SOCAP is pleased to welcome the following keynote speakers to the 2009 Annual Conference.
Jeremy Gutsche
Co-Founder of Trendhunter.com
and Innovation Expert
Jeremy Gutsche is an innovation expert, "one of North America's most requested keynote speakers," co-host of Trend Hunter TV and founder of TrendHunter.com, which was reported at the end of 2008 as 20,000 members and 8,000,000 monthly views. Gutsche has been described as "a new breed of trend spotter" and is frequently sourced by media sources such as The Economist, FOX Business, CBC News and Entertainment Tonight for his opinions on the next big thing.
Emily Yellin
Author of Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us
Emily Yellin was a longtime contributor to The New York Times and has also written for Time, The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, Smithsonian Magazine and other publications. Her first book, Our Mothers' War, was published by Free Press in 2004. Yellin decided to write Your Call Is (Not That) Important to Us while waiting on hold one day in her freezing cold house, only to argue on the phone for hours with customer service at a home warranty company before convincing someone to come fix her broken furnace.
John Moore
Founder of Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice and Author of Tribal Knowledge
(Through SOCAP Strategic Partnership with Word of Mouth Marketing Association)
As a marketer and author, John Moore shares business advice with companies seeking to earn unwavering devotion from customers. From 1994 through 2004, John had the extraordinary opportunity of working deep inside the marketing departments of Starbucks Coffee and Whole Foods Market. In 2005, John began the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice to share the many lessons he has learned about marketing with passion and purpose. A long-time believer in word-of-mouth marketing (WOM), John is currently putting his experience to good use as a WOM Enthusiast with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. He is also the author of Tribal Knowledge, a business management book, and is active in social media circles.
Drum Café
International Team-Building and Performance Group
Drum Café is a world-renowned group of team-building experts, motivational speakers and African drumming legends who specialize in bringing people together. Originally started to help unite people during the post-Apartheid era in South Africa, Drum Café now uses the art of African drumming to teach professionals how to maximize team effectiveness. Drum Café's founder, Warren Lieberman, has worked personally with world leaders like Bill Clinton, George Bush, Tony Blair and Nelson Mandela to perfect the art of consensus building and unity amongst different interest groups.
Matthew May
Author of In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing
Matthew E. May is the author of In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing and Elegant Solutions: Breakthrough Thinking the Toyota Way, the Elegant Solutions blog, and The Elegant Solution: Toyota's Formula for Mastering Innovation (Free Press, 2006), which drew on his over eight years of experience as a former senior advisor and master instructor at Toyota. He has contributed to or written for Strategy & Business, Across the Board, The American, The Wharton Leadership Digest, Quality Progress, Consulting to Management, The Detroit News, The Detroit Free Press and USA Today. Matt is the director of the consulting and education firm, Aevitas Learning & Innovation and holds an MBA from The Wharton School and a BA from Johns Hopkins University.