We live in a culture of change. Most brands are overwhelmed by the massive shifts that they have to make to their business models. Disruption is everywhere. Digital transformation is imperative. We live in the Uber-ization of everything.

There are several new (and dramatic) realities that will force businesses to rethink many of their commonly held beliefs about what works in business today, and what the future may look like. This is less about the evolution of technology and much more about how consumers have become that much more efficient in this very different landscape. The result? Consumers have adopted technology in a way that has fundamentally changed how they buy and interact with businesses today.

Bring an open mind, because the world continues to change and challenge brands like never before. The new leadership is being a digital leader. Is your business ready to disrupt disruption?

Put aside the hype, what does Artificial Intelligence really mean for your business today?

Quants, data scientists, algorithm overlords, AI trainers and machine learning engineers. These are just some of the people telling businesses today to embrace Artificial Intelligence. For business leaders, it’s confusing, a massive investment and highly speculative. What is the current and future potential for AI, machine learning, cognitive computing and more? In this highly visual and straight-forward presentation, you will learn (from a non-technologist) the true business applications and opportunities that companies are using to grow marketshare and do more with less.

How the Direct To Consumer brands disrupt, build and conquer the marketplace, how every company can take advantage of it.

What do billion dollar companies like Kylie Cosmetics and Dollar Shave Club know that Starbucks and Walmart did not? These startups quickly disrupted industries that took their competitors decades to decode. This new breed of Direct to Consumer brands has changed the dynamics of business today, with over $1 trillion in GDP contribution already. What are these companies doing that is so disruptive? Here’s what you need to know today about the power of direct to consumer brands, how to build one and/or how to act like one. DTC brands leverage their true purpose, technology, data, content, and speed to market in astonishing ways. Now, you can too. Brace for impact.

First ads, now content. What does your business need to know? Most brands and individuals fail at content marketing to build their thought leadership and direct response strategies because they are chasing content formats that don’t fit their brand experience — or they don’t know where to start. Mitch Joel has created a simple and practical strategy to help your business define its true “content centre of excellence”. Mitch will share this simple and fast process so that your business can figure out what your true centre of excellence is for content. Why do this? Focus, growth, sales, customer loyalty, better consumer experiences, and really getting your ideas to spread. Your brand must ensure that whatever messaging is produced, published, and promoted ties back (as closely as possible) to your content centre of excellence.

How voice assistants and smart audio will control technology, change your business and change our lives forever.

Welcome to the no touch world. Forget typing (with keyboards, on glass, with fingers and thumbs). We can (and we will) control everything with our voice. 100 million smart speakers will be in homes and businesses in the coming year. Close to 30% of smart speaker owners buy things with them. These devices have close to an 85% approval rating from consumers. Right now, Amazon smart speakers (not including Google or Apple) already reach 15% of US homes. This technology is scaling at a massive pace, and the implication for your business is staggering. Understanding and mastering voice is as important today as a website and strong search engine placement was 15 years ago (and still is). What is your brand voice? What is your voice strategy? Star Trek for some… a massive business opportunity for all.

Rising from the obscurity of science fiction and the novelty of first-generation experiments, a new batch of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology shows promise to take the immersive consumer experience to unprecedented heights. From fashion runways to hospitals and beyond, consumers will be more deeply connected to brand experiences through real three-dimensional environments.

This presentation explores the sophisticated capabilities and applications of AR/VR as they transform the way businesses will touch and sell to their customers. This high-impact presentation will feature some of the most forward-thinking insights of what is predicted to be a $120 billion market by 2020, and how brands and consumers will play significant, collaborative roles in leveraging and shaping the technology.

Augmented reality and virtual reality are the next platforms we will use, and sometime soon, we will all agree that this is the ideal brand experience.

There are five movements that have changed business forever and yet, the vast majority of brands are doing little to nothing about it. The next five years of business will be about the convergence of these five major movements, which will require companies to adapt like never before. Transform or die? Some will struggle with this shift while others will simply roll along as the adoption incurs. The trick is in capitalizing on this moment in time, understanding these movements, and being ready for your future — a future that will move at a much quicker and real-time pace.

What you do with this moment will be telling. It will also set the pace for everything that flows out of your brand for the next decade. Are you ready for a reboot?