Witnessing the Future of Trends and Innovation

Previewing Seed’s trip to the Future Festival in Cincinnati

Future Festival Cincinnati is a one-day innovation conference that takes all of the essential information from the three-day festival in Toronto and packs it into one accelerated program. The day begins with a keynote speech by Trend Hunter CEO Jeremy Gutsche, who will outline the 6 Patterns of Opportunity and 18 Megatrends that are causing major industry changes. This will be followed by a series of informative trend and innovation keynotes that will provide you with the skills needed to come up with better ideas, faster.

Seed’s Jamie Schleicher and Shira Beder are looking forward to attending. We were fortunate enough to catch up with both of them to get their thoughts about the event.

So, what made you decide to attend Future Festival Cincinnati?

JS: Trend Hunter has been a go-to resource for inspiration, relevance and top trends—from fashion to tech—there’s always something relevant to the work we’re doing (plus they make great conversation starters in the lunchroom). I’m super excited to attend this condensed, one-day conference right here in Cincinnati!

SB: When we heard that the Toronto-based Future Festival was coming to Cincinnati, we just couldn’t say no. This conference is packed with a series of informative trend and innovation keynotes that reveal the evolving industry dynamics we need to stay on top of, and bring a fresh perspective that inspires our pursuits.

 Why is it important for Seed to be there?

JS: So much of what we do for our clients is future-forward. Change is hard. To be able to deliver on groundbreaking ideas/strategies for our clients (which equates to success for our clients), we have to stay on top of trends and be aware of the disruption taking place within the industry so that we can be agile and smart in the work that we’re producing.

SB: As a company that applies an innovation lens to everything we do, the array of topics that will be presented at Future Festival could not be more relevant. From lifestyle trends and hyper connectivity to the future of innovation tactics and frameworks, there’s a wealth of information for us to learn and apply to the work we do here at Seed.

 Which topic/trends are you most excited to hear about?

 JS: All of them. But the one that stands out to me is Future of Generations. As an “older” Millennial (yes, I’m admitting my age here), I feel like we narrowly speak to generations that cast a very wide net of traits, ages and needs. I’m excited to look past the labels and uncover new ways to think about the “modern consumer,” what motivates them and how to more accurately target them.

SB: It’s hard to pick a favorite! I am particularly excited to attend the session on The Super Future, learning about how everything from the globalization of our culture to AI and robots will shape innovation, opening the door for more opportunities to better society and our planet.

Any last thoughts or other things you are looking forward to?

JS: Things are moving faster and faster each day, so we have to stay one step ahead. The hope is that we’ll be able to come back to the office with actionable and inspiring ideas that make an impact on our client’s business.

SB: As part of the pre-work for this conference, we’ve had many Seedlings take Jeremy Gutsche’s Innovation Assessment. Jamie and I are looking forward to reporting back on what we learn about our organization’s innovation archetypes and the specific implications Jeremy has to share.

Going to Future Festival? Jamie and Shira would love to connect with you there. Feel free to email or reach out to them on LinkedIn. And be sure to follow Seed Strategy on our LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages for more updates on their adventures at the show.

Looking for more innovation conferences to attend this year? Then be sure to view our list of Ten Inspiring Innovation Conferences to Check out in 2019.

Jed Golden is a Senior Copy Director at Seed Strategy where he loves coming up with creative words just slightly more than dispensing workout advice. If you’re looking for either (or even if you just need a good spot), he’s ready to pump (clap!) you up.