The Un-Conference: Don’t Just Observe – Participate

Derrick DayeAugust 15, 20134 min

Change is hard. That’s why the future can look so much like the past. And why brands and the marketers who manage them often lose their edge. For those marketers who see comfort zones as a dangerous place, we have designed a very unique experience around brand strategy.

No Attendees. Only Participants.

The best pathway for learning is through participation, Not observation. The Un-Conference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World will challenge your thinking about brands and brand management. And will put you in a unique competitive-learning environment on a team of 10, competing and learning with other marketers from around the world.

October 16th and 17th, this small, progressive group of brand marketers will gather together with legendary marketer John Sculley and the Senior Partners of The Blake Project to create a one-of-a-kind learning and networking experience dedicated to all aspects of building successful brands for the 21st century.

Intensive, fun and illuminating, The Un-Conference will equip you with the insight, tools and techniques required to release the full potential of your brand in a new era where consumers drive and own the conversation about brands.

Taking out-of-the-box Out of the cliché’ pile

After too many marketing conferences blurred together I asked myself where is the brand differentiation in the marketing conference space? Problem solved. Unlike every marketing conference offered today and any you have ever experienced, The Un-Conference: 360 Degrees of Brand Strategy for a Changing World is founded on an out-of-the-box concept that centers on creating the highest outcomes. Your outcomes. Breaking free from yesterday’s marketing conference format is the only way to get there.

Consider this:

The walls are down. There are no podiums or stages. No distance-building hierarchy of titles and ribbons that plague marketing conferences. Everyone in the room is an expert. We draw on the full expertise present. Presenter experts rotate through each team. Everyone contributes.

There are no attendees – only participants. Each working in a team of ten, competing with and against other participants through fun and energizing learning exercises centered on the most important concepts in brand strategy.

Small=Powerful. Only 50 participants, 5 teams of 10, 5 tables, one room. Our focus is on deep learning and value for each participant – not how many people can be squeezed into a room. You will get to know those around you in this unique, game-based competitive-learning environment.

Real world impact. We will dive deep and help prepare you for the brand marketing challenges ahead.

Not your usual talking heads. John Sculley of Apple and Pepsi success will join the seasoned marketing experts of The Blake Project. Not for a 30 minute keynote. For a day and a half!

Jeans. We will all be wearing them. We have to be relaxed and unified for this experience.

Competitive-Learning. As in your marketplace – Some will win, Some will lose, All will learn. Embedded in the workshop experience as a compliment to our focus is a unique game we designed – Brandingo. You will see it has all of the elements of a great game — skill, chance, learning and fun. You will be assigned to a team prior to your arrival at the Essex House on South Beach. There will be unexpected incentives for each team to win. Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins and others will help bring fun, competitive energy to The Un-Conference.

Elements of Surprise. One of the most powerful strategies in marketing is surprise. The Un-Conference celebrates marketers and is a premium experience. Frankly, we do things others don’t. And we prefer to surprise participants. For example, at May’s Un-Conference teams knew they would be enjoying a semi-private dinner at the San Diego Padres game — what they didn’t know was that a member of the day’s winning team would be throwing out the first pitch! Below Craig Morris from GlaxoSmithKlein gets the pre-pitch briefing as I look on. (Craig was recruited by the Padres the next day 🙂 )

Who should participate?

We have reserved these two days for those marketers who want to change the world by creating more value for those that are most important to their brand’s future. The event will consist of approximately 50 brand marketing professionals, including:

  • Marketing oriented leaders
  • Marketing professionals (brand managers, product managers, directors, vice presidents, CMO’s, brand strategists etc.)
  • Advertising agency professionals (account executives and planners)
  • All marketers faced with brand strategy issues
  • All professionals charged with brand building and management
  • All marketers who prefer participation over observation. Action over reaction.
  • All marketers who are officially numb to last century’s format of marketing conferences

Team spots are limited! Secure your participation at The Un-Conference: 360° of Brand Strategy for a Changing World Today!

Would you like to learn more? I will bring you closer  — call me directly at 813-842-2260.

Exciting times,

Derrick

7 comments

  • Tony Todaro

    August 16, 2013 at 7:34 am

    What a fantastic experience! A must for every true marketer! I can’t wait to attend again!

  • Karen Schaffer

    August 16, 2013 at 7:40 am

    A GREAT learning experience!

  • Kimberly Struyk

    August 19, 2013 at 8:56 am

    An interesting way to deliver new information to Marketers! The team exercises are meaningful and thought-provoking. Working together on a common challenge inspired relationships that are comfortable and much deeper than the typical conference experience. Thank you all around for the opportunity!

  • Marcia McGeachie

    August 19, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    Shortly after my trip to San Diego for The Un-Conference the responsibilities of the department manager were passed onto me, so I’ve been running the marketing division of this company for a little while. I believe that without some of the knowledge passed onto me at The Un-Conference, I would have felt a little overwhelmed.

  • Ryan Noel

    August 19, 2013 at 4:37 pm

    What I liked about The Un-Conference was the chance we had to interact and learn from other business professionals that were there to learn and participate. The Un-Conference struck a perfect balance between learning from top branding and marketing professionals, and applying the principles that were taught with real world case studies. After all, we attend these conferences so we can return to our professions and apply what was learned.

  • Catey DeBalko

    August 19, 2013 at 5:42 pm

    I really enjoyed the first Un-Conference. The attendees were great to connect with and learn from. The speakers were top-notch. Really, who wouldn’t be enraptured by John Sculley? I was literally on the edge of my seat. The exercises were fantastic as they gave us an opportunity to immediately think through and apply the concepts presented by the speakers. All in all, a great investment of time and money. I would highly recommend the Un-Conference to anyone responsible for managing a brand or a marketing team.

  • Elizabeth Michel

    September 3, 2013 at 1:07 pm

    The Un-Conference was an engaging, fun, and highly motivational! A unique experience with top marketing talent from around the world!

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