Business Development

They say coffee is for closers, but what about the rest of the team? Today business development is supported by a highly complex mix of talent, tools, and processes. Moving a customer from the moment they realize they may need your products or services to the moment they enthusiastically commit to your brand demands the orchestration and optimization of dozens of interactions. Closers are still critical but neglect any other part of the marketing and sales engine, and it will soon stall out. 

In the Business Development conference track, we'll share and explore strategy and tactics that have worked at our organizations in a highly collaborative and open set of sessions. We'll talk about what works and what doesn't today and explore what's next for business development, in the era of accelerating change. 

Thursday, May 9

8.00 am – 9.00 am

Breakfast & Registration

The conversation starts at breakfast. Have one or several cups of coffee and get a great start to the rest of the day.  

9.00 am – 9.15 am

Conference opening by Janus Boye 

9.15 am – 10.00 am

The future of work is already here - it's just not evenly distributed yet.

Read more about the keynote

Sharon O’Dea (UK)
Experienced digital strategist

10.00 am – 10.30 am

Coffee, tea & networking 

10.30 am – 12.00 am

How hard is it to get your customers to buy “rainbows and unicorns”?

Disruption, digital transformation, the evolution of the customer experience, customer-centric, data-driven, design thinking, fast to market, agile delivery, keep the lights on, be innovative, “rainbows and unicorns.” Sound familiar? Do you find it hard to balance innovation, delivery and keeping up with what your key focus in the digital space should be?

Most organizations want to be cutting edge, industry-leading and chase the latest trends while delivering on the key needs of the customers. How do you do both? Or can you?

During this session, we'll explore how data collection, enablement and the working model are vital to delivering real, sustainable and scalable “rainbows and unicorns” that your customers love.

Amanda Skura (US)
Digital Platform Strategist at Audi of America

12.00 am – 1.00 pm

Lunch 

1.00 pm - 1.45 pm 

Content is for Closers: Improving Lead Generation and Conversion through Content Strategy

Melinda Belcher will discuss how to better assess and understand user needs at each step of the decision-making process, and how to map content to those needs in order to create meaningful connections with prospects.

Melinda Belcher (US)
Senior director, digital experience at Mastercard

 1.45 pm - 2.00 pm

Coffee, tea & networking

2.00 pm - 3.00 pm 

300 Seconds

300 seconds is a series of lightning talks by and for the digital community. These talks are about gaining insights from professionals we wouldn't otherwise hear from.

Learn about 300 Seconds

 

Sharon O’Dea (UK)
Experienced digital strategist

3.00 pm - 3.30 pm 

Coffee, tea & networking

 

3.30 pm - 4.30 pm

Value Mining: Uncovering the Hidden Value in Your Business and Digital Strategies

In this warp speed business universe, the real danger is commoditization. To stay competitive, organizations are onboarding new technologies at a breakneck pace. Evolving your digital experience is essential, but the real key to transformation is often already in your business… just hidden.

For the Fortune 500, intangible assets are the new drivers of value, growing from 20% to 80% of corporate balance sheets – things like intellectual property, quality processes, technology training, supply chain relationships, sustainability practices, even methods for running design teams. Unlocking this value story for your business – and aligning it with your digital strategy – can help move the needle on your growth.

In this workshop, you’ll learn about use cases where Value Mining has helped uncover key advantages, so organizations can reposition to compete more effectively and avoid being just another commodity. We’ll also walk through a Value Mining exercise that helps you and your team inventory the key ingredients that make your business strategy more effective. We’ll also discuss the critical cloud and digital technologies can activate those assets.

Matt Garrepy (US)
Chief Digital Officer at Solodev

 4.30 pm - 4.45 pm

Coffee, tea & networking

4.45 pm – 5.30 pm

Town Hall Debate 

 

 6.30 pm - 11.00 pm

Farewell dinner