IdeaSlam I Ready to Show the Way
I once watched this incredible German film where the protagonist had to travel to a small city in the Arctic Circle to compete in a Jeopardy-like game show that focused on trains and the fastest way to get from place to place. (If you’re in Europe, you understand. If you’re in the U.S., many jokes are popping into your head.)
In other words, their Alex Trebek would ask, “Barcelona to St. Petersburg,” and a contestant would ring in, “take the 6:11 to Paris, then the 11:40 to Frankfurt” and so on. At the time, it seemed a bit preposterous, though now, that word may not even exist–this from someone who grew up on the “Jersey Shore.”
The point here is that the film actually did portray this game show in the end, in all its bells, whistles and departure boards. And it was amazing to see! Our protagonist won and left with his new girlfriend to some frigid outpost pub in the snowbound wilderness.
Flash forward to the warmth of Miami Beach and the brainpower that will be in attendance at SIPA’s 27th Annual Marketing Conference, Nov. 10-12 at the Ritz-Carlton. We’ve been hard at work organizing an event that I will call IdeaSlam I because it will undoubtedly be the first of many.
Like the above game show, the concept of an IdeaSlam is masterful and will be amazing to see played out; session attendees will break into groups to brainstorm and devise solutions to real marketing problems faced by SIPA members. These groups will emerge with real-time solutions that can be put to use when members return home. Five problems, five solutions.
But SIPA needs your help on this one. We need you to be there, of course. But even before that, we want you to summarize your challenge in an email and send it to jutano@sipaonline.com with the subject line IDEASLAM! All submissions must be received by October 31, 2010. The best five problems will be tackled in Miami. If your challenge is selected, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of MarketingSherpa’s 2011 Social Media Marketing Benchmark Report – a $400 value!
Speaking of brainpower and German culture, check out the amazing content on the Website of SIPA member VNR.de –a company that will be well-represented in Miami. (To view, go to Google and search “VNR.de.” Then hit “Translate This Page” depending on how good your German is.) Their description for this portion of the company reads: “With more than 26,000 articles VNR.de is the leading German expert on-line portal! Every day, our experts provide new articles on hundreds of topics for you online.”)
For just this week alone, they have posted articles on finding the right work-life balance—“There are times when you sacrifice for the children or job, and there are times when you need to rethink again and do more for yourself, your personal development and health”–getting inspired in the office–“New tasks in the office: The 5 steps on the enthusiasm thermometer”–how children learn to lose–“As parents we suffer with our offspring , the temptation is great during a game to let the children win easily. But this is not the right solution”–and table decoration: Maritime or do Japanese?—pretty self-explanatory.
We will interview some of the VNR people in a future SIPAlert Daily to see how they put all this together. At first glance, it’s a bit reminiscent of Helium, whose president, Mark Ranalli, spoke at the SIPA 2010 Conference. Have experts write about all sorts of subjects. For Helium, writers get paid based on the popularity of their work. I’m not sure about VNR but will find out. There are certainly ads on the site and a place to shop. (Talk about one-stop shopping!)
There also seems to be a similarity with Jeopardy on VNR’s site, as all the answers are supplied before the questions. No sign of Alex Trebek though. So the credit has to go to SIPA Hall of Famer and VNR CEO Helmut Graf. Maybe he can help me remember the name of that film.
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Register today and save $100!
SIPA’s 27th Annual Marketing Conference
Wednesday – Friday, November 10-12, 2010
The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach, Miami
Unbelievable Room Rates of $179 –
book now, last year we sold out!
Early Bird Registration Still Available
View complete agenda and expert faculty here
Questions? Contact SIPA at 703.992.9339 or email us.
Sign up today and we’ll see you in Miami!
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