How can companies innovate now? How can they not?

Why would anyone want to innovate now?

Innovation is expensive; it remains a high-risk, difficult and painful process.  It’s unpredictable and sometimes even embarrassing.

Most people and organizations aren’t very good at innovation. It requires them to challenge everything they know to be true, and it quite often doesn’t work.  

But what happens when you can’t continue doing things the same way you did before.  What happens when you HAVE TO INNOVATE?

That’s what almost every company is asking itself today.  With financial markets and fuel prices uncertain, consumption shrinking, regulations changing, clients reducing or dropping their level of business with you, and every new expenditure considered, reconsidered and often eliminated, companies now find themselves in a very difficult position.

At the same time, there is less capital, less confidence, and fewer customers willing to take a chance on something new.

And although commercial and government organizations are discussing how to innovate, too little attention is paid to companies that live in the middle of their value chain; those that have to innovate and expand business with other businesses.

That is why Branson Powers, Inc. is hosting the first of a series of Business-to-Business roundtable summits on June 19th to help us all begin to answer the question,

“How can we innovate now?”

Senior leaders from a range of B-to-B industries, along with select innovation experts will explore and discuss how to innovate in an uncertain business environment. A lively discussion of how to innovate in times of crisis, this meeting will gather insights on how to take innovation from theory into realistic actions at the company and customer level.

SUMMIT DETAILS

Attendees:     10 – 20 “C-Level” business-to-business executives

                   5  Innovation “experts” or consultants

Location:      Workspring (12 East Ohio Street, Chicago)

Date:            June 19th, 2009

Time:           7:30AM breakfast session

Fee:              $400 per attendee

Output:        “B2B Innovation Summit Report”

SECTORS REPRESENTED AT SUMMIT

·         Commercial Real Estate

·         Government/Economic Development

·         Insurance

·         Finance

·         Consulting

·         Legal Services

·         Trade Publishing

·         Business Process Outsourcing

·         Manufacturing

·         Technology/IT

·         Non-Profits

If you are interested in participating in this summit, make sure you contact Gunnar Branson at 312.261.5551.