Published on the 30/05/2017 | Written by Newsdesk
Eclectic insights on the menu at Accelerate 2017 event…
Ever wondered how iconic toy brand Lego went from boom to nearly bust and right back to boom? Keen to see IBM’s Watson artificial intelligence do something so tangible you can eat it? Wondering how newspaper publishers can survive in this marvelous digital age? Or interested in hearing from a real live astronaut why ‘surprises’ aren’t such a great idea when you’re a million miles from home?
That’s probably about as diverse a number of random thoughts which might flit through your head at any one time, but it is also what is on the agenda at the Accelerate 2017 events taking place on both sides of the Tasman this June. Made of three distinct components, all of which sound pretty enticing, Accelerate provides insights and international speakers in a single day over breakfast and lunch. It’s not, say the organisers, just what you will learn that is important, but also how you will learn it.
The theme running across the presentations is a view of the radical, systems-wide changes that companies which have faced very different disruptive challenges have implemented. The digital revolution has meant Lego and The New York Times have experienced fundamental challenges to their businesses – challenges which they have successfully dealt with.
The keynote presentation from David Gram, who has worked with Scandinavian Airlines, Siemens Wind Power and is the former senior innovation head at LEGO Future Lab, will share his experience of disruption. He will reveal how LEGO nearly lost it all, the challenges the organisation faces, and how it is fostering innovation inside the larger organisation to ensure it will “inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow”.
Additional ‘out of this world’ insights will come from NASA Astronaut Mike Mullane, who will discuss how to be agile while managing risk in an exclusive video interview. He will show why ‘predictable surprises’ happen and how systems can be designed to mitigate these expected exceptions.
And perhaps most fascinating of all, attendees will get to taste Artificial Intelligence in action: IBM has created Chef Watson, an offshoot of the Watson Artificial Intelligence engine, that generates recipes by selecting often novel combinations of ingredients and styles of cuisine.
But unrestrained AI could be dangerous, so ‘Chef Watson’ is set to work with MasterChef Simon Gault to design and deliver breakfast and lunch menus for the enjoyment of guests.
Sound fascinating? Accelerate 2017 takes place on the following dates:
Wellington: 13th June 2017
Auckland: 15th June 2017
Melbourne: 20th June 2017
Sydney: 22nd June 2017
You can register here:
8am -10:30am What LEGO & The New York Times have been learning about disruption
11am – 2pm Embracing Design Thinking, perspectives on making meaningful change
11:00am – 2pm What the Space Program can teach us about process & teamwork
A special discount for iStart subscribers.
Once you have decided which event you would like to attend, enter your discount code Accelerate2017_iStart for your 50 PERCENT DISCOUNT (saving you $75 per ticket).
The event agenda is the brain child of sponsor and premier IBM partner Certus Solutions. Certus employs over 200 people and delivers ‘Pure Play’ IBM solutions to 600+ clients from offices in Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Newcastle, Sydney and Wellington.
