Keynotes

Thursday, June 6
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Viral Business Starts at Home

Johnny Earle
@JohnnyCupcakes
Apparel Designer & Founder
Johnny Cupcakes

With each new launch, the hysteria around the Johnny Cupcakes brand continues to conquer the globe. The reactions go from 10 block queues of anxious fans waiting for the shop to open to brand enthusiasts showing off their Johnny Cupcake tattoos—yes, permanent ones. We talk about word-of-mouth advertising as the holy grail of brand expansion like this, but countless associations forget the word-of-mouth generated internally and externally by their staff team. Association leaders must create a culture of “brand obsessives”, team members who will shout about your values and engage with the brand on a deep level; resulting in loyal teams and bowled-over members. In this awe-inducing talk, discover how you too can create a wave of loyalty and obsession around your products, your association, and within your teams through the power of social media and experiential branding.

Friday, June 7
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.

Datashock: Artificial Intelligence, Connectedness, and Readying for the Big Data Future

Jennifer Golbeck, PhD
@JenGolbeck
Director, Social Intelligence Lab, University of Maryland

Part creepy and part surprise, the future is going to be driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Huge power lies in smart algorithms combined with the vast amount of big data generated by sensors, Internet of Things devices, and human behavior—from financial transactions to social interactions to increasingly trackable behavior. How will AI help members make better decisions? How will it affect or even potentially replace some human tasks altogether? How could it alter long-standing practices in your industry? Where do business opportunities lie in leveraging new technological capabilities, and how can associations prepare for these changes? The key, according to Dr. Jennifer Golbeck, is to focus on the strategic impact of these technologies. As Director of the Social Intelligence Lab at the University of Maryland, College Park, Dr. Golbeck not only studies the most cutting-edge developments in Artificial Intelligence up close, but she and her team create the types of algorithms that are making those types of advancements possible in the first place. Look at how scientists and companies are leveraging big social data to develop new insights into customers and what they want. Learn how to recognize disruptive AI, assess its potential, and prepare for a data- and algorithm-driven future.