Innovation: When Change is the Only Constant

This is a must see!

Mon, 25 May 2009 21:52:00 -0600

Please make sure you watch it all the way until the end.

Fellow-Belgian Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry talk about game-changing wearable tech

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:24:51 -0600

Pattie Maes & Pranav Mistry talk about Unveiling the "Sixth Sense," game-changing wearable tech.

Happy International Woman's Day!

Sun, 8 Mar 2009 16:33:57 -0600

Vrouwen aan de Macht - Stef Bos
Ik heb vannacht een droom gehad
Ik heb weer iets geleerd
Ik zag de wereld op z'n kop
En alles omgekeerd
De avond was de ochtend
Ik werd wakker in de nacht
En alle dingen
dansten voor m'n ogen
En ik zag
De wissel van de wacht
Vrouwen aan de macht
De wissel van de wacht
Vrouwen aan de macht
De regering was gevallen
Voor de wet van vrouwelijk schoon
De generaal bracht alleen nog maar
De kinderen naar school
Geen vrouw achter de schermen meer
Geen man als marionet
De koningin had met gevoel
De koning mat gezet
Het was mooier dan ik dacht
Wat ik zag vanacht
De wissel van de wacht
Vrouwen aan de macht
Nee vrouwen zijn geen engelen
Dat hoor je niet van mij
Maar alles moet veranderen
En het wordt langzaam tijd...
Voor een...
Wissel van de macht
Vrouwen aan de macht
Dat is wat ik zag
In een droom vanacht
Ik zag de vrouwen aan de macht
En wat een mooie toekomst
Vrouwen aan de macht
Ze nemen ons uit eten
En ze betalen het gelag
Wij luisteren en lachen
Zij doen voor ons hun best
En ze maken carri�re
En ze sterven van de stress
Het is mooier dan ik dacht
Wat ik zag vannacht
De wissel van de wacht
Vrouwen aan de macht

7th US FEI Conference - May 18-20, 2009

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 15:38:25 -0600

I am sure you have heard enough of it� Economical crisis, recession, depression. Call it what you want � everyone knows what you mean. But how is your company going to manage this? How can you help ensure that your company doesn�t end up in the statistics?

Many companies and countries are looking at innovation as one of the key determinants for survival today. And where can you learn more about innovation than at the front end of innovation conference?

The keynote speakers for this year�s conference include nobody less than Jim Collins, Mike Santori, John Kao, Peter Erickson, Jody Turner, Verena C. Kloos, President, BMW Group DesignworksUSA, and Max von Zedtwitz.

Ready to change? Much more information can be found on IIR's website.

2009 FEI Europe

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 15:26:18 -0600

I loved 2009�s European Front End of Innovation conference in Monaco organized by PDMA & IIR. I had big expectations of Monaco; but as a place I thought it was rather disappointing. My expectations of the conference, on the contrary, were beyond fulfilled. Moreover, hypothesizing that you can also tell the quality of presentations based upon the number of people checking their e-mails on their Blackberry's and iPhones, I would say overall it was a great conference.The keynote speakers were of excellent quality and represented balanced variety.

Jeremy Rifkin, president of the foundation on economic trends and the greenhouse crisis, was our first keynote speaker. He first put me down a little when he talked to us about the world�s ecological situation. Happily that was undone from the moment he shifted gears and spoke about how we can make a difference through innovation and act towards making the world a better and healthier place to live. Dr. Peter Koen, Associate Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, talked about the challenges incumbent firms face when they explore new business models and the dilemmas they need to tackle when they simultaneously pursue established and new businesses. Leo K�rkk�inen, Research Fellow and Chief Visionary Systems Research at Nokia, brought the Nokia Vision on the table. On the second day, Leo Roodhart, Head of the Strategic Innovation Unit of Group GameChanger at Shell International, linked long term scenarios to short term actions. Jan Kriekels, Director M&R&D, Art Director, and Owner of Jaga moved everyone of us with his view on innovation and our roles therein. Finally, we heard Wolfgang M�ller-Pietralla, Head of Future Research and Trend Transfer at Volkswagen, talk about the research of trends and its implementation.

Even during the afternoon tracks -and I admittedly do have problems sometimes to stay concentrated during �siesta time�- I found the presentations so interesting that they energized me sufficiently to stay focused. The afternoon tracks centered around co-creation/user focused innovation, nurturing breakthroughs, from eco-conception to eco-innovation towards a sustainable future, the environment, service experience and design, and business model innovation. This year I also particularly liked the networking; maybe because there was an extra-ordinary amount of Flemish people present (I plead guilty to have a weak heart for my country(wo)men). The hotel accommodations were comfortable and the food provided at the conference was good. Being a Belgian expat in the US � I swear it is important :-).

2008 NYC Marathon

Tue, 4 Nov 2008 14:05:46 -0600

On November 2nd, 2008, Heidi ran the NYC Marathon in the NF Endurance Team for the Chidren's Tumor Foundation.

Watch the 2008 NYC Marathon movie my friends made... (I'm in it... just wait long enough...)

By clicking HERE you can contribute to the Children's Tumor Foundation.

NYC Marathon - The Children's Tumor Foundation

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 22:25:17 -0600

Dear friends,

On November 2nd, I will be running the NYC marathon in the NF Endurance Team. I look forward to this thrilling experience, but I'm even more happy to being able to contribute to a good cause.

The NF Endurance Team is running for charity i.e. we are raising money for The Children's Tumor Foundation. If you have some money on the side, please help us make others' dreams come true.

You can watch a video about The Children's Tumor Foundation and contribute on:
http://www.active.com/donate/nfnewyork2008/heidibertels

Warm regards,
Heidi

2009 Front End of Innovation Europe

Thu, 2 Oct 2008 16:46:10 -0600

The Third Annual Front End of Innovation Europe conference is scheduled for 26-28 January, 2009 at the Fairmont Hotel, Monte Carlo. The theme for this year�s conference is �Exploring a New Ecosystem for Growth.�

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Our keynote speakers include Jeremy Rifkin (Foundation on Economic Trends & Greenhouse Crisis Foundation), Peter Koen (Stevens Institute of Technology), Jan Kriekels (Uchronia), Doug MacMillan (Nokia), Leo Roodhart (Shell International), and Efstratia Zafeiriou (Audi)�

Please go take a look at the IIR website to learn more...

Dilbert's Solution to Disruption

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 09:51:51 -0600

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Innovation in Real Estate: "The World" in Dubai

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 19:16:42 -0600