice segment reveals flourishing trends in flavors and food components. This interactive session delivers must-have information on up-and-coming foods as well as educational sensory experience on key flavor components.